We all know that far more water is required when you’re hiking than on just a normal day spent at home or sat at your desk. But carrying litres and litres isn’t ideal when you’re going up big hills or putting in the miles, nor is drinking straight from a stream when there could be something a bit dodgy in it. And that’s why portable water filters are so useful.
One of the long term leaders when it comes to making these is Lifestraw, a brand that we’ve featured on Outdoors Magic a few times. You’re probably already familiar with the portable straws and bottles they make that are able to safely filter the grimiest of puddles you could imagine.
This year, to complement their filter collection the brand have developed a clever new set that lets you use a Lifestraw with water bottles that you already own; with your vacuum insulated flask for instance, or the sports bottle you take with you everywhere.
Most bottles are compatible but not all of them. For instance, you’re not going to be able to use it with say, a Nalgene Wide Mouth or a recycled Coca Cola bottle.
The Lifestraw Universal adapter set comes with one wide screw cap (63mm), one narrow screw cap (43mm), a top lid with a handle, and of course, the classic two-stage Lifestraw filter as well. And it all bundles into a supplied carry sack.
“…for every Lifestraw product you purchase, one child in need gets safe drinking water for a whole school year.”
To draw water you don’t need to tilt the bottle, you just suck on the push cap, safe in the knowledge that you’re not swallowing any bacteria or parasites. The filter will even remove microplastics which are commonly found in bottled water and sometimes even in tap water.
You can expect a Lifestraw to be able to safely filter 1,000 gallons of water. Now, considering the healthy intake of water each day is around half a gallon, that means that if you were going to solely use the Lifestraw as your water source when you’re out, it should theoretically serve you for 2,000 trips.
You need to make sure you look after it though. That means blowing through the filter to backflush it as often as possible and also making sure that water inside it doesn’t freeze overnight when camping in winter or at altitude as this can potentially cause cracks.
