lifestraw

You could always fill your containers and then use the lifestraw to drink out of them. Not an ideal solution for backpacking, but certainly viable for emergency situations.
 
sideways said:
@gadgetgeek. Most of the survival stuff online is highly paranoid. That article seemed good as it relates to a wide range of water filters. I did not read the rest of the blog. :)

@druid189. I'm not sure exactly what you are referencing... Was there something about fluoride in the articles I linked? Where did that come from?
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nono....I was simply adding that chemicals in the water supply are a real concern for a lot of people. I was making reference to something that municipalities intentionally put in the water supply [that people accept as "ok"] which actually have the capability to kill if "dosed" at the wrong ratio. In the case of fluoride, there's actually a medically driven, concerted effort to halt the introduction of fluoride because unlike the government's implication to a "benefit," some in the medical community are actually questioning that claim with very compelling evidence.

Concerns about unintentional additives [oils, fuels, lead, mercury, etc., etc.....] are a real concern for some and a general mindset that "you are just being paranoid" is actually a dangerously dismissive attitude [not saying you were implying that, but the sentiment was mentioned as a second-hand statement in the thread].

That's all I wassaying
 
okay, but if you are concerned about chemicals in the water, then you need to look at different purification methods. Distillation, reverse osmosis, or absorption. And in that case, you need to know what chemicals you are needing to remove, and how to go about getting them out, or neutralizing them.

Toxicity is always just a question of dose.
 
Bob Leedy said:
. . . No mechanical flter can take out dissolved chemicals or viruses.
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As to viruses, that was once true, until several years ago Sawyer produce a filter that EPA rates as 99.9997% effective (Log 5.5) against viruses. Then several other companies found ways to do achieve the EPA standard (99.99% or Log 4) without infringing Sawyer's patent, including at least three straw-type products.
 
Well i think this has gone far beyond the realm of the life straw. "Toxicity is always just a question of dose" Is the absolute truth. Oxygen is toxic in a high dose. Bacteria/viruses have a # of orginisms necessary to infect a host some take alot less then others.
Good call on filling containers then using the straw to drink. Thats thinkin outside the box

Yes the life straw is a cool piece of kit that could be added to anyone's gear.

:)
 
Phoynix said:
To the people using UV wands... how do you get the particulates out of the water so no viruses or bacteria that are encapsulated in them end up in your gut since the UV wands cant kill them?
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I have two Steripens and the one I use the most came with a bottle that has a prefilter on it. Prevents large particulates from getting into the bottle, but small particulates can be seen floating around in there. I use it mostly in the Sierra Nevada's in the lakes, ponds, streams, and rivers without any problems. I picked one up because I read a backpacking book about a guy that traveled the Appalachian trail and all around the world using his Steripen. He even drank water with a decomposing sheep in it and filtered it twice without getting sick. That sold me, but I'm not going to go out and test it.
 
International UV testing I have found didnt produce drinkable water(due to pathogens) even with particulates at 40 microns to 20 microns which is below what the eye can see, below 20 microns particulates offered little UV protection.
This was done on greywater which is non feces containing house waste water, it contain lots of plant and animal matter from washing dishes along with dirt and human skin.
I feel this is relevant because natural water sources have high particulate counts of organic and inorganic matter not to mention fecal matter from animals, so grey water is a good "real" world test.

I would only trust Steripen on filtered water where particulates were removed down to 20 microns.


gadgetgeek said:
For UV all you need is to get the particles out, and those are pretty big. a simple few layers of cloth will get most of them, and settling/decanting will get the rest. Anything smaller than that shouldn't be a problem.

A quick read of the survivalist blog just reads like the guy is super paranoid. But here is the thing. He is so concerned about dissolved chemicals, but the reality is, if you have a chem spill, nothing is going to be purifying that water. Any petroleum contamination will melt the inside of the sawyer. double filtering just seems like a waste of time to me. espessially using a couple hundred dollar filter as a pump for a cheap one. If you want to pump from the sawyer, just go build a pump, it'd be cheaper.

most of the stuff that is going to get you is parasites, and amoebas. Algae is fine, (unless its blue-green or red) in which case no filter will be enough. Parasites are huge, as are amoebas. Bacteria might be little, but they don't live long, and there are few that are really bad for you. (you are not likely to find e.coli in your back country water, unless you are downstream of the septic tanks)

yes, there are some bad water things you can get. Most people get sick from fecal contamination of food, not their water. But everyone blames the water.
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I m in no way against a UV/steripen.

However, I've been creeping around the woods for the better part of 30 years.

In that time, I've only particulate-filtered at what a doubled-over bandanna could remove...then boiled the water for consumption. If the water was uber-creepy looking, I made a distillery by using a garbage bag/plastic tarp/emergency blanket as the steam catch. Admittedly the distillery was never efficient but it gave me peace of mind.


....and coincidentally....I've never been rendered ill from any of my methods [when sterilizing water].

one thing I'd like to mention though.....you really only require 6 hrs of sunlight and a clear bottle to sterilize water:

[video=youtube;ErkWkh-bSJE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErkWkh-bSJE[/video]

Alternatively, I've used this without any ill affects:

[video=youtube;eTnAp0BX3SU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTnAp0BX3SU&index=1&list=PLDQGTzpfNRCtD24rQg1CTNuRO-iu6AOei[/video]
 
druid189 said:
. . .
Alternatively, I've used this without any ill affects:

[video=youtube;eTnAp0BX3SU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTnAp0BX3SU&index=1&list=PLDQGTzpfNRCtD24rQg1CTNuRO-iu6AOei[/video]
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Good "catch" on SODIS, especially considering all the containers scattered about the backcountry by two-legged pigs (with apologies to four-legs). Survivorman had an episode in the desert with several old wiskey bottles present but Les Stroud ended up consuming questionable water (rodent droppings) without any treatment because, apparently, he didn't speak SODIS.

As for the second AV, as you doubtless know, regular chlorine pills and iodine are both doubtful for treatment to eliminate parasites. The idea for an expedient pre-treatment filter is great, and the cotton balls - and even the plastic parts - have alternate utility for fire-starting. Another example of why this forum is a great resource. Thank you.
 
Thomas Linton said:
Good "catch" on SODIS, especially considering all the containers scattered about the backcountry by two-legged pigs (with apologies to four-legs). Survivorman had an episode in the desert with several old wiskey bottles present but Les Stroud ended up consuming questionable water (rodent droppings) without any treatment because, apparently, he didn't speak SODIS.

As for the second AV, as you doubtless know, regular chlorine pills and iodine are both doubtful for treatment to eliminate parasites. The idea for an expedient pre-treatment filter is great, and the cotton balls - and even the plastic parts - have alternate utility for fire-starting. Another example of why this forum is a great resource. Thank you.
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Oh I agree on the second AV and on Iodine/Chlorine tabs. I used the pre-filter and then boiled it...not water purification tablets. I should have been more specific - sorry.

Pre-filtering will only ever remove large particulates and not the 'nastys' that make us sick. I never really did trust the tablets and certainly found the taste almost unpalatable when I did try them.

Boiling water has been the only safe method in my mind but it requires the ability to make fire. I'm not often in one place for 6 hrs of sunlight to make SODIS work for me but if it's that much of a necessity, I know it will work and hunker down for a day so I have it as an option.

With age comes experience. Glad I can help :thumbup:
 
Pre-filtering will only ever remove large particulates and not the 'nastys' that make us sick.
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Think of the particles as landing craft, filled to bursting with battalions of the "nasties." Eliminating them gives your defenses a better chance to win.

Any good commercial filter plus any commercial water treatment pills is about 100% good against "germs." The filter gets the bacteria and parasites and the pills kill the viruses. (And then we have the latest filters that get the viruses too.)
 
I've used a lifestraw a couple of times but never owned one. I use a Sawyer filter on all of my camping trips.

I don't really see any reason to get a lifestraw instead of a Sawyer filter.

Sawyer Mini vs. Lifestraw:

Weight- Sawyer weighs less by 57 grams (assume tie after adding bottle and accessories to Sawyer)
Size- Sawyer is slightly shorter (again, about a tie after adding accessories)
Effectiveness- Sawyer lists more significant digits in their effectiveness ratings but we'll assume they're practically the same
Life- Sawyer by a long shot at 100,000 gallons vs only 264 on the Lifestraw
Usability- Sawyer has a straw attachment so can do the same things as the Lifestraw, but also easily screws onto standard bottles making storage/transport easier.
Cost- Sawyer is $1 less on the largest online retailer

Basically I just can't think of any reason to get a Lifestraw instead of a Sawyer. Perhaps if you will only ever use it as a straw and want the convenience of wearing it around your neck; I'd be worried about losing the straw attachment on the Sawyer wearing it around all day.
 
Phoynix said:
To the people using UV wands... how do you get the particulates out of the water so no viruses or bacteria that are encapsulated in them end up in your gut since the UV wands cant kill them?
Click to expand...
I've prefiltered with socks, shirts, canvas, etc., and have never gotten sick yet, and I have a sensitive GI tract. Going on over 10 years, and it works well. I also use it when filling my bottle from a drinking fountain in an airport - can't be too careful. I get strange looks, but don't care...
 
justsomedude said:
I've used a lifestraw a couple of times but never owned one. I use a Sawyer filter on all of my camping trips.

I don't really see any reason to get a lifestraw instead of a Sawyer filter.

Sawyer Mini vs. Lifestraw:

Weight- Sawyer weighs less by 57 grams (assume tie after adding bottle and accessories to Sawyer)
Size- Sawyer is slightly shorter (again, about a tie after adding accessories)
Effectiveness- Sawyer lists more significant digits in their effectiveness ratings but we'll assume they're practically the same
Life- Sawyer by a long shot at 100,000 gallons vs only 264 on the Lifestraw
Usability- Sawyer has a straw attachment so can do the same things as the Lifestraw, but also easily screws onto standard bottles making storage/transport easier.
Cost- Sawyer is $1 less on the largest online retailer

Basically I just can't think of any reason to get a Lifestraw instead of a Sawyer. Perhaps if you will only ever use it as a straw and want the convenience of wearing it around your neck; I'd be worried about losing the straw attachment on the Sawyer wearing it around all day.
Click to expand...

Should check out the Rapid Pure straw at 54 grams. Unlike the other 2 which are only filters, it is a filter on the purification level.
 
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