The LifeStraw is probably one of the most recognisable portable water filters around. Its appeal is easy to understand: it’s compact, extremely lightweight and requires no batteries, pumping or complicated setup.
For preppers, that makes it particularly interesting as something you can leave in a bug out bag, hiking pack or emergency kit until you need it.
In this LifeStraw review, I’m looking specifically at the original LifeStraw Personal Water Filter Straw to see where it works well, what its limitations are and whether it deserves a place in a UK prepper’s kit.
Quick Verdict
The LifeStraw is an excellent lightweight personal backup water filter. It’s simple, compact and capable of removing bacteria, parasites and microplastics from water without electricity or chemicals.
I particularly like it for bug out bags, get-home bags, hiking and secondary emergency kits where low weight and simplicity are priorities.
Its main limitation is that it’s primarily designed for one person drinking directly through the filter. If you want to filter larger quantities of water into bottles or containers, there are more versatile options.
Check the latest LifeStraw price on Amazon.co.uk →
LifeStraw Specifications
This review covers the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter Straw, rather than the LifeStraw Peak Series, Go bottles or the company’s larger purification systems.
| Specification | LifeStraw Personal Water Filter Straw |
|---|---|
| Filtration | Hollow-fibre membrane microfilter |
| Pore size | 0.2 micron |
| Capacity | Up to 4,000 litres |
| Weight | 46g |
| Dimensions | 22.9 × 2.5cm |
| Bacteria removal | 99.999999% |
| Parasite removal | 99.999% |
| Microplastics removal | 99.999% |
LifeStraw states that the filter protects against bacteria including E. coli, parasites including Giardia and Cryptosporidium, as well as microplastics, dirt, sand and cloudiness. It meets US EPA and NSF P231 drinking-water standards for bacteria and parasite removal.
There is, however, an important distinction between filtration and purification.
The Personal LifeStraw is a microfilter, not a water purifier. It does not remove viruses. LifeStraw’s virus-removing purifiers use much smaller 0.02-micron ultrafilter pores.
Nor should the Personal Straw be relied upon to deal with chemical or heavy-metal contamination. LifeStraw uses additional technologies such as activated carbon and ion exchange in other products specifically designed to reduce certain chemical contaminants and metals.
What I Like About the LifeStraw
The biggest advantage of the LifeStraw is its simplicity.
There are no batteries to keep charged, no electronic components and no complicated assembly. When you need it, you can simply use the straw to draw water through the internal membrane filter.
That simplicity is valuable in an emergency, particularly if the LifeStraw is being carried as backup equipment rather than used every day.
It’s also exceptionally lightweight. At just 46g, adding one to a bug out bag or hiking pack makes very little difference to the overall weight.
The claimed lifespan is impressive too. LifeStraw rates the membrane microfilter for up to 4,000 litres, although actual lifespan can depend on the quality of the water being filtered and how the product is maintained.
Another benefit for preparedness is storage. LifeStraw states that an unused Personal Straw has an unlimited shelf life, making it well suited to emergency kits that may spend years sitting unused.
For me, that combination of low weight, long potential service life and almost complete lack of complexity is what makes the LifeStraw useful.
Using the LifeStraw in an Emergency
The LifeStraw makes most sense when you need a portable way for one person to filter water.
That could include keeping one in a:
- bug out bag
- get-home bag
- vehicle emergency kit
- hiking or camping pack
- travel kit
- secondary emergency supply
It could also provide another option during a disruption to the normal water supply where you have access to an appropriate alternative water source.
However, it’s important not to treat a LifeStraw as permission to drink from absolutely any body of water. The filter only deals with contaminants it is designed and tested to remove. Chemical pollution, viruses and other hazards can still make a water source unsuitable.
It also shouldn’t replace stored drinking water.
For most households, having water immediately available at home should come first. See our guide to storing drinking water for emergencies for advice on building a sensible household supply.
The LifeStraw is better thought of as an extra layer of preparedness for situations where your stored supply is unavailable or you are away from home.
Things to Know Before Buying a LifeStraw
The LifeStraw’s greatest strength, its simple straw design, is also its biggest limitation.
It’s mainly a personal drinking filter
The original LifeStraw is designed primarily for drinking water directly through the filter.
That’s convenient beside a stream or when drinking from a container, but less convenient if you want to produce several litres of filtered water for cooking, storage or use by an entire family.
For those jobs, a filter designed to fill containers may be more practical.
It doesn’t remove everything
The Personal Straw removes bacteria and parasites, but not viruses.
Its membrane filter also isn’t something I’d rely upon for water known or suspected to contain chemical pollution or heavy metals.
That distinction matters particularly around urban, agricultural or industrial water sources. Filtering murky water does not automatically mean that every possible hazard has been removed.
Cleaning and storage matter after use
An unused LifeStraw is very easy to store, but once you’ve started using one, there is some maintenance to think about.
For a Personal LifeStraw that has been used and will then be stored for more than one month, LifeStraw currently recommends disinfecting it, filling or storing it with a saline solution and keeping it in a cool, dry place. This helps keep the membrane moist and preserve its performance.
It’s worth reading the manufacturer’s current cleaning and storage instructions rather than simply using the filter once and throwing it back into an emergency bag indefinitely.
If you plan to keep a used filter in a vehicle or winter kit, I would also take care to protect it from extreme temperatures and follow LifeStraw’s current storage instructions.
How Does the LifeStraw Compare with the Sawyer Mini?
The LifeStraw and Sawyer Mini occupy similar territory, but their designs suit slightly different uses.
The LifeStraw prioritises simplicity. If you want to drink directly from an appropriate water source with minimal equipment, it’s difficult to make the process much simpler.
The Sawyer Mini is more versatile, particularly when you want to filter water into a separate container rather than simply drink it through a straw.
I won’t repeat the comparison here, as we’ve covered the differences in detail in our Sawyer Mini vs LifeStraw comparison.
You can also read our full Sawyer Mini water filter review if you’re considering that option.
Who Is the LifeStraw Best For?
I think the LifeStraw is particularly well suited to:
- Beginner preppers who want a straightforward backup filtration option without needing to learn a more complicated system.
- Hikers and campers who want emergency filtration without adding much weight to their pack.
- Bug out and get-home bag builders where every gram and centimetre of space matters.
- People building multiple emergency kits, as the simple Personal Straw works well as a secondary filter kept in a car, pack or travel kit.
It’s less suitable as the main filtration system for a family that expects to filter larger quantities of water for drinking, cooking and storage.
If that’s your priority, have a look at our guide to the best water filters for preppers, which covers more versatile options.
Should UK Preppers Buy a LifeStraw?
For most UK preppers, I think the LifeStraw is a worthwhile addition to an emergency kit.
That’s not because it solves every possible water problem. It doesn’t.
What it does provide is an extremely lightweight, simple and long-lasting way for an individual to filter out key biological contaminants from appropriate water sources.
That makes sense in a bug out bag, get-home bag or hiking pack, and it can also provide useful redundancy alongside your main household water preparations.
I wouldn’t choose the original LifeStraw as my only plan for supplying a family with emergency water. I’d start with properly stored drinking water and add a more versatile filter if I expected to process larger amounts.
But as a personal portable backup, the LifeStraw does its job very well.
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LifeStraw FAQs
Yes. Its low weight, simple design and long filter capacity make it particularly useful as a personal backup filter in emergency bags and outdoor kits. It should complement stored drinking water rather than replace it.
The LifeStraw is designed to remove bacteria, parasites, microplastics and particulates from water, but that doesn’t mean every river or stream is automatically safe. Other hazards, including chemicals and viruses, may be present depending on the water source.
No. The LifeStraw Personal Water Filter Straw is a 0.2-micron microfilter and does not remove viruses. LifeStraw’s purifier products use a 0.02-micron ultrafilter to provide virus removal.
The Personal Straw should not be relied upon for chemical contamination. Some other LifeStraw products incorporate activated carbon and ion-exchange filtration designed to reduce specific chemicals and heavy metals.
LifeStraw rates the Personal Straw’s membrane microfilter for up to 4,000 litres of water.
Extreme-temperature storage should be treated cautiously, particularly after a filter has been used and contains moisture. Follow LifeStraw’s latest cleaning and storage instructions and avoid leaving a used filter exposed unnecessarily to freezing conditions.
The Sawyer Mini offers more flexibility for filtering water into bottles and other containers, while the LifeStraw’s strength is its exceptionally simple direct-drinking design. Read our Sawyer Mini vs LifeStraw comparison for a full breakdown.
Final Verdict
The LifeStraw Personal Water Filter Straw does one job particularly well: it gives one person an extremely simple, lightweight way to filter water when they’re away from a normal safe supply.
Its direct-drinking format isn’t ideal for producing water for a whole household, but as a backup filter for hiking, bug out bags and emergency kits, I think it’s an excellent piece of preparedness equipment.
