The LifeStraw water filter deserves a place in any emergency kit

A surefire way to ruin any camping trip is to contract a water-borne illness like Salmonella, E. coli, or even Giardia from not properly filtering your water. You should always have access to safe, clean drinking water when going outside and it should be one of your essential trip details when spending time in the backcountry. 

Whether I'm going out for a day-long mountain bike ride or headed into Minnesota's Boundary Waters wilderness area for a few weeks, I always pack a water filter I can trust.

For longer trips or when I'm filtering water for a group, I love using my MSR Guardian thanks to its quick filtering and unique automatic backflushing function that reduces filter clogging. But the downside is its price, weight, and size. It's far too bulky to fit in my pack for day hikes and costs over $350, so I'm often wary of losing it or accidentally breaking the unit. 

For short outings and individual use, I instead opt for the LifeStraw water filter — and it should be on everyone's list of camping essentials. It's also one of the most popular products sold during Amazon Prime Day, where we've often seen it discounted by up to 50%. 

Easy to use and portable

As its name suggests, the LifeStraw is a straw-shaped filter that features two ends, one for inserting into a dirty water source like a lake or stream and the other that goes directly into your mouth. When taking a quick drink, its versatility is unmatched and with the only two steps being to put it into a stream and drink, it's quite intuitive, too.

Even if you want to take water with you, you can fill up a water bottle with dirty water and use the filter from it as needed. I do recommend being careful not to contaminate your straw by letting it fall into the water bottle as you drink.

The straw itself only weighs two ounces and filters 4,000 liters (or 1,000 gallons) of water before needing to replace the filter. Once you stick the filter side of the straw in dirty water, its membrane microfilter removes 99.9 percent of bacteria, parasites, microplastics, and dirt. There's no fancy pump or other moving parts that have the potential to break under heavy use, either. 

The LifeStraw is compact and portable enough to bring on mountain bike rides, short hikes, and even longer backpacking trips as a complement to a larger filtration system. It's nine inches long and just over an inch wide so it slides easily into a water bottle pocket or can be strapped to the outside of a backpack with some cord. 

Cons to consider

If you're traveling with a large group or you require a lot of filtered water, the LifeStraw could be a hassle to use over and over again. I'd recommend a gravity filter like the LifeStraw Flex with Gravity Bag or a pump filter like the MSR Guardian for these scenarios instead. Since the design of the straw is intended to be used right from a water source, it can be hard to store enough clean water for your group or for a longer trip.

Although it hasn't happened to me, I've had friends complain of their LifeStraw clogging up during use and becoming unusable — something you never want to run into during a trip. Other filters, like the Sawyer Mini Water Filter, come with a backflushing syringe for easy cleaning but there's no real way to backflush a LifeStraw.

One way to combat this is to blow air through the straw after every use to prevent clogging. Be aware of this if you're planning on relying on the LifeStraw solely for clean water.

The bottom line

At $20, it's hard to argue with the cost-benefit analysis of the LifeStraw. With regular use, this filter is bound to last you years before needing to buy another one. However, I wouldn't recommend this product for extended backcountry use since it's not repairable if something goes wrong. It's great for small outings and short hikes and deserves a place in any emergency kit.

If you aren't concerned about providing water for a large group or using this for a long period in the backcountry, then the LifeStraw is a must-buy. The cheap price tag allows you to buy a couple of filters, too — one for your backpack and one for your car for emergency situations. It's easy to use and even small children can use it thanks to the simple straw design.

Pros: Affordable, packable size, filters out most water-borne illnesses

Cons: Not ideal for large groups, hard to store water once filtered, lack of repairability