I have owned the brand’s filtering water bottle and water pitcher for over a year, but after personally trying out Lifestraw’s flagship product – a handheld plastic tube containing an advanced filter that’s designed to remove microplastics, bacteria, parasites and more from just about any water source — I added a Lifestraw Sip (a slimmed-down, stainless steel version of the original) to my travel bag. It’s surprisingly chic and I was shocked at how effective and easy to use it is. One single filter has a long lifespan, providing about 1,000 gallons of clean and safe drinking water.
My colleague took a video of me drinking gutter water from New York City’s Madison Square Park (see below), and I can now attest to its effectiveness. It was a delightful, though nerve-wracking, experience, and I stand here before you alive and well.
When I first heard about Lifestraw it was in a survivalist context, and I assumed that someone like me — a city-dwelling indoor gal who has never been camping a day in her life — would never have use for one. But upon further research, I’ve become more convinced that they’re essential for everyone. We simply never know what’s going to happen. Even if you’re not big on the great outdoors, there’s no denying that there’s enough global instability to make one a bit nervous — and the existence of natural disasters alone is a good enough reason to have one in an emergency kit.
