I admit I was not a fan of LifeStraw when it first came out but now carry it in both my bushcraft and hunting pack.
LifeStraw is basically a handheld point of use water filter, made of plastic tubing. It works by drawing water up through a straw first and then passes through hollow fibres that filter water particles down to 0.2 µm across, using only physical filtration methods and no chemicals. The entire process is powered by user suction, similar to using a conventional drinking straw for a soft drink or milkshake and filters up to 1000 litres of water.
My first response was due to not filtering out our major hazard here in the West. While the initial model of the filter did not remove Giardia lamblia, the current model of LifeStraw now removes a minimum of 99.9% of waterborne protozoan parasites including giardia and cryptosporidium.
Getting to the source can be a hazard. It requires you to be face down into your source. If that happens to be a steep bank, well you are a bit inverted while drawing to gulp down water. What I do is capture water into a container and drink from it. Keep in mind, once your container has been exposed to contaminated water, it must be boiled to rid itself of viruses, bacteria, and protozoans.
Highly recommend the LifeStraw. I have been carrying it for the past few months and like how little room it takes up in my pack. It runs about $20 and I can drink on-the-go at water sources or put it in a container for later consumption.
UPDATE- with recent discoveries with both my own LifeStraw and research– I can no longer recommend this product. It would work as a post filter if using another method like boiling or tablets and still use this method when traveling in 3rd world areas.
Adventure IQ 