Post by Jeffrey on Dec 8, 2023 17:04:53 GMT -8
When I was a young Army private, there was only one method we used to treat water in the field: iodine tablets. Those foul-tasting pills were dropped into our canteens, and nothing on God's green earth could make it taste palatable. I tried sugar; I tried Kool-Aid, to no avail. But the single worst choice I made was the day I tried to mask it using a cherished packet of hot chocolate mix. Somehow, those two flavours combined with an awful synergy into a concoction that was altogether undrinkable. I suffered through a hot summer field exercise holding my nose and choking down canteen after canteen of tainted, bitter water. When I returned to my barracks, I scrubbed and scrubbed that canteen for all I was worth, but never could get that smell out. I finally threw it away and bought a new one. Lesson learned!
Fast forward to today, and we have so many good water filtration and treatment options available. Let's discuss our filtration options first. One of the real gamechangers to hit the market was LifeStraw (lifestraw.com). Its unique pure silver microfilter enabled users to literally drink out of mucky-appearing bodies of water safely. Now, I'm not a fan of that technique. I believe the bandana filter technique is still a good idea before using a secondary filter, if for no other reason than it keeps devices with such fine filters from getting clogged with debris prematurely.
More recently, LifeStraw has incorporated their renowned filter into a flexible bottle called the Squeeze, which has proven to be a real hit. Others have followed suit with similar designs, but LifeStraw emerges as the company to beat. One thing I really appreciate about LifeStraw are their continued efforts to offer more for less. Although I have no evidence to support it, I believe LifeStraw has managed to remain inexpensive because they service bulk contracts to international aid and volunteer agencies, thereby keeping individual unit prices under control.
Whatever the reason, I'm grateful for the high value of their products relative to price. Conversely, I'm afraid I'm not a fan of Katadyn products. From the moment they emerged on the scene, their products have commanded astronomical prices, and their performance has proven no more effective than the competition. Sawyer does offer some reasonably-priced alternatives to LifeStraw, but frankly, they seem fiddly and poorly engineered, with too many small parts to lose in the field. Therefore, I can't recommend them at the moment. My long-term position has been that everyone should have at least one LifeStraw in their kit. Given their small size, light weight, long-term effectiveness, and ease of deployment, they simply can't be beat.
Stay safe!
--Jeffrey
Fast forward to today, and we have so many good water filtration and treatment options available. Let's discuss our filtration options first. One of the real gamechangers to hit the market was LifeStraw (lifestraw.com). Its unique pure silver microfilter enabled users to literally drink out of mucky-appearing bodies of water safely. Now, I'm not a fan of that technique. I believe the bandana filter technique is still a good idea before using a secondary filter, if for no other reason than it keeps devices with such fine filters from getting clogged with debris prematurely.
More recently, LifeStraw has incorporated their renowned filter into a flexible bottle called the Squeeze, which has proven to be a real hit. Others have followed suit with similar designs, but LifeStraw emerges as the company to beat. One thing I really appreciate about LifeStraw are their continued efforts to offer more for less. Although I have no evidence to support it, I believe LifeStraw has managed to remain inexpensive because they service bulk contracts to international aid and volunteer agencies, thereby keeping individual unit prices under control.
Whatever the reason, I'm grateful for the high value of their products relative to price. Conversely, I'm afraid I'm not a fan of Katadyn products. From the moment they emerged on the scene, their products have commanded astronomical prices, and their performance has proven no more effective than the competition. Sawyer does offer some reasonably-priced alternatives to LifeStraw, but frankly, they seem fiddly and poorly engineered, with too many small parts to lose in the field. Therefore, I can't recommend them at the moment. My long-term position has been that everyone should have at least one LifeStraw in their kit. Given their small size, light weight, long-term effectiveness, and ease of deployment, they simply can't be beat.
Stay safe!
--Jeffrey