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Water Filter Straw
What is a water filter straw, and what the heck does it have to do with fishing?
A water filter straw is a simple as it sounds. It allows you to drink water from any natural body of water, without fear of becoming sick. It’s a handy device that should be in every backpack, whether you’re campaign, hiking, or fishing.
Let’s be real, a lot of us are more worried about bringing a 6-pack of beer than water when we’re on the river or lake. We all know that water is vital to our body’s performance, as much as it’s vital to our favorite fishing spot. What we don’t tend to think about is the possibility of needing more than a few Budweiser’s in an emergency.
Everybody has their favorite fishing spot, and we could probably get to it in our sleep. But what would happen if you ventured in a bit too far, wandered off track in search of a new spot, or simply got injured too bad to travel back? We genuinely hope that never happens to anyone, but the reality is that it happens every year. The human body can survive about 3 weeks without food, but hopefully as a decent fisherman you don’t have to worry about that. Without water, on the other hand, the human body can only last about 3 days.
You’re probably thinking, “if I am fishing, I am on the water.” That’s a good point, that drives our point home. You probably have water within a stone throw or an easy cast. The quality of that water for drinking is what’s in question though. On more than one occasion we’ve rounded a bend on the river to find an animal dead in the water, usually smelling a bit rank. A canteen full of water from before the bend isn’t exactly Evian.
Life Straw
That’s where water filter straws come in. There are a few water filter straws available online. The Life Straw might be the most known, as the brand went viral after introducing their straw filter a few years back. Each Life Straw claims to be able to filter 1,000 gallons of water before needing a filter change or replacement. That’s enough water to get anyone through a few days lost in the woods, or while waiting for help to arrive. Overall, it’s a great water filter straw.
Survivor Life Straw
Although the Life Straw is a great filter straw, we’ve found that the Survivor Filter has improved on the concept.
The Survivor Life Straw triple filters, cleaning water down to 0.05 microns, probably about the size of the record breaker fish your buddy claims that got away. Seriously, it’s small! In fact, 0.05 microns is about 400% better than the Life Straw. When you’re talking about microns, we aren’t sure whether that difference makes or breaks a filter straw, but better filtration should mean cleaner water in our opinion.
Filtration Removes:
99.999% of Protozoa including Giardia and other Parasites
99.999% of tested VIRUS (Phi X-174), STAPH and other bacteria
99.5% Mercury Removal
93% Lead Removal
The Survivor Filter can be used directly on water sources, like drinking right out of a river or lake. It can also be attached to many water bottles, canteens, and the available collapsible Filter Squeeze Canteens to filter as you drink. The three-stage filter is designed to first remove large particles with the cotton pre-filter. The second stage micron filter removes “Pollen, Algae, Large Particles, Giardia, E. Coli, Protozoa, Cysts, Cryptosporidium and more. The final stage is the carbon filter, which removes chemicals and heavy metals, improving the taste of the water too.
The downside to the Survival Filter versus the Life Straw is the amount of water that can be filtered before replacement. As mentioned above, the Life Straw can handle up to 1,000 gallons. Whereas the Survival Filter recommends replacing the carbon filter after only 264 gallons. Nevertheless, 264 gallons is still a lot of water and right now Survivor Filter is offering FREE shipping on all orders.
No matter which water filter straw you choose, you’re adding a valuable tool to your vest, tackle box, day pack, or bug-out-bag. Both straws weigh a few ounces, a lot less than a couple of liters in a canteen or bottle. You’ll be nimbler on the water and conserve energy as you hike into your favorite fishing spot. Stay tuned to our blog for a review of the Survival Filter and Life Straw, side-by-side.
