Water Filters and Accessories
Platypus, Sawyer, and Lifestraw are the world's largest manufacturers. That’s why their filters are in stock, as they manage to purify water in some of the world’s hotspots.
Things to Remember with a Water Filter from Platypus, Sawyer, or Lifestraw
You must never let a water filter freeze – neither on the trip nor at home in your freezer
A critical mistake you can make with your water filter is exposing it to any kind of frost. A water filter must never, ever freeze, as this can damage and completely ruin the filter. Due to the many tiny fibers, Platypus, Sawyer, and Lifestraw water filters can remove what is harmful to you. The fibers are so dense and fine that frost will, in most cases, completely destroy your water filter. On trips in cold weather, you should always keep your Platypus, Sawyer, or Lifestraw water filter close to your body.
Clean Drinking Water in Nature
Tap water at home is of consistent and controlled quality. In nature, even the cleanest lakes and streams can hold unexpected surprises. Despite recommendations and instructions about clean water, you should never drink water directly from the "source." Water should at least be boiled, but this is not always practical due to time and other circumstances. Survivalstore therefore recommends that you get a water filter, as the price compared to peace of mind is quite small.
Which One Should I Choose – Platypus, Lifestraw, or Sawyer Water Filter?
It depends entirely on what you need, but for personal use, Platypus, Lifestraw, and Sawyer are all equally suitable. However, you save a bit of money by choosing a Platypus or Lifestraw if your plan is only to drink from it as a personal here-and-now filter. If, on the other hand, you want a filter that can also be used with hydration bladders, can be screwed onto bottles and bags where you already store water, then you can choose a Sawyer water filter, but Platypus can also do this. They all have their advantages, some more than others.
How Long Do Platypus, Sawyer, and Lifestraw Water Filters Last?
The lifespan varies depending on how dirty the water you drink is and how you take care of the filter. If it’s just minor impurities contaminating the water, the filter can handle several thousand liters. However, if you drink from very muddy and almost murky water, it’s easy to imagine that they won’t last as long. The lifespan of a water filter therefore depends greatly on how you treat it.
For example, the Platypus Quickdraw can filter 1000 liters of water, which is quite a lot.
A Clever Cowboy Trick... if we can call it that ;)
Imagine the worst-case scenario – you have to drink liquid from, for example, a mud puddle or something even worse, the same brown color – yep, you’re reading my thoughts. That doesn’t sound pleasant, right!? The method is simply to take your "challenge" and roughly filter it through a t-shirt, a sock, a towel, your pants, etc. This way, you protect your water filter a great deal.
Storage
Common to Platypus, Sawyer, and Lifestraw is that they have caps or screw lids. These protect against dirt during trips when the water filter is not in use. At home, however, these caps should not be on. You should store the filter dry, at normal room temperature, and avoid exposing it to large temperature fluctuations. When the caps are off, your Lifestraw or Sawyer filter can release the moisture inside. Mostly to ensure that no unpleasant things develop inside and also to prevent it from tasting bad the next time it’s used. Since the fibers are very, very fine, there will almost certainly always be some moisture inside. A more detailed description of storage can be found with the product packaging or on the manufacturer’s website.
Platypus
