Australian Hiker

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LifeStraw Go Series 650ml Water Bottle with Filter Review

I can remember using the original Life Straw Filter bottle not long after we launched Australian Hiker in 2016. As someone who is a water bladder user and while I found it to be very effective, it was never something I ever really got into on a regular basis. Recently the Australian distributor of Life Straw provided me with the newest version of this bottle, the LifeStraw Go Series 650 ml Water Bottle with Filter and I was keen to see how it performed.

First up this water bottle has a 650 ml capacity which makes it one of the smaller water bottles on the market. It does however have a narrow profile so it is easy to hold and manage compared to the chunkier Nalgene style bottles which work well in large hands but almost become a two handed exercise for smaller hands. While this bottle appears to be about the same size as a 750 ml bottle, however given a filter unit has been inserted into the bottle you lose extra water capacity.

Speaking of water filters, this is what separates this bottle from its siblings so when you see the AUD $99.99 RRP you need to appreciate you are purchasing a filter unit as well as a bottle so don’t panic attack about the price. This filter is a membrane filter which filters out anything bigger than 0.2 micron which is similar, if not quite as good as other membrane filters on the market.

In addition to the membrane filter there is also a carbon filter that adds to the filtering process to remove any bad taste from the water as well as chemicals. This water filter bottle filters out 99.999999% of bacteria, 99.999% of parasites, 99.999% of microplastics, as well as particulates but doesn’t filter viruses. You should use a membrane filter to get the best life out of the bottle if the water is really dirty and has lots of sediment. You can do this by adding water to the bottle through a buff or other piece of thin cloth to remove most of the chunky bits.

Colour wise there are plenty of options available on the market. At the time of this review there were six colours that were easy to locate although you may find different retailers will carry a selection rather than the whole range.

If you have used a membrane filter previously you know the extra effort needed to drink from them but this water bottle surprised me. Even straight out of the pack it was easy to drink from without tipping the bottle and easier again when you tip the bottle up. Hiking wise this isn’t a big issue but if you are using this as a drink bottle for the car it means you won’t need to take your eyes off the road which is a handy feature – the small bleed value at the top of the lid makes upright drinking easy.

Now for the down side. The main water filter unit will last for around 4,000 litres which LifeStraw estimates will last most users around five years which is probably longer than many people use their bottles. So while a replacement filter unit costs around AUD $55.00RRP at the time of this review so unless you’re doing regular multi-week thru hikes, you will probably never replace this water filter unit.

Where the filtration is going to get expensive is that the second component of the filtration unit (the carbon filter, which reduces chlorine, odours and organic chemicals) needs to be replaced every 100 litres (around every two months) and at the time of this review it sold as a twin pack for about $25.00 ($12.50 each). When you match this with the main filter unit, by the time you need to replace the filters you will have purchased 20 twin packs of the carbon filters; I’ll let you do the math on that one!

OK so given the initial purchase cost along with the ongoing maintenance costs is this unit worth purchasing? One thing worth noting is that LifeStraw is a socially responsible company and for every 500 products they sell, they provide a LifeStraw Community Purifier to a school in need which provides safe water to 100 school children for a period of five years. So not only are you getting a high quality water bottle that filters your water, you are also contributing to the wellbeing of people in poorer countries who can’t access good quality water.

From an end user perspective you get a quality product that will keep you healthy when the water quality is in doubt and this is going to be the key decision point for many users. From here you need to decide if it’s going to work with your lifestyle. If like me you are a bladder user who does long distance hikes and consumes three plus litres of water a day then the added cost of the carbon filter is going to make me think twice. Having said that I use a water bottle at work and will drink at least 1.5 litres during my work day so if the water quality is less than the best in your area, then this filter bottle is a great option.

We Like

• Filters and carries water in a well designed bottle
• Reduces chemical content in the water along with bacteria and protozoa
• Very easy to use; you don’t need to tip your head back to drink which is handy
• A good range of colours is available
• Your purchase helps less developed parts of the world

We Don't Like

• Not the cheapest water bottle around but remember its also a filter
• Can be pricey long term if you are a big user due to the replacement cost of the carbon filter
• Best results are achieved if you ‘pre filter’ through something like a buff

Best Uses

Great for hikers who are into shorter hikes or for those in areas where the water quality is questionable

Buy One

You can purchase the LifeStraw Go Series 650ml Water Bottle with Filter from Snowys, Wild Earth or from Wildfire Sports

Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our gear reviewsDisclosure:  We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

Investment

AUD $99.99 RRP

LifeStraw Go Series 650ml Water Bottle with Filter as purchased

LifeStraw Go Series 650ml Water Bottle with Filter Kyoto Orange colour

LifeStraw carbon filter. This unit forms part of the filtration unit and needs to be replaced every 100 litres of use. As at the time of this review this cost AUD$24.99 per two pack unit

LifeStraw Go Series Replacement Membrane Microfilter. This unit needs to be replaced about every 4,000 litres of use (about every two years)

Disclaimer

This review was done by product provided by the Australian distributor of LifeStraw

Last updated

9 June 2024

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