This system is much like everyone mentions. It's light, weighing about as much as 5 quarters. It's compact, about the size of a roll of pennies. The filtration unit seems pretty sturdy and would probably not crack if dropped. The straw seems OK, about the same quality as the flexi-straws you get with $10 plastic water bottles. I'd worry that the straw might crack with repeated use, but it should be fine if you use it only for emergency purposes (i.e. rarely).
As with all carbon-based filters, this one has a lot of dust when you first use it. I forgot this detail and was surprised by the straw full of coffee-colored water on my first draw. There is a note on the unit that warns about this dust (which I didn't notice until later). The note implies that all of the dust would disappear after the first draw. That is not true. I've drawn about 4 cups of water through the system, yet there is still very noticeable dust in the water. It's no longer the color of coffee, more like weak tea. I'm OK with this, but my wife and daughter would complain (of course, they probably wouldn't complain too long if there's no other water).
In sum, I think this is a good product and recommend it for emergency use. But I suggest drawing a few cups of water to remove the carbon before you store it in your emergency kit. Aquamira Frontier Emergency Water Filter System
I bought the Aquamira filtration straw as a lightweight way to keep safe and not get sick from water-born illnesses (Cryptosporidiosis and Giardiasis being the two major ones) while abroad. I still carry water filtration tablets while abroad as a "just in case" item, but let's face it - that's a pain to deal with and you need to be planning ahead. Sometimes you just need to drink now.
I really can't get over how light this thing is. It weighs less than an ounce, and fits easily inside of any pocket you can think of. The collapsible straw is a bonus. The straw is rated at being able to filter around 20 gallons of water before it's discarded.
The price and size make this a "must have" for any hiker/camper/traveler/survivalist. Sure, you'll probably not use it, you'll be glad you have it.
This thing is great. You can drink from a mud puddle and it still taste clean. One time I was camping and it started raining so I threw up the poncho and put my metal cup out to collect water. Well pigment from the poncho came off since it hadn't been used before, as well as smoke that had collected. I tasted the water pre filter and it was foul, undrinkable. but with the filter it was clean and cold. My friend tried the filter and said yeah taste like water, then I had him taste the unfiltered stuff and he just about puked lol
I've been looking for a small water filtration system for my hiking pack that didn't rely on yucky-tasting chemical tablets and drops. When I saw this on a survival gear review online, I immediately bought it. It's so small and light that everyone should add it to their camping/hiking gear, emergency bag or glove box/first aid kit. It also fits comfortably in a pocket for extreme situations when you don't necessarily have access to your other gear.
ok, here's the deal. put this in your wish list...next time you need some $$ to get up to the free shipping...add one. then keep doing that until everyone in your family has one of these for their emergency pack.
Tablets are great and light, but still a pain to use. boiling is best, but sometimes you just can't. this is less than an ounce! It's not perfect, but it's so small and light...it will be WITH YOU when you need it. better safe than sorry. It will taste bad initially (carbon) but just spit out the first few draws and you'll be fine.
Works well to filter out the dirt or little thingys in the water. I live in a place where the water is fresh and clean, most of the year anyway (rain forest in Alaska). I drink the water in moving streams and rivers but the risk of getting sick still exists. this water filter wont prevent you from getting viruses but it's also better than nothing. There are other simple ways of purifying the water, like using a clear drinking bladder or bottle after it has been in the sun for a while. the problem is that you need to filter out the solids, this little product works well for that. The carbon filter also makes the water taste better, especially if you use chemicals to treat your water.
Weighs not much more than a bottle of water purification tablets, and without the nasty taste. A must have for your daypack, cargo pockets or survival kit.
A bit of carbon dust will be there, but it is harmless.
Yes, on a real backwoods hike, you need better. But this is so small and light, it is more of a survival kit item, as opposed to your everyday water filter.
This "straw" only filters down to 3.0 microns.
This will NOT filter out viruses.
Minimum you should get is 1.0 micron rating or below as it will inhibit Cryptosporidium and Guardia (the cysts are larger than this in size).
Even this is not really effective enough as most viruses cannot be inhibited by a filter with a micron rating of more than 0.01-0.03 microns.
Do your homework before you buy any survival product!
I saw this item in an online example for a survival kit. My sons are scouts and needed to put together a wilderness survival kit. These are absolutely perfect. When the other parents saw these, they asked me to order for them. I feel really comfortable knowing that these are easy and ready to use at the last minute.
I have two of these and one of the "pro" version. I keep one in my car kit, one in my dayhike kit and the pro goes in the family minivan, mainly because it is rated to filter more water.
I love having multiple methods of making water clean to drink, so this filter is always paired with a guyot designs stainless steel bottle and water treatment tablets, in order to have multiple options, depending on the situation. On overnights, I carry a steripen as a primary purification method and the rest are all backups. - Water Purification - Backpacking - Survival Gear - Emergency Kit'
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