-baselinefiltersmicro-filtrationbaselineAre you looking to make sure that you have access to safe drinking water no matter where you are? Whether you're an avid hiker, backcountry enthusiast, or just looking for a convenient way to filter your water anytime anywhere, getting the right water filter straw is key.
Having access to pure and clean drinking water no matter where you are means making sure you have the best filtration capabilities possible. A good quality filter can make all the difference and is an ideal companion for adventurers or simply those looking for peace of mind.
Our carefully curated 5 Best Water Filter Straws are:
- Survivor Filter Personal Water Purifier
- Sawyer Products SP128 Mini Water Filtration System
- LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
- LifeStraw Flex Multi-Function Water Filter
- HydroBlu Sidekick Straw Water Filter
In a hurry, skip the reading and jump directly to Our 5 Best Water Filter Straw.
In this blog post, we will take a look at what qualifies as “the best” when it comes to most water filter straws, so that you can decide which one is perfect for your needs - from its features to filter types and more.
Introducing the Water Filter Straw – An Overview
The Water Filter Straw is the best way to stay hydrated, while ensuring the water you drink is safe and clean. These powerful yet lightweight filtration systems fit right into your pocket, allowing you to easily carry them wherever you go.
A water filter straw is a portable and lightweight filtration device that is designed to filter water from natural sources such as streams, lakes, and rivers, making it safe to drink. This is an effective option compared to lugging along many bottles of drinking water.
With the ability to remove bacteria, viruses, impurities, chemicals, and other contaminants from any fresh or saltwater source, these straw filters provide clean drinking water without the need to carry heavy and bulky water bottles or purification systems.
Why Do You Need a Water Filter Straw?
If you love the outdoors, hiking, and camping, or just prefer to stay away from heavily populated water sources, then having a water filter straw is essential. It's the perfect solution for all your water needs on the go such as when you are on a long hike, and lugging along gallons of water does not make sense. These water filters have a simple design that fits into any backpack or bag.
Not only will it help keep you hydrated while ensuring safe drinking water, but with its advanced filtration processes and bacteria guards, you can rest assured knowing your drinking water is safe to drink.
How Does A Water Filer Straw Works?
The best water filter straw make use of some of the most cutting-edge filtration technology available today. Some filters have a three-stage filtration system that combines ultrafiltration, carbon adsorption, and chemical absorption to protect against both physical and organic contaminants.
The filter can filter out disease-causing bacteria, such as E. coli and Giardia, as well as microplastics, reducing chemicals like chlorine and benzene.
Advanced micro-filtration membrane down to 0.1 microns removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and parasites, such as protozoa and other undesirable contaminations.
Generally, a water filter straw consists of the following parts:
Outer Tube: This is the outer casing of the straw that protects the inner components from damage.
Filter Cartridge: This is the core component of the straw and contains the filtration system. It may include activated carbon, ion exchange resins, and other materials that can remove contaminations and reduce chemicals from the water.
Pre-Filter: Some straw filters may have a pre-filter to remove the larger particles from the water before it reaches the main filter cartridge. This helps to prevent clogs and extend the life of the filter.
Mouthpiece & Cap: This is part of the straw filter that you put into your mouth to drink the filtered water. The cap protects and keeps the mouthpiece clean when not in use.
Choosing the Best Water Filter Straws
Choosing the right water filter straw is essential for keeping your drinking water safe and free of contaminants.
In our opinion, the most important criteria are the sets of contaminants including bacteria, parasites, viruses, impurities, traces of chemicals, and odor which can be removed or reduced.
We assess what type of filter straw to use, and consider factors such as filter micron rating, filtration rate, the material used, capacity, price, and other important characteristics for the most effective water purification.
It's also important to consider how often the filter needs to be replaced or cleaned to maintain its effectiveness.
Some of the specifications which we baseline include:
Filtration Rate: Min 99.999% filtrations of bacteria, viruses, parasites, and microplastics. If you are headed outdoors in the backcountry, your major concerns will be contaminations from microbiological elements like bacteria, parasites, and also microplastics.
Filter Media Pore Size & System: 0.2 Microns or smaller. Bacteria such as E.coli is between 1-2 microns. Any pore size bigger than 2 microns is probably not too useful in filtering out bacteria.
Unless your expected source of water is highly contaminated or the place you are planning to visit is known for its level of harmful contaminants including heavy metals and organic chemicals, and waste such as dead or decayed animals, then the filtration rate and filter media pore size may not be sufficient to ensure clean drinkable water.
If the water sources you’ll be drawing from, such as rivers or lakes in the wilderness, these specs are sufficient.
The system includes a minimum of 2-stage filtration.
Material Used: BPA-Free Materials.
Certifications: Meets US EPA & NSF P231 Drinking water standards.
Capacity: Min 1,000 liters before replacement of the filter is needed. This should be enough to last for most trips.
Ease of Use: Easy to use such as easy to suck and does not clog easily.
Sizes & Portability: Optional specs but generally less than diameter 2" x 8" Ht.
We look at the key factors and their performance score. We read thousands of reviews on these Water Filter Straws and their uses on Amazon, paying attention to the buyer's feedback & reviews.
Here we have selected 5 of the Best Water Filter Straw, primarily targeted at outdoor outings and travel. Hence, besides the performance criteria, they must be convenient, easy to bring along and use, affordable, and the peace of mind in knowing that you can drink from any source safely.
Disclosure: We may earn commission from links on this page from our partners at no additional cost to you. This compensation never drives our decision as to whether a product is featured or recommended, as our research does.
Our 5 Best Water Filter Straw
The Short Version:
- Survivor Filter Personal Water Purifier
- Sawyer Products SP128 Mini Water Filtration System
- LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
- LifeStraw Flex Multi-Function Water Filter
- HydroBlu Sidekick Straw Water Filter
Survivor Filter Personal Water Purifier
Best Water Filter Straw For Outdoors & Survival Prepping
Survivor Filter Personal Water Purifier
Get ready to take on the wild with Survivor Filter's premier Personal Water Purifier. A perfect choice for your outdoor adventures, such as camping, hiking, or even having an emergency preparedness kit as a bug-out emergency water filter.
Not only is it extremely lightweight, with a weight of just 3.5 ounces, but its 99.999% certified filtration removal technology also rids of viruses, staph, and bacteria from your drinking water, making it safe for consumption, ensuring ultimate peace of mind in any situation, and keeping you hydrated and healthy.
This filter straw is portable and reusable for up to 100,000 liters - that means it's a trusted companion on all your journeys. It can be used at any fresh water source, with any 28mm threaded bottle. Plus, no other filter allows the components to be taken apart, cleaned, and replaced to keep your filter in peak condition. This 3-stage filtration system boasts the tiniest 0.05-micron ultrafilter cleanable system.
Here's What You Need To Know:
- Filtration Rate: 99.999% filtration removal (Highest Certifiable Level) for tested viruses, Staph, Bacteria & Protozoa parasites, including giardia, E.coli, cryptosporidium, and cysts.
Removal of algae, pollen, large particles, microplastics, and others.
Up to 89% removal of heavy metals such as mercury and lead, odors, and unpleasant tastes. - Filter Media Pore Size & System: 0.05-micron ultrafilter.
3-stage filter system including:
Stage 1: pre-filter for the removal of large particles.
Stage 2: Ultra Filter (0.05 micron) for the removal of viruses, bacteria, staph, & parasites, and other micron sizes contaminants.
Stage 3: Carbon filter mouthpiece for the removal of heavy metals and harmful chemicals, including odors, and to remove the unpleasant taste. - Material Used: BPA-Free Materials.
- Certifications: Meets US EPA & NSF P231 Drinking water standards. USA Lab tested.
- Capacity: 100,000 liters for the membrane filters, easily cleaned and reusable. This is a long-life filter. Carbon filter lifespan of up to 1,000 liters.
- Ease of Use: Mouthpiece shaped for easy drinking/sucking of water. The pre-filter prevents any big particles from clogging the ultrafilter. All 3-stages of the filter can be easily removed and cleaned.
- Sizes & Portability: 1.4" Diameter, 7" Height weighing only 3.5 oz. Easy to carry for outdoor trips and backpacking.
For adventurers seeking assurance of reliability combined with maximum lightness and versatility of use - look no further than the Survivor Water Filter Straw.
Sawyer Products SP128 Mini Water Filtration System
Best Water Filter Straw For Outdoors & Camping
Sawyer Products SP128 Mini Water Filtration System
The Sawyer Products SP128 Mini Water Filtration System is a lightweight, versatile personal filtration system that fits in the palm of your hand and has a total field weight of just 2 ounces, making it ideal for camping trips or travel in areas with questionable tap or bottled water.
This second-generation filter offers 0.1-micron absolute filtration against bacteria (99.9999%), protozoa (99.9999%), and microplastics — reliably providing clean drinking water no matter where you go.
This versatile filtration system offers multiple ways to access clean drinking water when on the go. Attach the included drinking pouch for an easily transportable filtration option, or attach it directly to a standard disposable bottle (28mm thread).
You can even connect it to hydration pack tubing (sold separately) for an efficient way to enjoy clean water at any time or location. Its small size means you won't feel weighed down during extended trips outdoors and still have reliable access to clean drinking water anytime!
Here's What You Need To Know:
- Filtration Rate: 99.99999% filtrations of all bacteria including salmonella, cholera, and E.coli. 99.9999%
- Filter Media Pore Size & System: 0.1-micron absolute filter - no pore size is larger than 0.1 micron in size. The filters are composed of tiny hollow fiber membranes that allow water to flow through their tiny micropores. These fiber membranes are fully encased and sealed to protect them from damage. Any damage to the membranes will result in filtration failure allowing harmful pathogens to pass through.
- Certifications: Meets US EPA standards.
- Capacity: 100,000 gallons for the fiber filters (backwashed required to restore flow rate if diminish).
- Ease of Use: It can be used to drink directly from the water source, attach it to the provided pouch, or attach to a standard disposable bottle with a 28mm neck.
- Sizes & Portability: 1.35" Diameter, 5.35" Height weighing only 1.4 oz (for filter). Easy to carry for outdoor trips, travel & emergency preparedness.
- Others: Includes a 16-ounce pouch and one 7" drinking straw and cleaning plunger.
- What it will not do: This filter will not remove substances that are dissolved into the water like metals, salts, sugars, or chemicals as it does not have an absorbent medium such as charcoal or cotton/cloth, which will absorb some or part of these dissolved substances. It will not remove viruses.
For those looking for a durable yet lightweight portable filter solution, the Sawyer Mini Water Filter has been specially created for clean water access in any environment, free from bacteria and protozoa, and microplastics — making it perfect for outdoor enthusiasts everywhere.
LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
Best Water Filter Straw For Hiking & Trekking
LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
The LifeStraw Personal Water Filter is the perfect solution to provide clean and safe drinking water on the go, a water filter that you can carry everywhere!
This filter is rigorously tested and certified by laboratories to EPA, NSF, and ASTM standards to remove bacteria, parasites, and microplastics down to 1 micron in size. It also reduces turbidity up to 0.2 microns, guaranteeing refreshing pure water with each sip!
Thanks to its durable construction, this personal water filter provides 4,000 liters (1,000 gallons) of clean drinking water over its lifetime with proper use and maintenance.
Here's What You Need To Know:
- Filtration Rate: 99.99999% filtrations of all bacteria, including salmonella, cholera, and E.coli. 99.999% of waterborne parasites including Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Removal of microplastics and turbidity down to 1 micron and 0.2 microns respectively.
- Filter Media Pore Size & System: Hollow fiber membrane filter with a pore size of 0.2 microns.
- Material Used: BPA-Free Materials.
- Certifications: Meets US EPA & NSF P231 drinking water standards for the removal of bacteria and parasites.
- Capacity: 4,000 liters (1,000 gallons) with proper use and maintenance.
- Ease of Use: The filter is designed with one end to be used for sucking the water directly from the water source.
- Sizes & Portability: 0.98" Diameter, 8.66" Height weighing 1.6 ounces. Easy to carry for outdoor trips & emergency preparedness.
- Others: Includes a 16-ounce pouch and one 7" drinking straw and cleaning plunger.
- What it will not do: This filter will not remove substances dissolved into the water like metals, salts, sugars, or chemicals, as it does not have an absorbent medium such as charcoal or cotton/cloth which will absorb some or part of these dissolved substances. It will also not remove viruses.
Enjoy safe hydration anywhere you travel without the hassle of bulky jugs or the frequent need for replacements with the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter. A handy water filter.
LifeStraw Flex Multi-Function Water Filter
Best Water Filter Straw For Outdoors & Camping
LifeStraw Flex Multi-Function Water Filter
The LifeStraw Flex Multi-Function Water Filter is the ideal choice for today's modern explorer. With its next-level protection, this filter provides peace of mind when you're traveling abroad. It removes bacteria, parasites, chemicals, and heavy metals such as lead, giving you complete control over your water source while abroad.
Not only does it provide expert-level protection, but it's also incredibly versatile. The Flex can be used in five distinct ways – personal straw filter, soft water bottle, hydration packs, gravity systems, or disposable water bottles – meaning however you need to access clean water while on the road you can do so with ease and discreetness.
It's conveniently compact and ultra-lightweight; weighing only 3.15 oz, you won't even know it's there until you're thirsty! And with a microbiological filter life of 500 gallons (more than 1.5 years of drinking water) and a replaceable carbon filter life of 25 gallons
Here's What You Need To Know:
- Filtration Rate: Remove 99.999999% of waterborne bacteria and 99.999% of the waterborne protozoan and microplastics. Reduces chlorine, lead & other heavy metals, and organic chemical elements such as herbicides and pesticides, dirt, sand, and cloudiness (turbidity). Reduce odors and improve the taste of the treated water.
- Filter Media Pore Size & System: 2 stages filtration system consisting of a hollow fiber membrane filter with a pore size of 0.2 microns and a replaceable activated carbon filter
- Material Used: BPA-Free Materials.
- Certifications: Meets US EPA & NSF P231 drinking water standards for the removal of bacteria and parasites.
- Capacity: 2,000 liters (500 gallons) for the 1st-Stage filter and 100 liters (25 gallons) for the 2nd-Stage filter (activated carbon).
- Ease of Use: The filter is designed with one end to be used for sucking the water directly from the water source, used with the included soft touch water bottle, with a reusable water bottle, as an inline filter for hydration pack or gravity feed system.
- Sizes & Portability: 1.0" Diameter, 4.7" Height weighing 1.7 ounces. Easy to carry for outdoor trips & travel.
- Others: Includes a collapsible soft touch water bottle and backwash syringe.
- What it will not do: This filter will not remove viruses.
This portable water filter together with its soft touch water is a good option for your hydration, as the system removes harmful bacteria & parasites together with a reduction in heavy metals & organic contaminations. Great for travel to places where you are not too certain of the purity of their drinking water.
HydroBlu Sidekick Straw Water Filter
Best Water Filter Straw For Traveling
HydroBlu Sidekick Straw Water Filter
With the Sidekick Straw Water Filter from HydroBlu, you’re ready for whatever your next outdoor adventure holds. This 3-stage water filter offers robust filtration, unlike any other straw-style filter on the market. The easy-to-use Sidekick protects you from bacteria, chemicals, heavy metals, and other contaminants.
The Sidekick features a unique 3-stage filtration system. The first stage is a cotton pre-filter membrane that blocks large sediment particles, which increases the longevity of the filter. The second stage consists of Activated Carbon which adsorbs heavy metals such as lead, iron, cadmium, nickel, and chromium.
Finally, the Ultrafiltration Hollow Fiber with 0.1-micron pore size provides an added level of protection by removing 99.999% of bacteria while delivering clean and fresh drinking water straight from the source.
The lightweight, compact design allows you to pack it easily in your backpack or pocket, so that you're ready for any situation on the trail - from running to hiking and backpacking, plus emergency survival situations, and more so for your travel.
Here's What You Need To Know:
- Filtration Rate: Removes up to 99.999% of bacteria including Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E.coli, and 99.9% of parasites. Removes heavy metals including lead, chromium, nickel, iron, and zinc. Removes chemicals including pesticides, gasoline, herbicides, and chlorine.
- Filter Media Pore Size & System: 3 stages filtration system consisting of a hollow fiber membrane filter with a pore size of 0.1 microns, a user-replaceable activated carbon filter, and a pre-filter.
- Material Used: BPA-Free Materials.
- Capacity: 190 liters (50 gallons) for the activated carbon filter. The hollow fiber membrane filter is not rated, but if the filter is cleaned by back-flushing often, it is claimed to last 10,000 gallons.
- Ease of Use: The filter is designed with one end to be used for sucking the water directly from the water source.
- Sizes & Portability: 0.7" Diameter, 6.0" Height weighing 1.0 ounce. Super light and small in size. Its small profile and lightweight make it easy to carry for outdoor trips & travel.
- What it will not do: This filter will not remove viruses.
The Sidekick 3-stage Water Filter Straw is the perfect lightweight hydration device for your travel. Keep it as a backup filter or use it in conjunction with your daily drinks, as an extra layer of protection against contaminated water. Or in your venture outdoors or just about anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions About Water Filter Straw
Can you drink salt water with LifeStraw Filter?
No, you cannot drink sea/salt water with a water filter straw. The minerals in the saltwater are dissolved and are too small in size to be filtered
Can you drink pee with a LifeStraw?
No. You cannot drink pee (urine) with a water filter straw. Such filters do not remove dissolved salts. Do not drink urine even in a small amount.
Can you filter salt water to make it drinkable?
The process is called "desalination", and it is being used more and more around the world to provide people with needed freshwater.
How do you remove salt from water naturally?
One way to remove salt from water is through the process of distillation. This involves heating the saltwater to create steam, which is captured and condensed back to liquid. The salt is left behind as it does not evaporate with the water.
The second way is through the process of reverse osmosis. This involves passing the saltwater through a semi-permeable membrane that allows water molecules to pass through but blocks salt molecules.
Alternatively, you can use evaporation to remove salt from water naturally by leaving saltwater out in the sun. Or the reverse, removing water from the saltwater to produce salt.
How good are most water filter straws?
Water filter straws with a pore size of 0.1 - 0.2 microns are effective to remove harmful bacteria, parasites, microplastics, dirt, sand, and cloudiness.
What are Hollow Fiber Membrane Filters?
Hollow fiber membrane filters are hollow fiber tubes or porous tubes that have thousands of tiny holes (0.1 microns) that block harmful bacteria, parasites, and other organisms too large to fit through.
There is no chemical treatment used in the process and the filter can be back-flushed to remove particulates and prolong the life of the filter.
How many times can you use the filter straw?
Generally, as a rule of thumb, you will know that it has reached the end of its lifespan when you cannot suck water through it.
Which filter is best for drinking water?
Reverse osmosis (RO) filters are considered to be one of the best water filtration systems for purified drinking water. They are highly effective in removing a wide range of contaminants including salts, minerals, heavy metals, bacteria, and viruses.
RO filters use a semi-permeable membrane to remove impurities from water, and they typically incorporate several other stages of filtration including sediment or solid particles filters, activated carbon filters, UV lamps, and post-filters to further improve the quality of the drinking water.
Summary - Best Water Filter Straw
All in all, when it comes to finding the best water filter straw for your own needs, you must consider a few basic factors. The type of filter, as well as its size and design, will be key points in determining if the filter is suitable for your environmental needs.
You can acquire one with 2 or more stages of filtration which will ultimately give you access to more choices of freshwater sources and the removal of more contaminants including heavy metals and odors. Or the simple filter with just the fiber membrane filter to remove bacteria, parasites, and others such as microplastics.
If having access to safe drinking water no matter where you are is important to you, having a water filter straw in your back pocket may be the perfect solution. Just click the green button below the image to learn more.
Click here to go back to our five suggested models. Go ahead and pick one out today! Tap on that green button to check the price for the best water filter straw.
Thanks for reading! And stay on your hydration goals with clean and safe drinking water!
Just my suggestion ….
If you are still thinking about which one is the best for you among the five Water Filter Straws, I would like to share the one I like most - Survivor Filter Personal Water Purifier.
Its removal of bacteria, parasites, viruses, algae, heavy metals, and odors with its 3-stages 0.05 microns ultrafilter filtration, coupled with the capacity of 100,000 liters make is the ultimate portable filter to have with you, whether you are venturing outdoors, or traveling to another destination, or just as a standby hydration device in your emergency preparedness
Just click on the green button below to check the prices on Amazon.
Survivor Filter Personal Water Purifier
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