I bought two LifeStraw Personal filters last November, one for me and one for Hollis. They sat on the hall closet shelf for about three months, then moved into the backpack in February. That is not a dramatic story. That is the point. A water filter is not exciting gear. It is the thing you want to find when the tap is still running but the notice on the radio says not to trust it.
The ice storm last January is why I think about water first now. The power went out on Tuesday evening and stayed out three days. On Wednesday around noon the radio said our utility district had a boil water notice because the water plant lost power. We had six gallons of bottled water and a camp stove on the back porch. We boiled. We drank bottled. By Saturday the bottled water was down to about two gallons, and I drank one glass of tap water through my own filter. That glass did not make the filter a household water system. It made it a backup I was glad to have.
The water notice does not wait for the roads to clear
A LifeStraw Personal weighs 1.62 ounces and needs no power. It is not a household supply and it does not remove viruses or chemicals. It is the backup I keep for the gap between the tap and the all clear.
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A boil notice can arrive after the storm has already passed
Our notice came on Wednesday, about noon, after the power had been out since Tuesday evening. That is the trouble with waiting to buy water when you hear the notice. The store may be closed, the road may be iced, and the tap may be the only water in the house. The LifeStraw Personal does not replace a boil notice. It sits between you and a bad glass if boiling gets hard. In my case, the bottled water was getting low and the notice was still on. The filter was there.
It needs no power, no fuel, and no boiling
One thing I have learned in a storm is that every tool which needs something else is a tool that can fail. The LifeStraw Personal needs no electricity or battery power. You do not need to boil water for it, and you do not need to find fuel for a stove. My camp stove lives on the back porch and uses propane, and that is fine for boiling. But if the cylinders are low or the porch is iced over, a filter that works by drinking through it is a plain advantage. The listing says no electricity or battery power required. I care about that line.
It buys time when the bottled water gets low
Six gallons sounds like a lot until two people are drinking, cooking, and brushing their teeth from it. By Saturday we were down to about two gallons. That is when I used the filter on one glass of tap water. I did not stop boiling. I did not ignore the notice. I used the filter because the bottled water was running short and the notice was still on. A filter will not make a flood or a boil notice safe by itself. It can stretch what you have while you wait for the all clear.
It fits in the bag you already carry
Each LifeStraw Personal is about 1.62 ounces. That is light enough to live in a backpack and not be noticed. Ours went into the backpack in February and has been there since. I did not build a special water kit. I did not need a separate case. If you have a go bag, a filter this size can go in the pocket where you keep the things you hope not to need. If you do not have a go bag, it can sit on a shelf with the bottled water. Small gear gets used because it is not a project to carry.
It gives you a second way to make a questionable glass safer
The listing says the hollow fiber membrane removes 99.999999% of waterborne bacteria, including E. coli and Salmonella, and 99.999% of parasites. It also says it removes microplastics down to 1 micron and reduces turbidity. I am not a lab. I cannot test that on my kitchen counter. What I can tell you is that the filter is a second option when the water is not clear in your mind. Boiling is still the first thing a notice asks for. The filter is for the gap when you cannot boil.
The notice said boil. We boiled. The filter was the backup for the one evening the bottled water got low.
It is clear about what it will not do
One reason I keep it is that the limits are easy to remember. It does not remove viruses, chemicals, fuel, or salt. Floodwater can carry all of those. That means the filter is not a license to drink from the creek at the bottom of the road. I have never drunk creek water through mine. I have never used it on floodwater. The LifeStraw Personal is for the glass you are unsure about when boiling is not possible, not for a chemical spill and not for a saltwater flood. Knowing that keeps me from asking it to do a job it cannot do.
It is a one-person tool, so plan for the people in your house
Two filters came into this house, one for me and one for Hollis. That was on purpose. The LifeStraw Personal is one person at a time. It is not a household water supply, and it is not a pitcher on the counter. If you have four people, you need to think about four people. That may mean more filters, more bottled water, or a plan to boil. I would rather write the number down now than count heads in the dark. Our number is two. Yours may not be.
It has a long listed life, which matters for gear you store
The listing says the microbiological purification system will provide up to 4,000 liters, or 1,000 gallons, of clean drinking water. That is a lot for a household that is only using it as a backup. I am not going to pretend I have pushed one that far. I have used mine once. But a long listed life is why the filter can sit in a bag and not feel like wasted money. You are not buying a one-week tool. You are buying something that can stay in the closet and still be there when the water notice comes.
It is simple enough to use when you are tired
By Saturday I was tired. The power had come back the day before, the notice was still up, and the bottled water was low. The last thing I wanted was a device with a manual. The LifeStraw Personal is a drink-through filter. You put one end in the water and drink. There is no button to press and no battery to check. I am not saying it is effortless. I am saying I could use it when I was not at my best. That is the only test that matters in a storm.
It covers the gap between the notice and the all clear
Our boil notice lifted on Sunday. The power came back Friday around noon. For two days we were still boiling after the lights came on. That is the gap. The storm is over, the house is warm, and the tap is still not cleared. A filter in the closet does not make the notice shorter. It gives you one more way to get a glass of water while you wait. I keep it for that gap. I hope the gap is short. I plan as if it may not be.
What I'd Skip
I would skip the idea that one filter is a household water system. I would skip buying a filter instead of storing water. I would skip any plan that says you will boil on a camp stove indoors. Our camp stove stays outside on the back porch. I would also skip the notion that you will read the manual during the storm. Read it when the filter arrives. Then put it where you will find it in the dark. What I would not skip is a way to boil, a way to store water, and a backup for the gap. The LifeStraw is the backup. It is not the whole plan. Follow local officials and evacuation orders when they tell you to go.
Put one in the closet before the next notice
Two people, two filters, one plan. Store water, keep a way to boil, and add a filter for the gap. That is what last January taught me.
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