LifeStraw Peak Series Compact Gravity Water Filter System; 3L; Dark Mountain Gray

I like that it’s has everything that you need to gravity filter. No need to buy any additional parts.What I don’t like is that for somewhat dirty water it may take a really long time to filter as it gets clogged. Sometimes even up to 30 to 45 minutes for the 3 L. If you want to speed it up you’ll have to unattached the filter and backwash it throughout the filtering process which is really annoying.

Lifestraw's gravity water filter is just about perfect for backpacking trips or extended camping trips. It's also great for home disaster response plans, providing peace of mind for emergency scenarios which is worth way more than the price Lifestraw is asking here.The water pouch and filter components are lightweight (about 14 ozs with all accessories included) so taking this on a backpacking trip is hassle-free especially if you're going with multiple people. It's super intuitive to use as well. Just unscrew the lid, dip it into the water, screw the lid/filter head back on, and you're good to go. It's nice that they included a strap and carabiner as well so that you can easily share this at a campsite by attaching it to a tree branch or tent pole.I tested it out recently at a local lake and creek here in AZ. You'll definitely get a little wet when filling it up but only up to your forearms. I wanted to test dropping the pouch on the ground as well and it held up to hip level drops with no issues. The pouch material is on par with some of the other premium flexible backpacking water bottles on the market. It won't hold up to a sharp knife cut but will hold up to a decent amount of blunt impacts and/or abuse.Regarding water quality, the water tasted fine from the lake and so far I haven't had any bacterial issues or stomach problems. I've used Lifestraw's other filters before in the wild and trust their technology.The filter head didn't leak during testing or when out on the lake in my kayak. So far I'm impressed.I'll update this review though if it fails during an upcoming backpacking trip.

This is a filter for making any reasonable water source drinkable. The system consists of a 3L bag that you hang upside down, a filter that fits into the bottom of the bag, a length of food-grade silicone tubing that you use to dispense the water, and a backwash syringe for cleaning and maintaining the filter. The bag has indicator lines on it to show remaining capacity. The bag has a nylon loop on the top with a light duty carabiner clip that can be used to suspend the bag from a branch, hook etc. The filter is rated for removing bacteria and parasites, but no claims are made about metals removal or other contaminants like pesticides. After first use, the filter must be kept hydrated in salt water when the system is not being used, and it may need to be disinfected with bleach before being put back into service again.I find this filter quite portable and good for camping. Years ago, I went on a bicycle safari where the greatest challenge was finding and carrying sufficient drinking water. This filter would have been just the thing—we passed a lot of mountain streams that probably could have provided the water we needed, if we only had a filter like this one to make the water safe from giardia. I like the 3L capacity, which provides enough water for an average person for 1 day. I also like that filtering the water does not require any fuel. So it will be good for emergencies like boil water advisory situations. Since the filter does not mention removing metals or pesticides, it’s probably best to drink just from potential drinking water sources, not downstream from mining or recycling operations or industrial farms. Overall, this is a great item for a backpacking/bicycling camp kit.

I've had LifeStraw products for many years. I started out with the original LifeStraws when they came out a decade or so ago. They were handy to have in a pinch but trying to suck water through them was pretty difficult. If I was out hiking and feeling a bit dehydrated, it was pretty hard to suck water through the straw while leaning over a stream and sucking water up through it. If I was way up in the mountains sometimes I'd just set the filter aside and drink right from the stream because it was too hard to suck water through the original LifeStraw.The filters in the new "Peak Series" of LifeStraw products are MUCH better. If you get one of the smaller squeeze bottles that are basically the same as this without the tube and with a much smaller bladder, they are super easy to drink out of. If you get this and one of the squeeze bottle versions they use the same filter which is nice. Like the squeeze bottles, it is very easy to get water to flow through this filter.You can hang this up but you don't have to. You can just squeeze it if you want. I found it to be a mostly excellent design and easy to use.The one thing that MAY be an issue with this is the rather small hole where the filter goes. Everything fits together just fine but if this water bladder gets mold or goo or whatever the black stuff is that appears in some water bottles and the mouth pieces of Camelbak bottles, it will be really hard to see it in this dark bladder and it will be difficult to clean it out. It doesn't come with a brush or anything like that.I haven't used it long enough to know if that will be a problem but that is the one thing that concerns me. I'm not going to know there is yucky stuff in there till it comes out when I dump excess water out of it. I won't drink it because the filter would catch it but I won't know if it is in the bladder.Overall, this is a great design, the water flow through the filter is quite good, it is easy to use and hang and it seems pretty durable so far. If you just want a squeeze bottle water filter type thing, Sawyer might still be the best buy. This is the first gravity fed filter setup I've used so I can't compare it to other similar or competing products.