Portable water filters for travel

@laureltn thank you!

I live in a hard water area and use the Lifestraw pitcher for water which I use to boil/disinfect my Aerobika. I have not had trouble with a film. My hospital handout that came with the Aerobika suggested soaking it in 50/50 vinegar and water once a month to remove hard minerals. Sorry, don't know about the Sawyer filters.

@ana323 I've never had it take that long honestly.

Response from Lifestraw regarding their products.

Thank you for your thoughtful question.

LifeStraw Filter uses two types of filtration (apart from carbon) depending on the product:
Membrane microfilters (0.2 micron pore size) are used in products like the Home Pitcher, GO Bottle, and Collapsible Squeeze Bottle. These effectively remove bacteria, parasites, and microplastics. However, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), including MAC, are smaller and not guaranteed to be removed by these filters.
Ultrafilters (0.02 micron) are used in some of our emergency and medical-grade products, offering additional protection down to virus-sized contaminants.
While third-party testing on the GO Bottle has shown potential NTM removal, this is not something we currently claim across all products.
The Home Pitcher microfilter should be replaced every year or 264 gallons, whichever comes first. Replacing more often will not increase removal of NTM if it isn’t already filtered by design.
You can view our lab reports and testing data on our Testing page under each product. If a contaminant is not listed, the filter has either not been tested for it or is not designed to remove it.
I hope this helps clarify things.

Kind Regards,

@ana323 Ana - This statement "...Membrane microfilters (0.2 micron pore size) are used in products like the Home Pitcher, GO Bottle, and Collapsible Squeeze Bottle. These effectively remove bacteria, parasites, and microplastics. However, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), including MAC, are smaller and not guaranteed to be removed by these filters..." contradicts statements by our experts like Dr Joe Falkinham.
According to all of the testing, a .2 micron filter DOES remove NTM from water. That is why Pall brand filters and others are recommended.

My guess is that LifeStraw not making a statement about NTM removal probably a corporate liability decision driven by attorneys fearing lawsuits. This would be because once their product is in the hands of consumers, they have no idea how it will be used. Even the product warranty on their website has a variety of clauses limiting their liability - such is life in our world today.

@sueinmn and this is why I use lifestraw products!

@coffcoff it's not really complicated - just have to maintain cleaning to keep filters in tip top shape.
Lots of cleaning no matter what we do with this disease for sure. Easy to add to my weekly and monthly chores. 😜

@laureltn I inquired to saeyer regarding the tap filter. They no longer make the tap filter unfortunately. They said it was due to lack of sales rather than not being effective. This makes me sad

@kate2025 Aw, I'm sorry to hear that as well. I will say that I've had very good luck working with Chris, the founder of Safe Water Products, on filters for my shower at home and in our travel trailer. You may want to give their kitchen faucet filter a try.

Good luck!
Laurel