Lifesaver water filter bottle thing

[flibb]

Just a heads up to anybody thats interested in a water filter for camping, etc. There is a seller on ebay doing the lifesaver 4000U for £50 + £5 postage or best offer, I just had a best offer of £35 + £5 postage accepted.


Just to add not related or have any interest in the seller, and no he isn't my dogs previous owner.

[Manofkent]

Sweet. Linky please?

Just came on line to look for a water filter

[heron74]

Sweet. Linky please?

Just came on line to look for a water filter

Here you go mate just looked myself.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lifesaver-...item1e6ffd91f2

[Martyn]

Sweet. Linky please?

Just came on line to look for a water filter

I used to have a very black and white point of view regarding water filters and because of that I thought they were the bees knees - and they are from a technical point of view. I dont know any other packable filter that will physically remove viruses without using chemicals. That makes them pretty unique if you are in the water is either clean or it's not camp. But if you look at temperature maps for viral risk in waterways - you know the ones where high risk countries are coloured red and low risk countries are coloured blue, then the UK is positively ultraviolet. There will always be some risk from viral contamination, but the UK is about as low as you could hope to get. If you ignore viruses - and this is a very personal choice - but if you do, then a whole lot more water filters are worth considering, many of them a lot more versatile, smaller and lighter than the lifesaver. Just thought I'd throw that in there. I have a lifesaver bottle and a jerry can and technically and for certain situations, I really rate them. But for general UK walking and such, my absolute new favourite is the Aquamira Frontier pro.

[Manofkent]

I used to have a very black and white point of view regarding water filters and because of that I thought they were the bees knees - and they are from a technical point of view. I dont know any other packable filter that will physically remove viruses without using chemicals. That makes them pretty unique if you are in the water is either clean or it's not camp. But if you look at temperature maps for viral risk in waterways - you know the ones where high risk countries are coloured red and low risk countries are coloured blue, then the UK is positively ultraviolet. There will always be some risk from viral contamination, but the UK is about as low as you could hope to get. If you ignore viruses - and this is a very personal choice - but if you do, then a whole lot more water filters are worth considering, many of them a lot more versatile, smaller and lighter than the lifesaver. Just thought I'd throw that in there. I have a lifesaver bottle and a jerry can and technically and for certain situations, I really rate them. But for general UK walking and such, my absolute new favourite is the Aquamira Frontier pro.

Good info.
I was looking for our lake district holiday. So the only water we would need to filter is from half way up a mountain. I used to just risk drinking fresh from the stream. Last time I drank from a stream we walked round the corner and found half a dead sheep about 1 week dead rotting in the river.
Just ordered the 'McNett Aquamira Frontier Pro - Ultra Light Water Filter System 455' - £20 not bad!

[pastypaddler]

Anyone using their LS Bottle without the activated carbon filter ? I read somewhere that they are really only there to improve / reduce flavour but that is not what is says in the manual, it says you have to throw it away every time you don't use the bottle constantly ??? I have seen one guy say that he rinses his out and re-uses them ... and some that say they do use them as they are not necessary to the process ....

I suspect I've just opened a can of worms but go on give me your two penneth on this .... All opinions gratefully received ....

PP - Raining in Cornwall if your coming on holiday .... (Sorry about that)

[Martyn]

Good info.
I was looking for our lake district holiday. So the only water we would need to filter is from half way up a mountain. I used to just risk drinking fresh from the stream. Last time I drank from a stream we walked round the corner and found half a dead sheep about 1 week dead rotting in the river.
Just ordered the 'McNett Aquamira Frontier Pro - Ultra Light Water Filter System 455' - £20 not bad!

I think it's brilliant - you just need to be aware of it's limitations and use your noodle, especially if you choose not to use it in conjunction with potable aqua tabs.

[Martyn]

Anyone using their LS Bottle without the activated carbon filter ? I read somewhere that they are really only there to improve / reduce flavour but that is not what is says in the manual, it says you have to throw it away every time you don't use the bottle constantly ??? I have seen one guy say that he rinses his out and re-uses them ... and some that say they do use them as they are not necessary to the process ....

I suspect I've just opened a can of worms but go on give me your two penneth on this .... All opinions gratefully received ....

PP - Raining in Cornwall if your coming on holiday .... (Sorry about that)

The charcoal filter is only there to try and reduce the contamination from dissolved chemical pollutants - like arsenic, cyanide and such. It's an odd property of charcoal that these things sort of stick to it. The charcoal doesn't actually filter them out, it cant. The holes in charcoal are way too big. But some pollutants do stick to it. It's a process called adsorption (not absorption), google it for more info. It's not 100% effective though, or anywhere near. If you are somewhere there is very little or no chemical pollution, like on a mountain, the charcoal serves no purpose.

[Martyn]

Bit more about the aquamira frontier pro. Here's how I have mine...

I carry it in the small zip lock bag it comes in, with the small bag of pre filters included, with additional aquamira purification tablets and 2 platypus bottles, held together with an elastic band. Total weight of everything there is 179 grams. leatherman is for scale. It all fits easily into a cargo pocket or jacket pocket.



Everything spread out. From the left, aquamira purification tabs, pre-filters, the filter itself with straw, 2x 1 litre collapsible platy bottles.



How I would use it with the bite valve removed to filter 1 litre of dirty water from one platy bottle into another platy bottle for carrying (remember to mark one for dirty water and one for clean water only). You can either hang it and let gravity do the work, or squeeze the platy to pressure filter if you want a quick job of it. The filter will also fit onto almost all commercial pop bottles.



How to use it with the bite valve and straw in place to just suck water directly from a burn or small rock pool or whatever.



With the camelback quick disconnect in place, you can fill your camelback or bladder from a stream and put the filter on the end of the hose and just filter as you drink.



Very small, compact, light and versatile. You can carry up to 2 additional litres of water with this (I would usually have a canteen filled with water or a water bottle as well) and either just use the filter if you think the water is fairly clean, or filter first and then use the purification tabs if you are a bit worried.

Brilliant kit, so long as you understand the limitations of it. It will not filter viruses and some of the smaller bacteria may get through. If you have reason to think the water may be contaminated or is from a risky source, then either find a better source or use purification tabs with it. Think of it as a milbank bag on steroids and you wont go far wrong.

If you want guaranteed sterile water all the time, then the lifesaver is the way to go. I personally think it's overkill for the UK though. Remember, tap water isn't sterile and we are animals, we are designed to drink from streams - though in a world less polluted and less crowded, granted. Part of the reason we have acid in our stomachs is to kill the nasties we ingest - and for the most part, it works brilliantly. But some can survive the acid and make us sick. It's a risk. Very much each to his own on that.

This vid demonstrates the versatility pretty well, just remember it does NOT filter viruses. It's not a replacement for the lifesaver and will not do what the lifesaver does. The lifesaver is the only filter I know of that will produce genuinely sterile water without the use of chemicals.

[SBW]

Thanks for that Martyn very interesting thread - frontier pro is now on my list

my guess is that the lifesaver 4000 is finally getting cheaper because the long awaited pack-mounted version is starting to ship. I'm a big fan of the lifesaver bottle but its not the most convient shape to pack
SBW

[Martyn]

Thanks for that Martyn very interesting thread - frontier pro is now on my list

my guess is that the lifesaver 4000 is finally getting cheaper because the long awaited pack-mounted version is starting to ship. I'm a big fan of the lifesaver bottle but its not the most convient shape to pack
SBW

Me too mate, I've been a huge advocate of it for a long time. It's amazing technology and very reassuring knowing you can use pretty much any water source with confidence. But it is bulky and heavy and in reality, our water in the UK is just not that risky - especially if you use your head about where you get it from. Tablets are a lightweight and reassuring backup if you are in a spot. I'm perfectly happy I understand the risks of the Frontier Pro and for the UK countryside, I have no issues with it being my first option. Each to his own though. I can completely understand if someone wants the reassurance that the lifesaver offers. Mine lives in my Landy now and I would use it as a first choice if I didn't have to carry it, or if the environmental risks were higher than we have in the majority of the UK.

[Martyn]

...because the long awaited pack-mounted version is starting to ship....

The hydrocarry II - been looking at that since you mentioned it and I'm not sure...



The bottle made immediate sense and the jerry can made immdeiate sense, but I'm not sure where this fits in. It looks very bulky and very heavy to me and fairly restricted in how you can use it.

[SBW]

Martyn

Hmm funny how the eye plays tricks, when I mentioned it i remembered it as looking light weight, now you come to mention it, it looks heavier.

I guess where it fits in (or on) is with a pack in the 3-day (40l+) size where the Lifesaver would be a HOOJ % of the space to carry knives, torches, Champagne, potted shrimps ect.

SBW

[TB_London]

Slightly OT, but microbiology lecturer at uni was vehemently opposed to brita type filters because as they filter out the stuff they allow for the build up of an infectious dose which if there is a breakdown in the filter will then get dumped into your water. May not be relevant where you have an infectious dose already in the water you're filtering but I would pay close attention to the lifespan of filters.

[benp1]

my absolute new favourite is the Aquamira Frontier pro.

Martyn. How does this rate against the Drinksafe filter? (in whatever format, my personal one is the former version of the Travel Tap)

http://www.drinksafe-systems.co.uk/products.php