Effective $20 Water Filter: Over 77k 5

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It's a small price to pay for a tool that one survivalist said "may save your life."

Senior Staff Writer at HuffPost

While it may seem like a niche product, a personal water filter is something just about everyone could use. It's convenient, portable, and an easy way to give everyone in your family peace of mind.

While you don't have to be an outdoorsy person to to have one, buying a LifeStraw really makes sense for avid hikers and campers especially. It can remove microplastics, bacteria, parasites and more (including E. coli, salmonella and giardia) from just about any water source. One single filter has a long lifespan, providing about 1,000 gallons of clean and safe drinking water — making it well worth the price tag.

But upon further research, I’ve become more convinced that they’re essential for everyone. We simply never know what's going to happen. Even if you’re not big on the great outdoors, there's no denying that there's enough global instability to make one a bit nervous — and the existence of natural disasters alone is a good enough reason to have one in an emergency kit.

Survivalist, author, and television host Ky Furneaux is a big proponent of the Lifestraw in a variety of situations. She told HuffPost that "finding good drinking water becomes a necessity very quickly when a survival scenario has arisen and simply being able to drink from any water source safely could be the difference between making it out alive or perishing in less than three days."

(While the device does promise to filter out over 30 contaminants, be sure to check the LifeStraw's FAQ section to see what the device cannot remove from water, including salt, arsenic, petroleum and trihalomethane, which is a by-product of chlorination.)

"It's light and doesn't take up much room so it isn't a huge inconvenience for something that may save your life," she said, adding that "just knowing that water purification is taken care of takes a load off your mind and allows you to fully focus on other needs."

They also make for thoughtful gifts. "I snagged a huge deal on the LifeStraw last Prime Day and bought 10 of them — I pretty much handed them out like candy to my family at Christmas, half-assuming they’d look down at it and say, ‘What is THIS?’" said my colleague Kristen Aiken. "But to my surprise and delight, they were all very well aware of what a LifeStraw was, but hadn't actually bought any yet. They’re thrilled to take them on camping trips, and my inside-person mom is keeping some in her pantry in case we ever have an emergencies that prevent us from having clean running water."

The Lifestraw itself has 4.8 out of 5 stars and 77,285 5-star ratings on Amazon, plus a mass of glowing reviews. Take a gander for yourself and then take a leap and purchase one (or a few).

Promising reviews: "Got these to keep on hand in case of an emergency so I have not actually used them yet but I know LifeStraw is a reputable brand. They are easy to use and I especially like that you can attach a water bottle to it so multiple people could get the benefit of clean water and even filtering water for cooking if needed. There's so much going on in the world it's nice to have the peace of mind that for a small investment I can guarantee my family will have fresh water." —Stephanie P.

"I ordered one for my backpack and then I ordered a second for backup. They truly work! You can unscrew the bottom for a good fit on any water bottle or use it like a straw. The water tastes like fresh mineral water from an artesian well! I’m an avid camper/survivalist and have been for most of my life. And these are well worth the price, and taste of the water. Don't pass it by at this price! And when you buy one you automatically, with no extra cost, you help a child for a year with fresh water. It doesn't get any better than that! I totally recommend for many reasons." —Leann F.

"As advertised. The Lifestraw works flawlessly. I’m shocked how it actually eliminates all bacteria in the dirtiest waters." —Milad

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.