Lifestraw is at it again. The company has made some of the world’s lightest, slimmest wilderness survival filters for decades. Now it launches a new lightweight leader that makes its past releases look downright chunky … relatively speaking. The all-new Sip Essential takes the company’s longstanding personal filter straw format and halves weight, ensuring that even the lightest-traveling speed hikers and mountaineers don’t find themselves up a creek without a filter.
Severe, excruciating surprise diarrhea – it’s something you don’t even want to think about, let alone experience deep in the wilderness with no relief (or spare clothes) in sight. But if you’ve planned diligently to be as fleet of foot as possible, you might not leave space for either a proper supply of water or a large filtration system. And if you choose to sip that pristine-looking water … well, you can’t say we didn’t warn you in no uncertain terms.
To be honest, Lifestraw’s original Sip straw-filter, launched just two years ago, already felt like a very convincing solution to that particular problem. The $35 Sip weighs in at just 1.8 oz (51 g) – or 3.1 oz (88 g) when carried in the included case – and measures 10 in (25 cm) long with a 0.5-in (1.3-cm) diameter, without the case.
Or, if you prefer something shorter, Lifestraw launched the Peak Series Solo back in 2023. It has a chubbier body than the Sip with a 1.3-in (3.3-cm) diameter but measures only about half the length at 5.1 in (13 cm) and weighs 1.7 oz (48 g). That one is great for smaller, shallower pockets and pack compartments – I was even able to squeeze one in a particularly shallow bike jersey chest pocket that’s never proven useful for anything else.
Lifestraw
But Lifestraw is still going smaller yet, selling the all-new Sip Essential as its lightest water filter ever. Unlike the original stainless-steel and silicone Sip, the Essential is made from BPA plastic and silicone.
That construction brings the weight below a single ounce to 0.7 oz (20 g), less than half of the original Sip despite measuring just a touch larger at 10.8 x 0.53 in (27.4 x 1.3 cm). And all the user has to do is drop the straw into a body of water and sip – the integrated filter system handles 99.999999% of bacteria, 99.999% of parasites, and 99.999% of microplastics as you sip. Just be careful not to splash and get unfiltered water onto your lips or mouth. Also note that, like the original steel Sip and Peak Solo, the Sip Essential filters but does not purify water, meaning it doesn’t handle viruses.
The Sip Essential is designed to filter up to 1,000 liters of water, enough to last a full year of filtering all your drinking water everyday – should you choose to sip directly out of the lake or river for all your hydration needs. Protective caps at both ends ensure that it doesn’t get dirty or contaminated before use.
Lifestraw is offering the Sip Essential now for a price of US$19.95.
Source: Lifestraw
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