The Lifesaver water bottle purifies water almost instantly.
Bob Frye/Everybody Adventures
I’d underestimated pretty much everything.
My son and I were backpacking with one of his friends. We started in my garage, going over what we might take, then had further pared things down after a few lifts of the packs revealed how heavy they still were.
Sure, we hoped to fish along the way. But, I told the guys, we weren’t taking entire tackle boxes. Small, pocket-sized ones would have to do.
Camp chairs, even those little tripod-style ones? Nope.
Two fuel canisters for the stove? One would be fine.
But then I messed up.
We packed water, what I thought was enough.
More – treated and drinkable – would be available at the Adirondack shelters where we’d be camping, I knew. So I figured the bottles we filled at the start would carry us through.
They didn’t. Not for me anyway.
The heat, the distance and the exertion left me wanting more long before we got where we were going. My pounding head was proof of that.
The fact that we walked past all kinds of water – fine for drinking, had we been able to treat it – only made things worse.
Never since have I hiked without some way of making water safe to drink.
Recently, I came across a new product that does just that. It’s called the Lifesaver.
It’s pretty simple to use.
You unscrew the bottom of the bottle, leaving the blue foam piece in to keep any debris from getting in. Once it’s full, you screw the base back on and pump it – using the built-in pump — to force the water through the filter.
Pop open the top, open the nipple with your teeth – so as to avoid cross-contaminating anything via the water you probably got on your hands – and three quarters of a liter of drinkable water, free of bacteria, cysts, pararsites and viruses, shoots out.
It’s that easy.
The Lifesaver seems pretty well built, too. I’ve seen some reviews online worrying about its plastic shell.
It’s certainly possible it could break if you’re too rough with it. But it seems pretty sturdy.
If you’re concerned about keeping it safe, though, there’s a soft-sided container you can get to carry it in.
The Lifesaver is a little heavier than some other water purification systems, but not decidedly so. I could see carrying it while hiking for sure.
It might really shine if you were to carry it in a canoe or kayak, though, on a bike or even in your vehicle.
This is not an inexpensive tool – I’ve seen them available for about $100 – but it works well, treats water quickly and can be, as its name suggests, a life saving device.
More information is available at www.iconlifesaver.com.
