The world's most in-depth and scientific reviews of outdoor gear

LifeStraw Go Review

The Go is designed for a specific use. It provides filtered water on the go, but this also restricts its overall versatility.
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Price:  $45 List | $33.25 at Amazon
Compare prices at 2 resellers
Pros:  Replaceable filter, unique purpose, well-made, durable
Cons:  Expensive, small capacity, can only be used with water (no other liquids)
Manufacturer:   LifeStraw
By Jane Jackson ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  May 8, 2018
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64
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#9 of 18
  • Ease of Use - 40% 5
  • Durability - 25% 7
  • Weight - 20% 7
  • Taste - 15% 8

Our Verdict

The LifeStaw Go is a bottle designed for a very specific use. The bottle has a straw and integrated filtration system, which takes up a large part of the overall volume of the bottle. We found it fairly difficult to drink out of the straw since water is being drawn through the system as you drink. All that aside, the LifeStraw bottle is unique in that it provides you with quality drinking water no matter where you are. The manufacturer claims that the bottle can filter water from any source safely. If filtered water is something that is important to you, this bottle could be a great one to use every day. It could also be useful on short day hikes where it could be refilled from streams along the way.


Compare to Similar Products

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This Product
LifeStraw Go
Awards  Editors' Choice Award Best Buy Award   
Price $33.25 at Amazon
Compare at 2 sellers		$38.99 at Amazon
Compare at 2 sellers		$10.95 at REI
Compare at 3 sellers		$34.95 at REI
Compare at 2 sellers		$19.56 at Amazon
Compare at 2 sellers
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Star Rating
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Pros Replaceable filter, unique purpose, well-made, durableDurable, easy to carry, wide mouth for easy drinking and cleaning, good designLight, durable, resists flavors, simple design, wide mouth makes for easy fillingStylish, well-insulated, easy to clean, simple design, durableLightweight, easy for one-handed drinking, re-designed sport cap is effective, durable, good color options
Cons Expensive, small capacity, can only be used with water (no other liquids)Expensive, heavyDiameter too big for cup holders, wide mouth makes it difficult to drink from when walking or drivingHeavy, expensiveSport cap not as secure as a screw cap, carrying handle is small
Bottom Line The Go is designed for a specific use. It provides filtered water on the go, but this also restricts its overall versatility.The Rambler quickly became our new favorite bottle after a few trips with it. The size, shape, and design make it easy to use.A tried and tested classic, the Wide Mouth wins again as our Top Pick for Plastic, as well as the Best Bang for your Buck bottle.This hip bottle is a simple, easy to clean vacuum insulated bottle with a narrow mouth and a portable size.It is hard for us to find anything bad to say about this bottle. It's simple, easy to use, and reasonably priced.
Rating Categories LifeStraw Go YETI Rambler 26 Nalgene Wide-Mouth Hydro Flask Standard Mouth Klean Kanteen Classic
Ease Of Use (40%)
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Durability (25%)
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Weight (20%)
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Taste (15%)
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Specs LifeStraw Go YETI Rambler 26 Nalgene Wide-Mouth Hydro Flask... Klean Kanteen...
Body Material BPA-free Plastic 18/8 stainless steel Eastman Tritan co-polyester 18/8 stainless steel 18/8 stainless steel
Empty weight (oz) 10.0 oz 18.5 oz 6.3 oz 12.9 oz 7.4 oz
Volume (oz) 19 oz 26 oz 34 oz 24 oz 27 oz
Bottle weight (oz) per fluid oz capacity 0.53 oz 0.71 oz 0.19 oz 0.54 oz 0.27 oz
Mouth diameter n/a 3 in 2.5 in 2 in 1.75 in
Base diameter 3.14 in 3.25 in 3.25 in 3 in 2.75 in
Height 9.25 in 10 in 8.25 in 11 in 11 in
Body Type Hard-sided/traditional Hard-sided/traditional Hard-sided/traditional Hard-sided/traditional Hard-sided/traditional
Free of Materials BPA-free BPA-free BPA, BPS and Phthalate Free BPA-free BPA-free
Cap Materials Not available Not available Information not available Polypropelene Polypropylene, Silicone spout
Cap/lid type Bite Straw Wide-loop cap Loop-top screw cap Wide-loop cap Sport cap wih spout
Other versions 10oz, Flex 18 oz, 20 oz, 36 oz 16 oz, 48 oz 18 oz, 21 oz 18 oz, 40 oz, 64 oz, loop cap/sports cap, wide mouth
Warranty 30 day return 3 or 5 year warranty Lifetime Guarantee for normal use Lifetime Warranty Lifetime Warranty

Our Analysis and Test Results

The LifeStraw Go is a small volume bottle with an integrated filter. We had a hard time figuring out the best use for this bottle, as it is too small and cumbersome to use backpacking, and lacks the ability to filter large quantities of water. For short hikes near a water source, the LifeStraw is useful because it can be refilled anywhere. This means you can carry less water, and thus have a lighter load. The bottle is also useful in an urban setting where you may not have access to filtered water all the time.

Performance Comparison


We found it difficult to suck water through the straw since it is attached to a heavy-duty filter inside the bottle.
We found it difficult to suck water through the straw, since it is attached to a heavy-duty filter inside the bottle.

Ease of Use


The underwhelming score that the LifeStraw received in this metric is due to the difficulties we had drinking out of the filter-straw. The filter also takes up a ton of volume in the bottle itself, which reduces the overall capacity of the bottle drastically. You have to suck on the straw pretty hard to get water through the filter, which can get tiring after a while. When we had the bottle full of drinkable water (which we usually did), we often took the lid off and skipped the straw and filter altogether. We found the Camelbak Eddy+ to be much more effective as a comparable straw-style bottle. Of course, the Eddy+ does not have the filter component that the LifeStraw does.

The LifeStraw is made up of three components, making it easy to take apart and clean. That said, bottles with integrated straws, like the Camelbak Eddy, can be a challenge to keep clean in the long term.

Durability


In terms of durability, we found the Lifestraw to be in general a very durable bottle. the hard-sided, BPA-free plastic bottle saw no real damage throughout our testing period. We did not run into any issues with the filter either. According to their website, LifeStraw recommends replacing the filter after 100 liters (or 3 months of continuous use). The filter is the weakest point of this bottle and it can be easily replaced.

Drinking filtered water from the LifeStraw. The filter is a nice feature for road trips when you are filling up water without having the option of filtered water out of the tap. The LifeStraw eliminates this issue.
Drinking filtered water from the LifeStraw. The filter is a nice feature for road trips when you are filling up water without having the option of filtered water out of the tap. The LifeStraw eliminates this issue.

Weight


The LifeStraw is on the heavier side of the plastic bottles in this review in terms of weight. This high tech bottle weighs in at 10 ounces. The extra weight, of course, comes from the integrated filter, which weighs a bit on its own. This is a bit of a detraction because it also takes up a fair amount of space in the bottle, reducing the capacity. If you are set on filtering your water, then the weight is less of a concern, but it is something to be noted.

The filter takes up a lot of space inside the bottle reducing the overall versatility of the LifeStraw.
The filter takes up a lot of space inside the bottle, reducing the overall versatility of the LifeStraw.

Taste


Because it has a built-in filter, it is no surprise that the LifeStraw Go gets a relatively high score regarding taste. The hollow fiber membrane and integrated activated carbon capsule filters bacteria and reduces chlorine and bad taste. Obviously, this bottle makes water taste good! The downside is that the bottle is only made for water, meaning you cannot put any other liquids in it. The straw can collect a bit of flavor, and if you are constantly filling the bottle with bad tasting water, a slight smell can develop. The filter itself also traps flavor, which is another reason to only use water in this bottle.

Here the LifeStraw is shown next to the Thermos Intak. They are comparable in size but the Intak has a larger capacity since it lacks LifeStraw's filter.
Here, the LifeStraw is shown next to the Thermos Intak. They are comparable in size, but the Intak has a larger capacity since it lacks LifeStraw's filter.

Value


The LifeStraw is way more expensive than similar-sized plastic bottles. Of course, the bottle comes with a fairly high-tech filtration system, so it makes sense that you have to pay a bit more for this setup.

Conclusion


The LifeStraw Go is a unique bottle with a number of positive features and a few downsides. If you are looking for a bottle with an integrated filtration system, this bottle is a great option, and it is not insanely expensive. If you need a bottle that will be more versatile, the LifeStraw may not be the best option. It is difficult to drink out of, has a fairly small volume, and can only be used to hold water. It also filters water and makes it taste great! So it's up to you to decide whether filtered water is a priority or not.


— Jane Jackson