Review on LifeStraw Flex: Versatile Water Filter System for Hiking, Camping & Emergencies by David Elam

Just got it and started experimenting with it. Keep in mind that the active part of this kit, LifeStraw, could be a five star product on its own. The part of FLEX that you pay extra money for has two design issues. Problem #1: When you squeeze a FLEXible water bottle, unfiltered water drips out of the threads on top of the flexible bottle and around the filter. You can hold the top of the filter in such a way that filtered water will fall into the cup and dirty water will drip onto any surface under the cup or onto your clothes if you try to force it into your mouth. Problem #2: Once the water is squeezed out of the bottom of the Life Straw, you can't squeeze water out this way. You have to unscrew the filter from the flex bottle and just loosely insert the straw into the broken flex bottle. This involves infecting the tip of the straw with mouth germs, which you wouldn't have to do if you could squeeze out the remaining water. So you might get 11 ounces. the filtered one is dripped (sample #1), and the other half is sold in a stick with a filter cap and a thin, detachable, flexible bottle. This makes it difficult for me to safely share water with my travel companion, which is why I paid the premium to get a LifeStraw with a Flex bottle. The flex bottle is just an accessory that doesn't bring much use. I plan on cleaning the lid and top of the filter with the vinegar I carry around.