Thanks for sharing such good information. The name "Lifestraw" perfectly goes with the product.

how do you make it...did it have salt?

Check out what Ray Avery has to say about this product...
http://www.consumer.org.nz/news/view/lifestraw
I wish that this product really lived up to the promise and the name, but it does not look so good...
I hope that it can be refined so that it will perform as advertised.

This seems really good. Maybe they could improve it to remove ions too.

Okay it is NOT perfect but...you realize most of these 3rd world countries have absolutely NOTHING. Trust me, this is leaps and bounds a head anything else out there.
There are times I think we split hairs on every single thing on the Internet... I am surprise we don\'t have a debate about tighty/whiteys.

This gadget will be a great help for developing countries because it is efficient and economical to use.

I have a Lifestraw, it\'s much useful in my travels.

The LifeStraw has actually just been made available to the US and Canadian retail market as of a few days ago!
The new models have a three year shelf life, filter 1,000 liters (264 gallons) of water down to 0.2 Microns, and contain no Iodine or chemicals.
You can buy them from http://eartheasy.com/lifestraw
These are the real LifeStraws by Vestergaard Frandsen, too (not fake knock-off\'s from China).

OMG. Not again. Lifestraw has been promoting and re-promoting this piece of junk for years, it is not new. If actually worked, research on water purification would have stopped long ago, since the problem would be solved for a few cents.
Is it better than nothing? That depends if you consider the false sense of security it gives.
All I can say is...take plenty of toilet paper.

They are finally for sale in North America!
You can find them at greenbeetlegear.com, yes the real ones.
According to the manufacturer, LifeStraw meets EPA requirements for filtration of bacteria and protozoa (log 6 and log 3 reductions respectively).