CamelBak® filtered by LifeStraw® Products

Before first use, Remove the Ion Exchange Filter and rinse under clean tap water for 60 seconds. Reinstall the Ion Exchange Filter, reassemble your Filter to Cap, fill your bottle with water, screw the cap on, and allow a few seconds to pass while the filter is primed. After a few quick, strong sips, it should be easier to draw water and you can enjoy your new filter! 

Note: Before using your LifeStraw® filter for the first time, make sure you have reviewed the instructions on the user manual and rinsed the product and filters. 

Yes, you can use the CamelBak Cleaning Tabs to clean your CamelBak filtered by LifeStraw® bottle and reservoir filters. In fact, it will help to increase the flow rate of your filter if it has slowed down! 

Yes, you can use the CamelBak filtered by LifeStraw™ cap on other Eddy+ Bottles. The filter length is optimized for the Eddy® + bottle size that it comes with, but the cap without filter will fit on any bottle.

No, you need the Eddy® + filtered by LifeStraw® Cap in order to hold the filter. This cap is not the same as the standard Eddy® + or Eddy® + Kids Cap, though they look similar. 

Each Bottle Filter has size marked on the Hollow Fiber Cartridge, which is the clear plastic filter with white membranes inside. The size is marked as "S", "M", or "L" at the top of the Filter.  

• Size Small fits the 20oz Tritan™ Renew bottle 
• Size Medium fits the 32oz Tritan™ Renew bottles 
• Size Large fits the 32oz Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel bottles

Yes, the Eddy® + Standard Straw fits into the LifeStraw® Eddy® + Cap. However, the length may not be optimized, and the product does not come with the standard straw. 

Remove the Ion Exchange Filter: Unthread Ion Exchange Filter Housing from Hollow Fiber Housing, use pencil to press Ion Exchange Filter down and out of the Ion Exchange Filter Housing. 

Remove the Activated Carbon Capsule: Unthread Activated Carbon Capsule Housing from Hollow Fiber Filter and unthread QuickLink™ Cap from Activated Carbon Capsule Housing. Press Activated Carbon Capsule out. 

It will depend on the use. The Activated Carbon Filter & Ion Exchange Filter both last up to 100 liters of water with proper use and maintenance. For heavy use, that could be as few as 2 weeks. For light use, that could be as long as 3 months before we’d recommend replacing it.

The Hollow Fiber Filter will stop passing water when it is no longer functional, which will occur at 4,000 Liters or 1,000 gallons of use. At that point, we recommend replacing your whole filter set. 

The Pore Size of the Hollow Fiber Membrane is 0.2 microns. 

Amoeba Dysentery is a rare infection in the intestines that is caused by protozoan parasites. All LifeStraw® filters are 99.999% effective at removing protozoan parasites from water and removing amoebas from drinking water. 

No. Because pool water may have an abundance of salt and chemicals beyond chlorine, we do not recommend filtering pool water with your LifeStraw® Filter. LifeStraw® Filters also do not work in saltwater or brackish water. 

No, LifeStraw® Filters do not remove dissolved salts and are not designed to be used to drink non-diluted urine. Because of this, we do not recommend drinking urine with LifeStraw® filters, even in low amounts. 

LifeStraw® filters are used all over the world and put to the test in some of the harshest conditions. They are also tested by independent labs and meet NSF/ANSI International standards. 

Because water quality can change at any moment, the best advice we can provide is to research common waterborne diseases and contaminants in the specific area you will be traveling and evaluate whether you need a purifier that removes virus in addition to bacteria and parasites, or a microfilter which moves bacteria and parasites only. 

Yes. All LifeStraw® products protect against bacteria and parasites which are the primary concerns during boil water advisories. 

LifeStraw® products do not remove arsenic from water. 

Since other liquids can clog or otherwise damage the membrane and render it unusable, filtering liquids other than water is not recommended. 

Soak the filters in warm, clean water overnight. Make sure to rinse the filters thoroughly after this procedure. After rinsing, backwash the filter using the backwashing procedure. 

The following are the weights of each Eddy® + filtered by LifeStraw® bottle when full of water:

• 20oz Tritan™ Renew Bottle: 931.5g
• 32oz Tritan™ Renew Bottle: 1170.7g
• 32oz VSS Bottle: 1410.9g

The LifeStraw® Filter takes up some of the water space in the bottle. The following are the actual water volume that can fit with the filter installed: 

• 20oz Tritan™ Renew Bottle: 14oz actual fluid volume 
• 32oz Tritan™ Renew Bottle: 26oz actual fluid volume 
• 32oz VSS Bottle: 26oz actual fluid volume 

The LifeStraw Filter (size medium) is compatible with a 25oz Tritan™ Renew bottle. 

The LifeStraw Filter (size large) is compatible with a 40oz Vacuum Stainless Steel bottle. 

Follow these steps if you have already used the LifeStraw® filter and you plan to store for greater than 1 month without use. These steps will help prevent the filters from drying out and/or becoming blocked over longer periods of non-use.  

5 Steps for Storing your CamelBak bottle or reservoir with LifeStraw® filter:  

1. Remove Carbon Filter. Let dry for 30 minutes and place in a sealed reusable container. 
2. Disinfect. Mix ¼ teaspoon of household bleach with 2 cups of clean water and pour solution in product (bottle or reservoir), closing the lid or cap when filled. Let stand for 5 minutes. Empty the bottle or reservoir and rinse with new water, shaking the filter to rinse. 
3. Immerse in Salt Solution. Mix 1 teaspoon of salt with 2 cups of water in a reusable container. Pour the saline solution into the filter until filled with water, then place the filter in the reusable container with the remaining saline solution and seal tightly.   
4. Store. Store the reusable container with saline solution in a cool dry place. Store the carbon filter (sealed) separately in a cool, dry place. 
5. Resume Use. To use your filter again, reinsert the carbon filter and discard the salt solution. Blow any remaining solution out of the filter before filling your bottle or reservoir with regular source water. Spit out the first few sips as they may still taste salty. If storing longer than three months, replace the carbon filter prior to reuse. 

Note: We recommend storing the bottle with a salt/saline solution because it helps to prevent any mold or algae from growing during long-term storage while also keeping the membrane microfilter wet which ensures a good flow rate when resuming use. When the membrane becomes completely dried out, it can be difficult to get the product flowing again. 

Clogging can occur due to improper backwashing, cleaning and storage, trapped air bubbles, etc. If you experience blockage after your filters are stored for longer periods of time, you likely need to re-activate the hydrophilic properties of the membrane again or essentially lubricate the membrane, so it easily pulls water through.  

Cleaning tablets! See the instructions below for unclogging using our cleaning tablets. 

1. Remove Carbon Filter.  
2. Immerse. Mix 3 cleaning tablets in 2 cups of warm water. Pour half of the solution into your CamelBak bottle.  
3. Hydrate. With the filter attached to the cap, close the cap tightly. Shake the bottle to immerse the solution into the filter, mixing for up to 1 minute.  
4. Set. Pour the remaining solution into the bottle, and seal tightly with the filter still attached. Let stand for 1 hour.  
5. Rinse. Empty the bottle with solution before rinsing with regular source water. Rinse the hydrated membrane microfilter under tap water for 1 minute, making sure to rinse from both sides. Backwash any remaining solution by blowing air into the filter, pushing water out through the other side.  
6. Resume Use. To use your filter again, reinsert the carbon filter, then begin drinking water. Note: the first few sips might be tougher but it should ease up quickly. 

One of the best ways to prevent clogging is to follow our long-term storage instructions. This prevents the membranes of our filters from drying out and/or becoming blocked over longer periods of non-use. 

If your filters are stored for long periods of time and appear to be blocked when trying to resume use, what you likely need to do is re-activate the hydrophilic properties of the membrane again or essentially lubricate the membrane so it easily pulls water through. 

Remove the Crux™ Reservoir On/Off Valve with Bite Valve attached, trim your tube using scissors, and reinstall the Crux™ Reservoir On/Off Valve. 

• Remove carbon filter – This will eliminate the taste and odor filtration aspect of the product but will have the biggest impact on improving flow.   

• Prevent the hollow fiber membrane from drying out – When the hollow fibers dry out the pores in them close up and must be rehydrated to become effective again. The easiest way to avoid having to rehydrate is to keep them in water as often as possible. To rehydrate, allow the hollow fiber membrane to be submerged in water for 1 hour, rinse through in both directions with fresh water, then resume use. 

• Backflush – To backflush, push CLEAN water through the filter in the reverse direction of in-use flow. Do not use excessive water pressure water to backflush. Backflushing by blowing air through the filter in the reverse direction will also help restore flow.   

• Remove air trapped in the filter – eliminating air trapped in the visible hollow fiber section of the filter will increase hollow fiber surface area contact and improve flow. Pulling suction from the end of the tube can help reduce the trapped air and increase flow. Separating the hollow fiber section of the filter from the carbon filter section temporarily can also allow water to fully saturate the hollow fibers and reduce air bubbles, therefore increasing flow. 

You should replace your filter before using it again if you have dropped it from 2ft or higher. After a big drop, the Hollow Fiber Membranes may have damage which could reduce the ability of your filter to provide clean water.

No. After the Filter has been used with water for the first time, it cannot be frozen. Freezing may damage the Hollow Fiber Membranes which could reduce the ability of your filter to provide clean water.