by Stephen Proctor

September 14, 2025

Lifestraw, the company behind the survival tool to help clean even the dirtiest water, has set its sights on a much larger volume of water.

Lifestraw recently came out with the Escape, which, according to New Atlas, can filter 5 gallons of water at once. Rather than the small portable straw, the Escape looks similar to a cylindrical cooler that might be used to dispense water at a sporting event.

As reported by New Atlas, the Escape can remove 99.99% of viruses, 99.999999% of bacteria, 99.999% of parasites, and 99.999% of microplastics using a 0.02 micron membrane ultrafilter and an activated carbon + ion exchange filter. The micron filter can last up to 18,000 liters of cycled water, and the carbon filter lasts through 600 liters.

To use the Escape, you fill the reservoir, then pump it like you would a keg. Once pressure is built up and it's hard to pump, you can open the tap and pour yourself a clean glass of water. If the water begins to come out slowly, simply pump some more.

It's great that the Escape removes such high percentages of viruses, bacteria, and parasites, but it's also important that it removes so many microplastics as well. Though microplastics may not pose an immediate health threat like the other contaminants, they have been tied to things like cancer, dementia, and impaired blood flow to the brain. Microplastics are also believed to negatively affect hormone levels in men and women.

The Escape is perfect for ensuring clean drinking water on a camping trip, as long as a separate container is used to fill it. Just dunking the Escape in a potential water source could have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the filter system because contaminants could be present on the tap.

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More important than providing fresh water for campers, the Escape could provide clean drinking water for people around the world without access to it. According to UNICEF, around 2.1 billion people around the world don't have access to safe drinking water. Even in a country like the U.S., there are plenty of areas with poor water quality.

The Lifestraw Escape is currently available on the company website for $329.95.