Outdoors & Fitness · Head-to-head
Platypus QuickDraw Filter vs LifeStraw Peak Series Straw
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Backpacking Water Filters: 4 Compared comparison.
The QuickDraw gives you a full 0.2 micron filter at 69 grams with a flow rate nothing else here beats for the weight. The LifeStraw weighs about the same and lasts four times as long, and you cannot replace the cartridge when it stops.
Platypus QuickDraw Filter
Buy itA 0.2 micron hollow fibre filter at 69 grams that attaches to almost anything.
- Pore size published plainly as 0.2 microns with hollow fibre media, so you know exactly what it stops.
- 69 grams and a 3 litre per minute flow rate, which is the best flow per gram in this comparison.
- Multi-compatible threading works with a wide range of bottles and reservoirs, so it slots into a system you already own.
- Individually tested against EPA and NSF guidelines rather than sold on a general claim.
- 1,000 litre cartridge life is the shortest here, a quarter of the LifeStraw's.
- Does nothing about viruses, so it is the wrong tool outside regions where bacteria and protozoa are the whole risk.
- Hollow fibre cannot be allowed to freeze, since ice can rupture the fibres, though Platypus says its design lets you tell when the filter has been compromised by freezing or a fall.
LifeStraw Peak Series Straw
Buy it65 grams, 4,000 litres, and a cartridge you cannot change when it finally blocks.
- 4,000 litres of stated capacity, four times the Platypus, from a 65 gram device.
- Publishes removal rates precisely: 99.999999 percent of bacteria and 99.999 percent of parasites and microplastics.
- Meets EPA and NSF P231 standards, named explicitly rather than gestured at.
- Unlimited shelf life with nothing to degrade, which is what makes it a sensible thing to leave in a car or a kit.
- The cartridge is non-replaceable, so at 4,000 litres the whole device is finished.
- A straw means drinking at the source or filling a container first, which is slower than an inline squeeze setup.
- 0.2 micron media, so viruses pass through exactly as they do with any filter.
Side by side
The 9 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Platypus QuickDraw Filter Our pick | LifeStraw Peak Series Straw | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Backcountry hiking in North America, Europe and similar regions, where viruses are not the concern. | Emergency kits, travel backup and light trips where simplicity beats system-building. |
| Price tier | $ · budget | $ · budget |
| Filter or purifier | Filter | Filter |
| Pore size | 0.2 microns | 0.2 microns |
| Removes viruses | No | No |
| Weight | 69 g / 2.4 oz | 65 g / 2.3 oz |
| Cartridge life | 1,000 litres | 4,000 litres |
| Flow rate | 3 L/min | Not published |
| Cartridge replaceable | Yes | No |
| Treats taste | No, stated | No |
| Standard cited | EPA and NSF guidelines | EPA and NSF P231 |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Platypus QuickDraw Filter if
backcountry hiking in North America, Europe and similar regions, where viruses are not the concern.
Know before buying: 1,000 litre cartridge life is the shortest here, a quarter of the LifeStraw's.
Pick the LifeStraw Peak Series Straw if
emergency kits, travel backup and light trips where simplicity beats system-building.
Know before buying: the cartridge is non-replaceable, so at 4,000 litres the whole device is finished.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Platypus QuickDraw Filter - A 0.2 micron hollow fibre filter at 69 grams that attaches to almost anything. Choose the LifeStraw Peak Series Straw instead if emergency kits, travel backup and light trips where simplicity beats system-building.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Backpacking Water Filters: 4 Compared.