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It’s a small price to pay for a tool that one survivalist said “may save your life.”

Lourdes Avila Uribe is a senior staff writer at HuffPost covering shopping trends, lifestyle and new products.

I have owned the brand’s filtering water bottle and water pitcher for over a year, but after personally trying out Lifestraw’s flagship product – a handheld plastic tube containing an advanced filter that’s designed to remove microplastics, bacteria, parasites and more from just about any water source — I added a Lifestraw Sip (a slimmed-down, stainless steel version of the original) to my travel bag. It’s surprisingly chic and I was shocked at how effective and easy to use it is. One single filter has a long lifespan, providing about 1,000 gallons of clean and safe drinking water.

When I first heard about Lifestraw it was in a survivalist context, and I assumed that someone like me — a city-dwelling indoor gal who has never been camping a day in her life — would never have use for one. But upon further research, I’ve become more convinced that they’re essential for everyone. We simply never know what’s going to happen. Even if you’re not big on the great outdoors, there’s no denying that there’s enough global instability to make one a bit nervous — and the existence of natural disasters alone is a good enough reason to have one in an emergency kit.

(While the device does promise to filter out over 30 contaminants, be sure to check the Lifestraw’s FAQ section to see what the device cannot remove from water, including salt, arsenic, petroleum and trihalomethane, which is a by-product of chlorination.)

They also make for thoughtful gifts. “I snagged a huge deal on the Lifestraw last Prime Day and bought 10 of them — I pretty much handed them out like candy to my family at Christmas, half-assuming they’d look down at it and say, ‘What is THIS?’” said my colleague Kristen Aiken. “But to my surprise and delight, they were all very well aware of what a Lifestraw was, but hadn’t actually bought any yet. They’re thrilled to take them on camping trips, and my inside-person mom is keeping some in her pantry in case we ever have an emergencies that prevent us from having clean running water.”

Note: If you’re immunocompromised, be sure to read all the package instructions to make sure it’s safe for you.

″Got these to keep on hand in case of an emergency so I have not actually used them yet but I know lifestraw is a reputable brand. They are easy to use and I especially like that you can attach a water bottle to it so multiple people could get the benefit of clean water and even filtering water for cooking if needed. There’s so much going on in the world it’s nice to have the peace of mind that for a small investment I can guarantee my family will have fresh water.” —Stephanie P.

“Awesome for survival preparedness kits. Everyone needs a few! Arrived undamaged and ready to go. Unlimited shelf life product, stores well for years in a bug out bag. Great for camping and hiking adventures. Very affordable and piece of mind. Don’t chance getting sick by drinking unknown unfiltered water.” —The Art of Prepping

“I ordered 1 for my back pack and then I ordered a 2nd for back up. they truly work! You can unscrew the bottom for a good fit on any water bottle or use it like a staw. The water taste like fresh mineral water from an artesian well! I’m an avid camper/survivalist have been most my life And these are well worth the price, and taste of the water. don’t pass it by at this price! And when you buy one you automatically, with no extra cost, you help a child for a year with fresh water. It doesn’t get any better than that! I totally recommend for many reasons.” —Leann F.

“I thought I was wasting my time buying this as we have Nalgene bottles we carry everywhere. My husband says this is the best gift he’s ever received because his water bottle it too heavy to carry when fishing and the life straw gives him so much freedom from carrying heavy and bulky things.” —Daniel & Chelsie Coughlin

“As advertised. The life straw works flawlessly. I’m shocked how it actually eliminates all bacteria in the dirtiest waters.” —Milad

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.