At first glance the Life Saver water bottle looks just like any other hiking bottle with a built-in filter—but what’s impressive is the filter. The Life Saver not only filters down to 15 nanometers (small enough to get bacteria and viruses without chemicals), it also lasts for 4000 to 6000 liters. Compare that to the Aquamira Bottle with Filter, which lasts about 250 liters, or the Katadyn Microfilter Water Bottle , which only cleans 100 liters. The inventor said his inspiration to make a water filter that could remove fecal matter, viruses, and bacteria came from watching coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami in Asia where people had to wait days for fresh water. Unfortunately, he sold his first 1000 bottles for $385 each at a military defense tradeshow—hopefully he saves some for the next Outdoor Retailer.

via Gizmodo