Opinions on Steripen

lagarto

lagarto

Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
1,438
Does anyone out there have any experience with STERIpen water purifiers. I'm planning a trip to central america with my brother and am looking to pick up a new purifier. I'm giving serious consideration to the steripen with pre-filter as sold at REI as well as the MSR MIOX filter and was curious if anyone here has used either with good (or bad) results. As always any info is greatly appreciated.

Lagarto
 
I bought a steri-pen a while back, thought it would be thinner and lighter (like the size of a pen). I just keep in in the pop-up now, but I use it when i pump water from the well, I couldn't tell you if it does anything because ive never looked through a microscope to see the bacteria cooking/dying, but it makes me feel safer. I haven't gotten sick from camp water from the well.
 
bladeNUT82 said:
I bought a steri-pen a while back, thought it would be thinner and lighter (like the size of a pen). I just keep in in the pop-up now, but I use it when i pump water from the well, I couldn't tell you if it does anything because ive never looked through a microscope to see the bacteria cooking/dying, but it makes me feel safer. I haven't gotten sick from camp water from the well.
Click to expand...

About 2 years ago, the US Army conducted an extensive study of all commercial water filtration and purification devices, testing them against bacteria, virus, giardia, and crypto in a variety of conditions.

http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/WPD/CompareDevices.aspx

I was going to tell you that I remember the Steripen failing miserably, that it wasn't able to eliminate any pathogens in the test at all. I looked through the page above, and for some reason could not find the Steripen review. Odd. I know it was there.

Then I came upon this:

http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/WPD/Updates.aspx

The Steripen review was yanked. I'm guessing their lawyers threatened the Army or something.

I'll pass. Until an objective test says otherwise, I'll classify the Steripen along with that PLB device that isn't really a PLB.
 
Got one and I like it and use it. However on a camping trip in Arizona this summer a rain came up and runoff made the water in the stream to cloudy for it to be used. Resorted to iodine that I always keep as a back up.

So if you get one keep a back up.

Mike
 
Central America is no place to screw with your water and questionable tools.

Get a decent proven filter and chemical backup.

Skam
 
"About 2 years ago, the US Army conducted an extensive study of all commercial water filtration and purification devices, testing them against bacteria, virus, giardia, and crypto in a variety of conditions.
I was going to tell you that I remember the Steripen failing miserably, that it wasn't able to eliminate any pathogens in the test at all. I looked through the page above, and for some reason could not find the Steripen review. Odd. I know it was there."


The reason it had failed was due to cloudy water, the pen did pass the test in non cloudy water. Even the manufacture tells you to filter out any turbulent water whether through a shirt,bandanna or what have you. I have a steripen and love it but if I goto a third world country I take a Katadyn combi with the steripen and boil the water as a back up. I'm tired of the iodine or chlorine taste of tablets and boiling is fine with me. The combi will get rid of pesticides with carbon and pre filter down to 2 microns and the steripen takes care of the rest. I also solar recharge the batteries through a fold able 20 watt cell.
I know it's a lot of stuff to drag around but if I was into ultra light I'd take a bick lighter and a stainless steel bottle and just boil the water. Tablets and drops take too much time to me and are shelf life.
 
Thanks a lot for the advice folks. I really appreciate the link to the Army reviews and testing. Looks like the MSR Sweetwater passed with fairly flying colors as did their MIOX system which I was also looking at.

Lagarto
 
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