Steri-Pen. Who's got one?

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My very cool sister in law gave me a Steri-Pen as a gift. It looks like a pretty neat and easy way to purify water. Who has one? What do you think?
 
I have one, and it is pretty handy. Lately though I've preferred to boil water for purifying, as I'm trying to build on my firemaking skills so I;ve been leaving the steri-pen at home. Works well though...

JGON
 
JGON said:
I have one, and it is pretty handy. Lately though I've preferred to boil water for purifying, as I'm trying to build on my firemaking skills so I;ve been leaving the steri-pen at home. Works well though...

JGON
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What are you typically boiling in? Just curious.
 
If you fill a cup with lake water and use one of these, does it still look\taste like lake water?, just now it won't make you sick?
 
I think these are awesome. I have the steripen freedom and carry a lifestraw and pills as backup
 
I've been using a Steripen while hiking/backpacking for the last couple of years. I've found it to be very reliable. I carry a back-up pair of batteries, but haven't had to use them yet.

There was one time I thought it was going on the fritz, but then saw that I was lifting it far enough out of the water that the sensor was exposed to air - that stopped it cold! Lesson: keep the Steripen in the water when purifying!

Does not change taste of water.

Quick, easy, no nasty illness - great by me!

(Back-up method: pot and fire)
 
I haven't used one, but I do know something about UV disinfection (not purification, that's just marketing), and I wouldn't rely on it as the sole method of disinfection. Filter plus UV, awesome. UV plus chemical disinfection, super. Just UV...meh. The water quality conditions have a substantial impact on the ability of UV to deactivate microorganisms, so the 99.9%+ removal figure they advertise is most likely best-case scenario. I do tend to be overcautious with my water though.
 
I have one that I've used quite a bit, and never gotten sick. It's especially handy for normal traveling, staying in hotels, etc., in other countries. When I use it camping, I pre-filter just to be safe.
 
I've been using a competitor's model since about 2005. No problems. However, as noted above, I would not use it alone if the water were murky (they are much less efffective if the water isn't clear). Mine has been used on very clear water out of creeks/lakes in the Sierra and Alaska.

I think they are also useful for overseas travel. If you don't fully trust the bottled water in a third-world country and boiling isn't convenient, hit it with the UV.

DancesWithKnives
 
I have two. One I leave full time in my truck kit for road emergencies and one that stays in my travel by air suitcase. The one in the suitcase is tried and true. It has travel all over and is the first edition when Steri Pen only had one unit. The battery housing and screw is getting rather fragile but this unit is old-old and has seen a lot of use.

The one in the truck is a replacement unit. The earlier one puked on me during an elk hunt when I kept it in my spike hunt backpack. Not good when spending a night just 200 yards from a herd of bedded down elk and noise discipline is a premium. Fortunately I always have a backup - a filter in this case. They were surprised it failed electronically and replaced it without hesitatation.

Now for my travel by air the Steri Pen is my back up to the Camelbak All Clear UV system which rocks mega big time. I can't see the All Clean as feasible in the wild other than at a truck base camp but for travel it seems like it is custom fit for this task.
 
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I have two. I purchased the Adventurer originally - loved it. But then bought the Traveler so I could switch all my primary devices to AA.
 
I must admit, I was very skeptical when I heared about killing bugs with UV light, now between what's been stated here and other accounts of thier worth, I think I need one. :thumbup:
 
gulliamo said:
I have two. I purchased the Adventurer originally - loved it. But then bought the Traveler so I could switch all my primary devices to AA.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:

Carried and used in Afghanistan. No Green Apple Splatter. The 123 batteries are expensive, which makes the Traveler a no-brainer!
 
Mewolf1, I was the sameway initially. But a good friend who has a MS in Microbiology and works in a lab where they use UV to sterilize and a relative who is a waste water engineer both agreed this is useful technology. So far in 6 years drinking urban and wilderness water I've not been ill from water bugs.

Make sure you have a back up!
 
I used one backpacking on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. No problems. But there are many people who drink untreated water along the Trail especially up north and they also have no problems.
 
Friend of mines sister has been using one to treat the local creek water. I told him that I can't imagine that it will do much good with all the golf course nitrates that run-off.:eek:
 
The one I got is the "classic" version that uses AA batteries. It came with a filter/adapter cap that fits on a Nalgene too. I was planning to do a day hike today, so I think I'll bring it along and try it out.
 
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