Steripen??

S

soapboxpreacher

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Apr 3, 2010
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I have a ton of water purification options...from sawyer, MSR Miniworks, AquaMira, lifesaver and so on...I dont have a steripen and it seems it might be the best for killing everything. Water might not be as particle free as some of my filters but it would be safer overall. I was considering taking my Sawyer and getting a steripen as a companion to cover what the sawyer misses or could miss. Which steripen is the way to go? I am considering the Adventurer Opt or the classic (AA option might be the best although bigger). Let me know what you guys think.
 
I have the adventure Opti. Used it in Chile last year and a summer backpacking trip with no issues. It doesn't kill the germs though, only sterilizes them so they can't reproduce. Camelbak has also come out with their bottle that has similar features.
 
I use my Platypus gravity filter and a Steripen. I think mine's called Traveler, which I bought for my earthquake emergency kit.
 
Have both steripens you mentioned plus the All Clear from Camelbak. Now use the All Clear for my air travel kit and the AA Steripen stays in my wilderness truck. The Opti is a spare now. It used to travel by air but the Lithums make TSA nervious. The Opti went one year to Elk camp and failed to work. I called Steripen afterward and they replaced it no problem no questions asked. Soured me a little. Doesn't matter as you can tell I always have a back up plan.

The Lithium Opti is my preference because its size is handy. The Battery compartment is cheaply made in my opinion i keep waiting for it to fail but it hasn't. The AA model is just awkward to use and handle but with Eneloop batteries it works great. Any of these units will work. They have not made the ideal unit yet but they've not asked me :-).

I use one of these three units almost daily and while they all have minor shortcomings they work satisfactorily.i use them and rely on them. Tough choice.
 
IMO, a tough choice would be some other method. If you are very careful and the water is not too turbid and the temps are above freezing and the batteries are OK, and you don't drop it . . . . .

It does not need to kill the germs. If they cannot reproduce, they cannot make you sick. But PETA thinks that involuntary sterilization is cruel -- except for hunters. 0___0
 
I actually just picked up an Aquamira emergency straw this weekend for $10. It says its supposed to be good for 30 gals and remove like 99.9% of giardia, etc. I look at it as cheap insurance. Its basically nothing to throw in your pocket. If for some reason you got stranded and ran out of water, and/or couldn't boil water, it would hopefully be enough to get you through a couple days until you got home or found.

BOSS
 
bikerider said:
I have the adventure Opti. Used it in Chile last year and a summer backpacking trip with no issues. It doesn't kill the germs though, only sterilizes them so they can't reproduce. Camelbak has also come out with their bottle that has similar features.
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I just saw this...I think it is the way to go. Recharge via USB (Hand Crank as well or the solar in my hand crank radio), smaller, easier, better warranty! I think this thing might be better than the Steripen!
 
BOSS1 said:
I actually just picked up an Aquamira emergency straw this weekend for $10. It says its supposed to be good for 30 gals and remove like 99.9% of giardia, etc. I look at it as cheap insurance. Its basically nothing to throw in your pocket. If for some reason you got stranded and ran out of water, and/or couldn't boil water, it would hopefully be enough to get you through a couple days until you got home or found.

BOSS
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I have about 4 of these in my BOB...It is amazing to me that they do Cryptosporidium and Giardia! They only do 20 gallons but you can beat the size and weight. If you need water for other than direct drinking such as filling a naglene to travel with these are no go.
 
Preacher I have the Camelbak All Clear Bottle UV and it rocks big time!!! I travel by air for work and use it every day when I travel and it is easy and apparently effective as I've not been sick! I don't trust anyone's water source.
 
Quirt said:
Preacher I have the Camelbak All Clear Bottle UV and it rocks big time!!! I travel by air for work and use it every day when I travel and it is easy and apparently effective as I've not been sick! I don't trust anyone's water source.
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You mention the other steripens you have...what is you order of prefrence based on application...moreover which one is you preferred for outdoors/wilderness and which one for urban or survival?
 
soapboxpreacher said:
I have about 4 of these in my BOB...It is amazing to me that they do Cryptosporidium and Giardia! They only do 20 gallons but you can beat the size and weight. If you need water for other than direct drinking such as filling a naglene to travel with these are no go.
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As I understand it, it's a filter and the protozoans are relatively large and easily filtered. It is their great resistance to chlorine and iodine that make them a problem.
 
Here's the thing, .I LOVE the concept of the steripen, and have used models from the classic, to the adventurer, to the adventurer Opti. I had the most luck with the classic, but with the newer models I kept having problems with fresh batteries failing, problems with the electrodes that must be submerged in the water, and the pen not functioning properly in freezing cold water. I know that many, many other people have had great experiences with steripens, but from my use I wouldn't reccommend it, and I have stuck to my Sawyer Squeeze. If possible, find a way to rent or borrow a steripen before you shell out the cash for a new one.
 
I got a Steripen as a Christmas gift. It is the Classic, I believe, and it came with a particle filter that screws onto a Nalgene to keep crud out from turbid water and to cover the threads.

I have used it a couple of times in some clear local streams and have not gotten sick :), but since it is a delicate electronic instrument, I bring along iodine tabs or Aqua Mira drops as a back up.
 
Foilist said:
I got a Steripen as a Christmas gift. It is the Classic, I believe, and it came with a particle filter that screws onto a Nalgene to keep crud out from turbid water and to cover the threads.

I have used it a couple of times in some clear local streams and have not gotten sick :), but since it is a delicate electronic instrument, I bring along iodine tabs or Aqua Mira drops as a back up.
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Always take AquaMira either drops or tabs. You never know.
 
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