View Full Version : Steripen?
cakeman21k
10-10-2006, 13:39
On a short section hike this past weekend I shared a shelter with flip flopper Whimsey. For water purification he was using a Steripen (instead of a filter). I was very impressed by its size weight & simplicity. Amy body have any experiences you can share about such a device either good or bad?
:-?
Frolicking Dinosaurs
10-10-2006, 14:01
links to previous discussion of the Steripen:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14595
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=11932
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=11108
I cannot comment first hand on the Steripen system, but I've been doing a bit of research on the use of UV light for my own water purification and found the http://www.uvaquastar.com/. From comparing design and data, I really like the Aquastar system and will be ordering one next spring.
A number of municipal water treatment plants are going to UV light to kill the nasties. From speaking with my local water plant engineer, it is very safe, extremely effective and relatively cheap (at least on a large scale setup).
I purchased an Aquastar this year and used it for a week in the mountains. It worked well and others who saw it were very impressed. I think it will be great as long as source water is not too turbid. I will be keeping my MSR Miniworks.
I purchased rechargeable CR123 lithium batteries and keep the non-rechargeables as backup.
Just Gene
10-11-2006, 09:18
I use one this year on my thru hike. works really well with lithium batteries. Only problem I had seemed to come from the high humidity... It occationally would not power up... After discovering the problem was probably caused by recapping while the glass UV light was still wet, the problem of not powering up vanished... I would most certainly recommend this item for all.... :sun
I purchased an Aquastar this year and used it for a week in the mountains. It worked well and others who saw it were very impressed. I think it will be great as long as source water is not too turbid. I will be keeping my MSR Miniworks.
I purchased rechargeable CR123 lithium batteries and keep the non-rechargeables as backup.
Thanks Trundle for your review. I've been following the technology for a while, and it looks to me that AquaStar has really created a nice product utilizing what appears to be a lot of R & D. It certainly looks simple enough to operate. Would you recommend purchasing it? How was the battery life?
How did their new pre-fliter perform? Did it merely remove floating debris or did it also help with removing such things as tannin?
I've also been using an MSR Miniworks for years and find it to be very reliable, but somewhat slow and prone to the ceramic element clogging quickly. Other times I've found that you need to perform one heck of a balancing act to hold a nalgene with filter attached and keep the hose in the water all the while using the pump itself.
I'm still on my first set of batteries and I'm figuring I have about 40 litres of water through it. I also used it as a lantern on a couple occassions totalling about a half hour. Now that my hiking season is over, I took the batteries out of the unit. For two people, I would expect a set of batteries to last at least a week if used for water treatment only. A backup spare set sure doesn't weight much either.
I would definitely recommend this as a purchase to be considered if you are hiking in areas which have fairly good water clarity.
For pretreatment, I have been using ankle-length panty hose as my filter material. I use the little black mesh bag prefilter that came with the Aquastar to store my spare batteries!
Trundle, sounds like an item worth saving some X-mas gift money for, assuming I get any!
slacklinejoe
01-30-2007, 18:28
I've used both the Steripen & the Aquastar. After working with both I chose the aquastar and don't regret it. Both are good products but if you are considering the Steripen wait a bit longer and get their new adventure model that is lighter & smaller. For either, quality rechargables are a must. If using the CR1233 rechargables make absolutely sure that you get the proper voltage models. You will burn it up otherwise with the typical off the shelf rechargables.
To the user that experienced failure, look extremely closely for leaks, you most likely have one that lets excess water vapor build up in your unit (I had that happen to my first model before they redesigned it). A quick test: take out the batteries, fill it with water, screw on the cap and turn it upside down shaking it. If water slobbers out send it back as a return & they will replace it for you.
One consideration in choosing between them: if you use the Aqua star (which I feel is superior to the current model of Steripen) you are married to hard side containers (nalgene), or at least nalgene soft sides & something to protect the UV bulb. The steripen can be used in most bottles but can sometimes be awkward.
For any UV light remember in cold weather you have special considerations. Batteries suck when cold. The only failure was when I let the batteries get cold in ten degree weather. (my fault - just keep your batteries warm and your good) Also for the Aquastar you cannot let water freeze in the bottle with your UV tube so you may want a seperate cap for your bottle.
Either way, I've used UV a *LOT* and never had a single instance of waterborn illness and it cannot change the taste of the water and has no smell (for better or worse).
Skidsteer
01-30-2007, 19:26
SlacklineJoe,
Can the aquastar be adapted to a Gatorade bottle?
What a great idea of using an ankle length panty hose for filtering. I planned on using a bandana but this sounds much easier.
Thanks to Trundle!
It's posts like his that make me love this site.
I switched out to aqua-mira last year. I found that it was to heavy........though a niffty toy!
I would use this on shorter trips, but Im' no longer doing long distance with it.
slacklinejoe
02-12-2007, 18:31
The Aquastar isn't really designed for anything other than the standard nalgene threaded lids however if you can dip the bulb deep enough into any bottle it seems to work. The real concern is protecting the bulb while in transit - I haven't broken mine, but it just seems common sense to ensure it's protected.
I wouldn't make it my only source for extremely long trips, but with a spare set of batteries I've went on week long trips with it (never needed the spares, but just in case).
toddhiker
02-12-2007, 23:36
Love my Steripen Adventurer!
I Gotta try the ankle hose!!! Would be a great prefilter.
I've been using a Steripen the last several hikes and love it. I finally feel extremely confident that the water I'm drinking is safe. I've not had the slightest hint of indigestion or any other water born illiness. I've always hated the energy required to pump water after an exhausting day of hiking. This is THE answer! :)
Cannibal
11-02-2007, 13:05
I've been using a SteriPen since about April or so. I've used it to pull water from drainage canals here in Florida (took a lot of bravery that time folks) and even swamp water. No problems; I love it!
I've been using coffee filters for "chucky water" but the panty hose thing sounds very promising; I'll be trying that out for sure. Plus, if I need to rob a quicky mart or something, I've already got the mask. :D
I used the SteriPEN™ Adventurer model on my thru attempt last year. I had reoccurring problems and eventually returned it and the solar charger case to REI. During the hike I met four other people with the same model and everyone had to carry Aquamira as a backup because they didn't know when the pen would conk out.
Also the solar charging case is not practical on the AT because the tree cover prevents enough sunlight from coming through to effectively recharge the batteries.
I did met a guy with an older model that seemed to be holding up better, but even then he had to constantly clean corrosion off the water-sensing contacts.
Definitely use the prefilter. Sometimes you just can't get to a water source that isn't horribly silty. I also echo what Just Gene said about making sure you dry it thoroughly before replacing the cap.
I started my hike using AquaMira, and it bothered my stomach terribly. I was having to take Pepcid every night and I never had a problem with heartburn before the trail. I didn't realize it was from the AquaMira until I met Combat and we used his SteriPen. It's also great when you get to a nice water source and you don't have to foul up that awesome spring-water taste with chemicals!