is Steripen enough for 70 mile stretch with lots of water sources?

[redworm]

heading out in Mass in a few weeks, will a Steripen be suffient, or should I have some iodine as a backup?

[moldy]

It's more than enough. It will kill the bacteria. Get water that is moving for best results.

[Spokes]

Always carry a back-up, especially with the fault prone SteriPen (even they recommend too).

[Wil]

heading out in Mass in a few weeks, will a Steripen be suffient, or should I have some iodine as a backup?

I always bring pills or iodine as backup for any water treatment device.

On every trip,nowadays, I bring one set of extra batteries (good quality). I start by using up whatever's in the resident batteries and change when needed. Until you find a brand of battery that works for you I'd bring still another set. I am frugal (to put the best face on it) so I spent a little time finding the cheapest batteries that kept a good charge in this kind of intermittent use.

This has worked on trips up to three weeks.

Even versions of the Steripen without the older style contact pins still are trouble-prone: cheap batteries can run out instantly; some people can't keep the lamp in the water; some people can't cope with any device that has an on-off switch and directions. I've checked out Steripens from hikers swearing "this thing just doesn't work" and found water in the battery compartment!

[ChinMusic]

Lithium batteries...........LITHIUM

and with ANY primary method of water treatment, have a backup. I just tablets.

[10-K]

Lithium batteries...........LITHIUM

and with ANY primary method of water treatment, have a backup. I just tablets.

What's "water treatment"?

10 "I go to Mexico and drink the water" K

[Berserker]

Lithium batteries...........LITHIUM

and with ANY primary method of water treatment, have a backup. I just tablets.

+1...a fresh set of good quality lithium batteries should easily be good for 10 - 14 days (Steripen literature states that you can treat about 50 liters per set of batteries) depending on how much water you drink. For backup I carry Aquamira.

[Rain Man]

Lithium batteries...........LITHIUM

and with ANY primary method of water treatment, have a backup. I just tablets.

DITTO!

RainMan

.

[TT2]

You need a back up - my friend and I pretested them before going out, and first day out both failed. I would now regard them as heavy garbage we had to carry out to get a refund. Everyone who purchased one that still works loves them. The concept of water in 90 seconds is great.

[QiWiz]

+1...a fresh set of good quality lithium batteries should easily be good for 10 - 14 days (Steripen literature states that you can treat about 50 liters per set of batteries) depending on how much water you drink. For backup I carry Aquamira.

+ 2 on length of use and backup AM

[Maddog]

You need a back up - my friend and I pretested them before going out, and first day out both failed. I would now regard them as heavy garbage we had to carry out to get a refund. Everyone who purchased one that still works loves them. The concept of water in 90 seconds is great.

I had the same experience! The Steripen is junk as far as I'm concerned! YMMV! Maddog

[heavyfoot]

Since water is an essential, I always carry two ways to purify it: Steripen and Aqua Mira.

[MuddyWaters]

ran into a thru hiker a while back that carried LOTS of extra batteries, his basically ate them. he was only getting a few days per set, and he was using lithium. He was complaining it was costing him $10 per week in batteries. Thats $40 a month, and $240 for a thru hike.

[10-K]

Do you guys filter every drop of water you drink? Springs too?

Seriously, there is no shortage of good drinking water on the AT. I bought a box of aqua mira tablets a few years ago and still have over half of them left.

[heavyfoot]

Every drop. It's not worth the risk of not purifying. I'm there to hike, not vomit.

[T.S.Kobzol]

Besides boiling, I have never purified or treated my water.

I am pretty picky where I fill and I read the map carefully. Wash my hands...In 40 years I haven't got sick yet. I get out almost every weekend, 4 seasons too.

I am kind of thinking about some brand of steripen but I haven't made the move.

I can't argue with you if you say I'm dumb. One day I will get sick. The odds are against me.


Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

[10-K]

Besides boiling, I have never purified or treated my water.

I am pretty picky where I fill and I read the map carefully. Wash my hands...In 40 years I haven't got sick yet. I get out almost every weekend, 4 seasons too.

I am kind of thinking about some brand of steripen but I haven't made the move.

I can't argue with you if you say I'm dumb. One day I will get sick. The odds are against me.


Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

Yeah, me too. I can't imagine filtering water bubbling up out of the ground in front of me especially.

I have observed more than a few hikers filtering water who didn't take care with contaminating the threads of their containers, etc. So, if you're going to do it, don't screw it up.

If you don't want to get sick hiking, my opinion is not to worry about the water. Wash your hands after you crap and don't share food with hikers.

[ChinMusic]

Do you guys filter every drop of water you drink? Springs too?

I do.

Only because I easily can. I see no reason not to zap it.......just in case. I FULLY agree that the majority of the water sources on the AT are safe to drink. I just choose not to take any chances.

And no, I don't even shake hands often.......prefering the fist pump.

I might be related to Howard Hughes.