View Full Version : SteriPen
boudreaux76
01-21-2016, 14:29
I have the "lightsaber" and I have never had any problems getting sick from what I have treated with it. I have a Masters degree in Environmental Microbiology and I completely understand the power of UV light. Does anyone else use these? Should I 100% trust it for a multi week section hike? If you are using one, what do you carry as a back up? :confused:
TexasBob
01-21-2016, 14:45
I have one, it has worked fine, I used it for a month straight once and no problems.. I carry a 5ml dropper bottle of bleach in case the steripen dies.
nsherry61
01-21-2016, 14:51
I frequently use a Steripen. I like it a lot for one person. It's light, quick, easy, and simple. It's a bit slow for two people, but manageable. If you are treating all your drinking water for more than about 4 days for one person, you'll probably need more batteries, or battery charger of some sort. I always carry a few chlorine dioxide tablets as backup for any filter or steripen system I use. I like the steripen most in wet environments where it allows me to not even carry water, I just stop, drink, and move on. When filling water bottles, the Steripen or Sawyer filters are similar in hassle. For front-country water the Steripen also rocks because I also deactivates viruses, which filters do not. I would never hesitate to depend on the efficacy of the Steripen as long as the water is clear.
LuckyMan
01-21-2016, 15:04
It stopped working on a new $17 set of hard-to-find batteries after only four days. A couple I know have two steripens that don't work; I have no idea why they bought the second one. Aquamira or bleach works much better, is much lighter and cheaper
Tennessee Viking
01-21-2016, 15:04
Carry a chemical treatment for cloudy water or for broken steripen.
The steripen I bought in 2012 that uses cr123 batteries, drains the batteries even when not in use. Which might be why so many have written about removing the batteries between uses. I've been really tempted to drill a hole and add a real switch to truely disconnect the battery power when not in use.
Other than making sure the probe reaches in the bottle well, it works fine for short trips. But I find for long trips, I tend to still use Aqua Mira.
HooKooDooKu
01-21-2016, 17:50
... Should I 100% trust it for a ...
It doesn't matter the length of your trip or your method of water purification... you NEVER want to rely 100% on just one form of water purification. You should ALWAYS have a 2nd method of water purification that can tied you over until repairs/replacements can be made.
I used a steripen classic on my AT thru and carried aquamira as a backup. Only used aquamira once in 150 days. I chose the classic because it uses aa batteries.
Starchild
01-21-2016, 18:03
Used the Steripen Freedom model for my entire thru, and another season in the Smokies and a long AT section, and another hiking season. It works, it lightens the load of water carried.
My first two backpacks, the Steripen was useless. Water was too shallow to fill a nalgene to use the pen.
Fortunately, my fellow backpackers lent me their pump filter.
And then I got my own and that's what I now use...
At times I have carried the Steripen Classic. I like it for the water up north where your getting water from ponds and lakes. In the south where you get water from springs and small streams I use Aqua Mira. I also carry the AM as a back up to the Steripen.
I have had problems with the Classic in the past showing various trouble codes and and not completing the cycle. The manufacturer suggested leaving in open with the batteries out in the sun to thoroughly dry. Apparently moisture can get into the circuits.
WILLIAM HAYES
01-22-2016, 19:22
Ikmi in shallow water sources try filling up a zip lock bag first. and filling your nalgene bottle with this method it has worked well for me for years- I have used the steripen adventurer for several years and it has worked well for me -although I have never had an issue with a steripen my hiking buddy,s steripen conked out on him in maine this past year. He had new batteries so it was not the batteries. I always carry aquira mira drops as a back up I used a sawyer in the SNP which I found to be time consuming and a hassle.
Does anyone else use these? Should I 100% trust it for a multi week section hike?
In my experience no, they have been plagued with quality control issues. Both the ones I tried worked great for a while and then left me high and dry.
Compared to the $20 sawyer mini's price, weight and reliability I have a hard time seeing why people would consider a steripen for a US section hike.
Traillium
09-30-2016, 19:20
I used a rechargeable Steripen for 40 days along the Bruce Trail in southern Ontario. Excellent! I used a wide-mouth 700mL peanut butter jar and transferred treated water to my sports-drunk drinking bottles. I did carry AquaMira drops as backup.
I recharged the unit twice at stops along the way. I also carried an Anker 10000mA battery for my smartphone and I could have used that as a backup power source. (I did recharge the Steripen once I got home using the Anker just to satisfy myself that it would work. No problems.)
I was traveling through a fair amount of nearby cattle and sheep grazing farmland, so I appreciated the viral control of the Steripen.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Starchild
09-30-2016, 22:34
Used it on the entire AT, no problem.
HooKooDooKu
10-01-2016, 10:23
Compared to the $20 sawyer mini's price, weight and reliability I have a hard time seeing why people would consider a steripen for a US section hike.
Freezing Temperatures
One of the great benefits of the SteriPen is that it doesn't break if the device experiences freezing temperatures.
The Sawyer, by contrast, you have to take special care if you are going to possibly encounter freezing temperatures. It just takes for one small part of the Sawyer to freeze causing the fine tubes to be ruptured and render the device useless. Unfortunately, you have no way of knowing if the Sawyer has been compromised. There is no way to test the device in the field.
MuddyWaters
10-01-2016, 16:55
It doesn't matter the length of your trip or your method of water purification... you NEVER want to rely 100% on just one form of water purification. You should ALWAYS have a 2nd method of water purification that can tied you over until repairs/replacements can be made.
Strong words.
Plenty have hikes the AT with only bleach drops, or nothing at all.
The most popular back up plan...is nothing.
Prudent to have backup? Yes. Absolutely required? No. Not on AT.
Suppose someone carries chlorine dioxide tablets, what should their backup be?
HooKooDooKu
10-01-2016, 20:25
Being able to boil water is all that is needed as a backup.
Sarcasm the elf
10-01-2016, 21:01
Freezing Temperatures
One of the great benefits of the SteriPen is that it doesn't break if the device experiences freezing temperatures.
The Sawyer, by contrast, you have to take special care if you are going to possibly encounter freezing temperatures. It just takes for one small part of the Sawyer to freeze causing the fine tubes to be ruptured and render the device useless. Unfortunately, you have no way of knowing if the Sawyer has been compromised. There is no way to test the device in the field.
In the past I have routinely used a sawyer mini during the winter and into single digit temps. It simply lives in the inside pocket of my jacket during the day and inside my sleeping bag with me at night. That's not to say that your concerns aren't valid, just that the issues can be managed fairly easily.
Starchild
10-02-2016, 09:33
Strong words.
Plenty have hikes the AT with only bleach drops, or nothing at all.
The most popular back up plan...is nothing.
Prudent to have backup? Yes. Absolutely required? No. Not on AT.
Suppose someone carries chlorine dioxide tablets, what should their backup be?
The backup for chlorine dioxide can be chlorine dioxide (especially tablets), as those are individual doses they are multiple single treatment methods.
But as you say a backup on the AT, not needed so much, especially not when you have the ability to boil water.
Though with a steripen a few Cl-O2 tablets add piece of mind.
Freezing Temperatures
One of the great benefits of the SteriPen is that it doesn't break if the device experiences freezing temperatures.
That's a good point. Though it doesn't actually work when it's cold either.
Unfortunately, you have no way of knowing if the Sawyer has been compromised. There is no way to test the device in the field.
That isn't actually the case. If air passes through the filter, it's no good.
HooKooDooKu
10-11-2016, 09:49
That isn't actually the case. If air passes through the filter, it's no good.
What gives you that idea?
For starters, I find that I routinely get air passing thru my filters even when I KNOW they have not been compromised. I filter using a closed system... dirty water bag screwed onto a Sawyer mini, with a hose over the output nipple screwed onto a clean water bag (I turn the mini into a gravity system). Apparently the holes in filter are so fine that it causes some of the dissolved air in the dirty water to separate out as I frequently get a pocket of air in my clean water bag.
Second of all, Sawyer's own website is the source of the claim that you can't know if the Sawyer has been compromised:
From Sawyer's FAQ page (https://sawyer.com/sawyer-u/faqs/water-filtration/):
While there is no definitive way to tell if a filter has been damaged due to freezing, Sawyer recommends replacing your filter if you suspect that it has been frozen.
What gives you that idea?
The gravity works manual gives me that idea:
What about freezing? Once you have used your GravityWorks™ filter and wet the Hollow Fiber filter media, the fibers will still be wet. Therefore, it is important to prevent it from freezing, which can permanently damage the filter media. If you are traveling in areas where you are expecting freezing or near freezing temperatures, bring the filter into your tent, or even your sleeping bag. (Be sure to put the filter in a water tight bag to prevent leaks in your sleeping bag.) If you think your filter may have been damaged by freezing, perform a Filter Test (http://media.cascadedesigns.com/pdf/gravityworks_filtertest_web) before the next use.