View Full Version : MSR sweetwater vs Steripen UV filter
After my last backpacking trip to Mt. Greylock i realized i needed to do something about how much water i had, and ive decided i want to get a water purifier. Wanted to know what people thought was the best. Really liked the sweetwater but the uv looked cool. Worried about needing batteries and such though....thoughts?:-?
burntoutphilosopher
11-14-2010, 17:24
the UV works great on clear water.
looses effectiveness on cloudy water, and does not filter... so you have you sterilized pieces of crap still floating there.
i like my MSR hyperflow for the price. lighter, and only like 80 bucks. also, the hyperflow you know if it's not working. not so for the two you mentioned.
... that said, it's one of those thigns where, if you have healthy bathroom habits you're not likely to ever know if any of them are working or not.
I have both, use them for different hikes. They have both failed before.
Another article I wrote... (http://www.pmags.com/a-drop-in-the-water-bottle-water-treament-methods)
(Yeah.I've written a lot of over the years. :) Whenever I find myself repeating the same discussions, I tend to write it down, file it, and use it on my website!!! )
brooklynkayak
11-19-2010, 19:40
I like all:-)
I agree with Mags for the most part, but I tend to prefer Chlorine Dioxide(not chlorine). I don't like the taste of iodine or chlorine.
I do remember many times I wished I had a good filter, yucky cruddy water, but it wasn't a big deal in the end.
runfifty
11-19-2010, 19:49
I used Aquamira for my thru hike this year with no problems but, as was mentioned, this is only good for clear water since it doesn't filter. I really like the technology of the Steripen but so many of my friends have had issues with them not working that I'll wait until they fix their quality control problems before buying.
Use Aquamira for in camp overnight treatment and steripen for treat-it-and-drink-it now on the trail. If sterpen fails, still have Aqua Mira.