View Full Version : steripen fail
I started the AT with the steripen classic and spent the first 340 miles recommending it as light and convienent but yesterday it stopped working (somethings wrong with the water sensor) so today my girlfriend and I hiked into Erwin without water. I called the company to see what they could get a replacement to me in a timely fashion. I was told that overnight shipping would cost me. They looked it up $40 I was complaining some and they agreed to split shipping with me but I'm thinking that $20 is a good amount of money towards a filter and that while I saw plenty of steripens at the start of the AT I'm not seeing them anymore. Also the outfitters I've been talking to haven't had good things to say about their reliability. So I think it's a bit lame that they weren't tripping over themselves to have me give steripen another chance because as it sits I have to give the review that steripens aren't reliable enough to take into the woods.
WingedMonkey
04-18-2011, 17:57
I've been wanting to try them out. Figured I would find a free one in hiker boxes after the first 100 miles.
;)
ChinMusic
04-18-2011, 17:59
If you have the Classic you have to keep the pins fairly dry and not just place the cap back on right after use. If the weather conditions are damp the sensors do not dry out and you will get an error message on next use. If you dry the pins off and even blow on them the unit should function again.
All this can be avoided with the newer Opti units that do not have such pins to mess with.
Also, and this applies to any other system, carry some backup pills such at Micropur tablets. You should always have a plan B if you intend to treat all your water. There is no need to go without.
mweinstone
04-18-2011, 19:07
steripens have their place. but it may not be for everyone. its a good thing for boyscouts. ive seen them make some easy water for alot of folks. but i dont treat or filter so i cant talk. im all kinds of parisites inside prolly.but im havein fun.
maybe clem
04-18-2011, 19:55
I love my Steripen and use it for travel as well as hiking. I never hike without two systems for treating water, though - it's one of the very few places I allow redundancy. I always carry a set of Aqua Mira as backup. Haven't had to use it yet and I've had my Steripen for three years.
flemdawg1
04-20-2011, 10:28
I've had mine for 3 years, still like it alot. But they are not without issues.
Red light errors: most of the time its either due to wet probes or low batts. Whenever I get one, a dry the probes on my shirt, if that doesn't work I wave the device in the air to airdry or blow on them. If that fails, I unscrew the top cap and reinstall the batts. twice (in 3 yrs) I've not gotten any of those to work and used my backup treatment.
There is also some battery drain that happens while in storage. I use rechargeable and always top them off before leaving on a trip and whenever I goto town for resupply.
Rain Man
04-20-2011, 10:37
as it sits I have to give the review that steripens aren't reliable enough to take into the woods.
Filters clog or freeze/burst. Chemicals don't work well in frigid temps, or work very slowly, and can affect the body. Boiling is fine, but takes time and fuel and then you have to wait on water to cool down to drink.
Lesson is that there is no perfect, 100% reliable answer?
Rain:sunMan
.
LoneRidgeRunner
04-20-2011, 10:38
I just carry a MSR Water Works 2 filter for years with never a problem Thanks for this info on the steri pen..now I'll know to never depend on one.. Sounds a little too technical to me... batteries, dry probes, wet probes ..etc...I just put my inlet hose in the water and pump the handle..
LoneRidgeRunner
04-20-2011, 10:41
Filters clog or freeze/burst. Chemicals don't work well in frigid temps, or work very slowly, and can affect the body. Boiling is fine, but takes time and fuel and then you have to wait on water to cool down to drink.
Lesson is that there is no perfect, 100% reliable answer?
Rain:sunMan
.
Boiling won't touch Cryptosporidium .It must be filtered out unless the chemicals will kill it..BUT... "chemicals?" We get enough of that in our bodies already without adding it to our water
WingedMonkey
04-20-2011, 11:02
Boiling won't touch Cryptosporidium .It must be filtered out unless the chemicals will kill it..BUT... "chemicals?" We get enough of that in our bodies already without adding it to our water
The CDC says boiling at a rolling boil for 1 minute is sufficient.
Tennessee Viking
04-20-2011, 11:19
Carry AquaMira or iodine as a backup.
LoneRidgeRunner
04-20-2011, 11:46
The CDC says boiling at a rolling boil for 1 minute is sufficient.
I stand corrected if that also applies to Cryptosporidium... I had read somewhere before that boiling wouldn't kill Crypto (possibly in a filter ad? :-?) I discussed it with my Doctor who is also a hiker and he confirmed that boiling was ineffective on Crypto. Maybe he read the same filter ad that I did :-?.. It's my understanding though that Cryptosporidium is pretty rare anyway..I might add though that in the past I have drank water from springs, branches, creeks..etc...without filtering, purifying or boiling.. I have boiled it and I have filtered it and have yet to become sick from water....Unless someone just pissed in it maybe the risk from water is over rated any way..
Thanks for the advice everyone. My backup is to boil but we really weren't in the mood to go back to the water source since it was a .6 round trip so we just did the 6 to town.
Chinmusic, the problem isn't damp pins there's water actually getting inside the device.
Taking the battery compartment off and leaving it in the sun helps a little but the best short term solution I've found is roasting it over a camp fire.
Thanks for the advice everyone. My backup is to boil but we really weren't in the mood to go back to the water source since it was a .6 round trip so we just did the 6 to town.
Chinmusic, the problem isn't damp pins there's water actually getting inside the device.
Taking the battery compartment off and leaving it in the sun helps a little but the best short term solution I've found is roasting it over a camp fire.
Doh!
Thanks for the double post kindle.
I've used all three versions of the steripen when hiking with my wife ( a chemist who used UV light to create test samples of water in a lab and was therefore instantly enamored with the steripen). The only one which doesn't get water into the apparatus and go through a day or to of failure is the Adventurer. It has a different enclosure around the light wand and holds up pretty well.
However, the battery life is maybe 25% of what the manufacturer lists, and it would be prohibitively expensive on a hike of more than a couple of weeks.
On personal long trips, I'm selective about the water I draw and rarely treat any. I carry aqua mira for those occasions when the only accessible water is pretty questionable. This has taken of me for the last 2-3000 miles. But then, I grew up drinking cistern water, so like Matty and many others, I may just have a decent immunity to waterborne cooties.
...... it stopped working (somethings wrong with the water sensor) ......
Bucho, this an old debate and I'll warn you upfront I'm no fan of the SteriPen (yes, I own one) so here's my two cents. Back when I did my thru hike in 2009 SteriPen had a batch of units that were failing as the result of red light errors finally determined to be problem with the probe being unable to detect sufficient quantities of electrolytes in the water. The units just kept shutting off. SteriPen customer service reps suggested it was either user error or bad batteries-WRONG!
After much complaining by customers SteriPen finally caved in, admitted to the problem, and made good on their defective units. It's well documented and you can find more information with a little help from a Goggle search. They've since re-designed the unit and corrected the problem supposedly.
Bottom line is I don't trust a battery powered devices for water filtration on a long distance hike- that's why you'll see almost every thru hiker carry and use AquaMira drops.
Is SteriPen a freaking wham-bam cool techno device? Sure. But if you want an easy safe, and reliable water treatment method endorsed by Dr. Ryan Jordan, search for the article: "Efficacy of Chemical Water Technologies in the Backcountry" by Erica McKenzie and Dr. Ryan Jordan
On personal long trips, I'm selective about the water I draw and rarely treat any. I carry aqua mira for those occasions when the only accessible water is pretty questionable. This has taken of me for the last 2-3000 miles. But then, I grew up drinking cistern water, so like Matty and many others, I may just have a decent immunity to waterborne cooties.
This is me too. I've been carrying the same 10-12 Micro Pur tablets for about 2 years now.
I did drink water out of a beaver pond in Maine by accident (I was downstream from it) and thought I was figured I was probably going to die but I didn't even get sick.
Skidsteer
04-30-2011, 20:45
This is me too. I've been carrying the same 10-12 Micro Pur tablets for about 2 years now.
I did drink water out of a beaver pond in Maine by accident (I was downstream from it) and thought I was figured I was probably going to die but I didn't even get sick.
You're not allowed to confess to drinking untreated water.
You are way too sensible, trustworthy, consistent, and reliable an individual to so blatantly lead unsuspecting novices into wildly irresponsible disregard for basic and proven backcountry water treatment protocols.
Shame on you. :)
Shooting Star
04-30-2011, 20:53
I had a Steripen about 2 years ago and had enough problems with it to
toss it in the closet and get a Katadyne Hiker Pro filter. I really like the Steripen
when it works but missed having a pump to get water out of tough places to
reach (as in low water duirng dry periods).
Given that all the problems with the Steripen are with the sensors and
control circuitry, I've considered taking the thing apart and stripping it
down to UV bulb, switches and battery. Has anyone tried doing this?
You're not allowed to confess to drinking untreated water.
You are way too sensible, trustworthy, consistent, and reliable an individual to so blatantly lead unsuspecting novices into wildly irresponsible disregard for basic and proven backcountry water treatment protocols.
Shame on you. :)
I figured quoting someone with as sterling a reputation as Bearpaw would absolve me of any sins I might be committing. :)
This is me too. I've been carrying the same 10-12 Micro Pur tablets for about 2 years now.
I did drink water out of a beaver pond in Maine by accident (I was downstream from it) and thought I was figured I was probably going to die but I didn't even get sick.
You're not allowed to confess to drinking untreated water.
You are way too sensible, trustworthy, consistent, and reliable an individual to so blatantly lead unsuspecting novices into wildly irresponsible disregard for basic and proven backcountry water treatment protocols.
Shame on you. :)
I figured quoting someone with as sterling a reputation as Bearpaw would absolve me of any sins I might be committing. :)
Nice try, but those who know me know I'm pretty doggone hiker trashy.
Of course Skids is being tongue in cheek, but you'll notice he wasn't at all shocked that I could be so irresponsible as to cut into the water treatment industry's profit margin. He knows me! :banana
Boiling won't touch Cryptosporidium .It must be filtered out unless the chemicals will kill it.....
In the statement, EPA and CDC note: “Although data are not sufficient for [us] to recommend that all severely immunocompromised persons take extra precautions with regard to their drinking water, individuals who wish to take extra measures to avoid waterborne cryptosporidiosis can bring their drinking water to a rolling boil for one minute. Boiling water is the most effective approach for killing Cryptosporidium
Cryptosporidium can be deadly for folks with impaired immune systems, but it tends to have either no impact, or less than serious impact, on people in good health.
Here's what the Mayo Clinic says:
"There's no commonly advised specific treatment for cryptosporidiosis, and recovery usually depends on the health of your immune system. Most healthy people recover within two weeks without medical attention.
"If you have a compromised immune system, the illness can last and lead to significant malnutrition and wasting. The goal of treatment is to alleviate symptoms and improve your immune response. Cryptosporidium treatment options include:
"Anti-parasitic drugs. Medications such as nitazoxanide (Alinia) can help alleviate diarrhea by attacking the metabolic processes of the cryptosporidium organisms. Azithromycin (Zithromax) may be given along with one of these medications in people with compromised immune systems. Anti-motility agents. These medications slow down the movements of your intestines and increase fluid absorption to relieve diarrhea and restore normal stools. Anti-motility drugs include loperamide and its derivatives (Imodium A-D, others). Talk with your doctor before taking any of these medications. Fluid replacement. You'll need oral or intravenous replacement of fluids and electrolytes — minerals such as sodium, potassium and calcium that maintain the balance of fluids in your body — lost to persistent diarrhea. These precautions will help keep your body hydrated and functioning properly. Anti-retroviral therapies. If you have HIV/AIDS, highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) can reduce the viral load in your body and boost your immune response. Restoring your immune system to a certain level may completely resolve symptoms of cryptosporidiosis."
Trailbender
05-01-2011, 15:28
Boiling won't touch Cryptosporidium .It must be filtered out unless the chemicals will kill it..BUT... "chemicals?" We get enough of that in our bodies already without adding it to our water
Boiling is effective on everything. Obviously it won't get out heavy metals or chemical contaminants, but organisms will die.
Given that all the problems with the Steripen are with the sensors and
control circuitry, I've considered taking the thing apart and stripping it
down to UV bulb, switches and battery. Has anyone tried doing this?
I was certainly banging my head against the wall that a absolutely useless component was causing my steripen not to work. I'd love to see a tutorial on how to bypass the water sensor.
beakerman
05-03-2011, 11:19
Boiling won't touch Cryptosporidium .It must be filtered out unless the chemicals will kill it..BUT... "chemicals?" We get enough of that in our bodies already without adding it to our water
There are about 3 things that don't survive boiling...crypto isn't one of them and those three things are foind in hot spring systems so unless you are in Yellowstone boiling is virtually fail safe. It sucks because of the time and fuel though.
Trailbender
05-03-2011, 11:23
There are about 3 things that don't survive boiling...crypto isn't one of them and those three things are foind in hot spring systems so unless you are in Yellowstone boiling is virtually fail safe. It sucks because of the time and fuel though.
The extremophile bacteria? They also live in thermal vents at the bottom of the ocean. If you gotta boil water though, build a fire.
There are about 3 things that don't survive boiling...crypto isn't one of them and those three things are foind in hot spring systems so unless you are in Yellowstone boiling is virtually fail safe. It sucks because of the time and fuel though.
The extremophile bacteria? They also live in thermal vents at the bottom of the ocean. If you gotta boil water though, build a fire.
Yeah, they used to be classified within the bacteria (Monera) Kindgom because they are single-celled prokaryotes. About 5 years ago, they were reclassifed to form their own kingdom of life, the Archaea Kingdom. There are also some that live in acidic conditions and some that live in areas where swamp gas precludes other living creatures.
Trailbender
05-03-2011, 20:30
I personally use bleach. I did it my whole thru with no issues. I did not treat only if I saw the water coming directly out of the rock. All the people that I saw with steripens only reinforced my view that they are finicky garbage. You don't want complicated gear when you are in the woods.
WILLIAM HAYES
05-03-2011, 20:41
I have used a steripen for thre years no problems with it but I have always made sure that the sensor was dry when I capped it I also carry back up micro pur just in case
Cryptosporidium can be deadly for folks with impaired immune systems, .......
I just not sure anyone with an impaired immune system being able to complete a thru hike. Of course the ATC's probably got a special patch for that.
My girlfriend called Hydro-photon back when we couldn't find a filter that we wanted in Erwin. They sent us a replacement and it was defective immediantly out of the box. This one randomly turns off while treating water. At first it wasn't too bad, it would take 2 or 3 tries to get a liter but I figured that was about the best I could hope for out of a steripen. But it's gotten to the point that if it only takes 6 tries I'm lucky. So I've picked up a sawyer 3-way filter and I'm really happy with it so far. Good riddens steripen.
samgriffin4
05-17-2012, 12:01
Try bleach. It's A) really cheap and B) theoretically effective.
turtle fast
05-17-2012, 13:46
I disagree with bleach as their are too many variables for the quality/purity of the stuff and its ineffectiveness on many waterborne cooties, Aqua Mira is a better solution if you are going that chemical route. I have got used to carrying a First Need Purifier and Aqua Mira or chlorine dioxide tablets and either filtered or used the chlorine dioxide dependent on water sources.
Moose2001
05-17-2012, 14:02
Try bleach. It's A) really cheap and B) theoretically effective.
Bleach is not effective in killing either Cryptosporidium or Giardia. Here's a good link to what the CDC says about back country water treatment. http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/travel/backcountry_water_treatment.html
Here's the short version if you don't want to follow the link
■Disinfection with iodine or chlorine is not effective in killing Cryptosporidium;
■Disinfection with iodine or chlorine has a low to moderate effectiveness in killing Giardia;
■Disinfection with iodine or chlorine has a high effectiveness in killing bacteria
House of Payne
06-15-2012, 20:49
I can see it now. I start out my thru in 14' with the steripen as my primary and in 30 days or less I end up mailing it home.
I used the Opti for 600 miles after replacement of the Adventurer. Working pretty well still.
Figured I should probably update to say that we finished the AT last October and the sawyer 3 way is still going strong.