View Full Version : water filter vs UV pen
fungi601
10-28-2011, 15:43
Im getting ready to buy my first water filter and I would like to know what your opinions are about the UV pen filters. Im hiking with my son and he has a katadyn hiker pro and I was thinking about going with the UV pen filters. What do you think?
Doc Mike
10-28-2011, 15:53
good Idea...
blackbird04217
10-28-2011, 16:27
I never used a water filter; and rarely treated my water during my thru-hike. Having grown up drinking from streams, my immune system may handle this better than someone who drank city/public water their whole life; I did take the Steripen on my trip though; for those sources that I deemed too risky; water just downhill from a cow field in VA for example. It worked well, gave me piece of mind - although that piece of mind can sometimes come in the form of; "I assume a company wouldn't put an expensive gizmo that does nothing for my safety out on the market".
It should be noted I had two instances during my hike where I had to fight with the Steripen to get the water treated. It doesn't seem to like humid/wet environments when pressing the button before putting it in the water to treat. I used it maybe in 1 of 20 water sources; so not often.
I didn't plan on treating often, it weighed less than a filter, and gave me 'instant' turn around unlike some chemicals and was why I chose it. But it did nothing to clear up the water if there were "floaties". I am considering doing the CDT sometime in the far future I may consider going with a filter during that time; or at least treating water more/always as location is different enough.
jackaroo2008
10-28-2011, 17:39
I used the SteriPen Adventurer on my thru hike back in '08. I loved it!!! Had no problems with it whatsoever and it lasted the whole trip. The only downside....batteries are expensive.
clsvideo
10-28-2011, 17:47
A good pump/purifier will get rid of more nasty stuff than a UV pen. We use a First Need Purifier and I never worry about the water I drink. It also gets rid of taste and smell.
FlyPaper
10-28-2011, 18:48
I have both a filter and a steripen. The filter is better to have, the steripen is better to carry (i.e. lighter). The filter always produces crystal clear water that tastes great. With the steripen, you have may have to prefilter with a cloth and there is always a chance you're batteries will be dead or it won't work for some other reason. In general, I take the steripen if I know the water sources are plentiful and/or I am hiking with someone with a filter. Then the steripen can be a backup or be used in otherwise very clear water. If water is scarce, I prefer the filter because it can suck water out of pretty cloudy sources and still result in great tasting water.
Hosaphone
10-28-2011, 21:51
I'll add the obligatory: Aqua Mira.
The Sawyer SP131 combines a water bottle and filter, is super quick, and only weighs about 3 ounces. A separate bottle and Aqua Mira isn't going to be much lighter. With that filter and Aqua Mira as options, there's no way I'd consider using a Steripen.
A good pump/purifier will get rid of more nasty stuff than a UV pen. We use a First Need Purifier and I never worry about the water I drink. It also gets rid of taste and smell.
+1 on First Need. Water comes out clear, removes tastes, smells, and some organic chemicals, pesticides and herbicides - probably present in most lower altitude sources. It's bulky and a bit heavy, and you can't brush it to clean it, but it will filter over 100 gal./cartridge, and the pathogens stay sealed up until you toss the used cartridge. Taking dirty water and putting chemicals into it which kills pathogens tough enough to make you sick doesn't sound like sound reasoning to me (yes, I filter my city water, too).
For the record, I think I'd rather drink untreated water (unless it's really foul) than put chemicals in it. At least I have only a 50/50 chance of getting something harmful into my body. :)
I carried a bunch of different filters for a long time - PUR, Katadyn, etc. but they all clog, cross-contaminate, freeze, and eventually break - I think that aqua-mira is an excellent, lightweight choice to treat water that might be questionable - straight from a creek, river or lake - if the taste bothers you, you can sprinkle a touch of drink powder in your water - crystal light, etc. - a lot of people just use a couple of drops of bleach when they suspect the water - I personally think that drinking untreated water, especially from sources on top of ridges and mountains and obviously directly from springs (or piped springs) is really very safe (and obviously tastes best).
LIhikers
10-29-2011, 16:12
The lightest, cheapest, option would be for you to use the water filter your son is going to carry :D
Hosaphone
10-29-2011, 17:01
+1 on First Need. Water comes out clear, removes tastes, smells, and some organic chemicals, pesticides and herbicides - probably present in most lower altitude sources. It's bulky and a bit heavy, and you can't brush it to clean it, but it will filter over 100 gal./cartridge, and the pathogens stay sealed up until you toss the used cartridge. Taking dirty water and putting chemicals into it which kills pathogens tough enough to make you sick doesn't sound like sound reasoning to me (yes, I filter my city water, too).
For the record, I think I'd rather drink untreated water (unless it's really foul) than put chemicals in it. At least I have only a 50/50 chance of getting something harmful into my body. :)
From what I can gather, the tapwater in my town is essentially treated with aquamira. Of course that doesn't really mean a darn thing as far as whether it's safe is concerned...
Also, if you aren't treating, it seems to me that it's more like you have a .5% chance or so of putting something harmful in your body.
From what I can gather, the tapwater in my town is essentially treated with aquamira. Of course that doesn't really mean a darn thing as far as whether it's safe is concerned...
Also, if you aren't treating, it seems to me that it's more like you have a .5% chance or so of putting something harmful in your body.
If, otoh, you are treating with chemicals, you have 100% chance of ingesting................chemicals.:confused:
Don Newcomb
10-29-2011, 18:14
Im getting ready to buy my first water filter and I would like to know what your opinions are about the UV pen filters. Im hiking with my son and he has a katadyn hiker pro and I was thinking about going with the UV pen filters. What do you think? As far as I know there are no such animals as "UV pen filters". You have filters and treatment systems (Pasteurizers). Filters mechanically remove particles, which may also be harmful bugs. UV filters and other Pasteurization techniques (e.g. boiling, chemicals) act to kill the harmful bugs but leave everything in place. My one issue with UV is that Giardia cysts and tapeworm eggs are known to be pretty tough little buggers. They are large and easily removed by any filter. Not sure how effective the UV pen thing is in killing them. My last trip was accompanied by a hypochondriac, so we did both.
Echraide
10-29-2011, 18:32
I used Aqua Mira for my thru. On PCT and CDT section hikes I took a pen with me in addition to the AM . I've never used anything other than a bandana to "filter" water. I always carry double what I need for treating water because it's not something I'm willing to do without. AM bottles can crack/break/leak and batteries can fail. Always take backups.