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Thread: SteriPen

  1. #1
    Registered User boudreaux76's Avatar
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    Default SteriPen

    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?

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    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.
    If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

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    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.
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    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

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    Registered User Tennessee Viking's Avatar
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    Carry a chemical treatment for cloudy water or for broken steripen.
    ''Tennessee Viking'
    Mountains to Sea Trail Hiker & Maintainer
    Former TEHCC (AT) Maintainer

  6. #6

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    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by boudreaux76 View Post
    ... 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.

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    Registered User soilman's Avatar
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    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.
    More walking, less talking.

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    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.

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    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...

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    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.
    "Chainsaw" GA-ME 2011

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    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.

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by boudreaux76 View Post
    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.

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    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.


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    Used it on the entire AT, no problem.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bucho View Post
    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.

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    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu View Post
    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?
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 10-01-2016 at 17:02.

  18. #18
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    Being able to boil water is all that is needed as a backup.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu View Post
    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.
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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    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.

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