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  1. #1
    Registered User DownEaster's Avatar
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    Default SteriPEN Freedom weight?

    The SteriPEN Freedom has a listed shipping weight of 0.75 pounds (12 oz.). Can anyone tell me the actual weight of the unit stripped of packaging? I'm trying to determine if this USB rechargeable device is worth carrying, given that I seem to have more than adequate capacity in the power bank I'll be taking on the Trail next year.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TexasBob View Post
    Thank you. However, that weight is listed right after "Contents: SteriPEN Freedom, carrying case, USB cable, and user’s guide." I'd like to know the weight of just the SteriPEN Freedom, if someone has the information available.

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    If it's 2.6 oz with the gizmos that is basically same as sawyer squeeze and katdyn befree so it will be lighter than that.

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    Quote Originally Posted by DownEaster View Post
    Thank you. However, that weight is listed right after "Contents: SteriPEN Freedom, carrying case, USB cable, and user’s guide." I'd like to know the weight of just the SteriPEN Freedom, if someone has the information available.
    I have the classic 3 and just the steripen alone without accessories or batteries weighs on my scale what the website says it does. https://www.steripen.com/classic3/
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    Quote Originally Posted by TexasBob View Post
    I have the classic 3 and just the steripen alone without accessories or batteries weighs on my scale what the website says it does. https://www.steripen.com/classic3/
    Thank you again; that very likely gets me to my weight answer. The SteriPEN Freedom (battery not removable, thus included in base weight) is much lighter than the Classic 3 when you add 4 AA cells (2.1 oz if lithium; up to 4.4 oz for NiMH). The weight savings is accomplished by function offloading (separate filtering and separate power bank). You can treat 150 liters of water on the Classic 3 before you need new AA lithium cells; you can only treat 20 liters with one charge of the SteriPEN Freedom.


    OK, another straight-forward question.
    Quote Originally Posted by SteriPEN
    Freedom treats 40 half liters of water on one charge
    Does this mean you need a smaller (½ liter) bottle for treatment, or you need to treat a 1 liter bottle for two timed cycles, or what?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Maineiac64 View Post
    If it's 2.6 oz with the gizmos that is basically same as sawyer squeeze and katdyn befree so it will be lighter than that.
    Mine is 2.5 OZ, the difference between that and the 2.5 oz mini Sawyer and the 3.5 oz Sawyer is that in general with the Steripen you make only the water you need, so you carry less weight in water. The reason is by it's design it basically encourages making the water you need, and not more.

    Overall I found it much lighter then the Sawyer and Aquamira not necessarily due to it's own weight but due to th amount of water carried and water is Fn heavy bro.

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    Quote Originally Posted by DownEaster View Post
    Thank you again; that very likely gets me to my weight answer. The SteriPEN Freedom (battery not removable, thus included in base weight) is much lighter than the Classic 3 when you add 4 AA cells (2.1 oz if lithium; up to 4.4 oz for NiMH). The weight savings is accomplished by function offloading (separate filtering and separate power bank). You can treat 150 liters of water on the Classic 3 before you need new AA lithium cells; you can only treat 20 liters with one charge of the SteriPEN Freedom.
    With the price of batteries (Li AA's) the freedom is much cheaper in the long run.


    OK, another straight-forward question.
    Does this mean you need a smaller (½ liter) bottle for treatment, or you need to treat a 1 liter bottle for two timed cycles, or what?
    You can do a double cycle for 1 L however that is not the advantage of the Steripen Freedom, it is to make 1/2 L quickly and get on your way without excess water weight. Carry a extra bottle for unpurified water if needed for longer sections and purify it as needed.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Starchild View Post
    Mine is 2.5 OZ, the difference between that and the 2.5 oz mini Sawyer and the 3.5 oz Sawyer is that in general with the Steripen you make only the water you need, so you carry less weight in water. The reason is by it's design it basically encourages making the water you need, and not more.

    Overall I found it much lighter then the Sawyer and Aquamira not necessarily due to it's own weight but due to th amount of water carried and water is Fn heavy bro.
    How is it that you carry less water?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Maineiac64 View Post
    How is it that you carry less water?
    Because it makes half a liter very easy and fast and drinkable right away. And because making more then a half at a time gets tedious. So when water is plentiful you make just what you need and no extra. You also drink some of that right away. In that It is close to on demand water.

    In my using them the sawyer encourages a bagful batch at a time and is has plenty of fiddle factor so a discouragement in making smaller batches. Aqua Mira has a wait time and is usually a liter at a time.


    Overall the Steripen freedom encourages small batches by making it easy and quick.


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  11. #11
    Registered User Maineiac64's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Starchild View Post
    Because it makes half a liter very easy and fast and drinkable right away. And because making more then a half at a time gets tedious. So when water is plentiful you make just what you need and no extra. You also drink some of that right away. In that It is close to on demand water.

    In my using them the sawyer encourages a bagful batch at a time and is has plenty of fiddle factor so a discouragement in making smaller batches. Aqua Mira has a wait time and is usually a liter at a time.


    Overall the Steripen freedom encourages small batches by making it easy and quick.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Sawyer squeeze isn't too bad but the katadyn befree is super fast. In fact, you could just scoop water in the 0.6L bag, screw on the filter cap and you are done. I only bring enough water to get me to next source plus some in case. I don't say, wow getting water is such a hassle I am just going to get 3 liters now so I don't have to stop again soon. I have hiked with people that are afraid of running out and top off everything.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Maineiac64 View Post
    Sawyer squeeze isn't too bad but the katadyn befree is super fast. In fact, you could just scoop water in the 0.6L bag, screw on the filter cap and you are done. I only bring enough water to get me to next source plus some in case. I don't say, wow getting water is such a hassle I am just going to get 3 liters now so I don't have to stop again soon. I have hiked with people that are afraid of running out and top off everything.
    I do notice the effort of gathering water, so this is really a HYOH thing. However I do feel even if one does not really notice it, the effort that goes into water gathering does play into the amount gathered just for practicality. I have also noticed many people using the Sawyer and noting how much water they gathered at a time.

    The difference is with the Sawyer it's 'in for a penny, in for a pound' meaning in this case if you are going to make water it's just easier to make larger quantities, then numerous smaller quantities, the extra effort to make 1 L instead of half is negligible. Yes you can make 1/2 L, but really it's a lot of effort for 1/2 L considering the small amount of extra needed to make 1 L. Or that is my experience with the Sawyer in the field. I didn't like using it, it was awkward and that encouraged making larger quantities to offset the effort. I have not used the befree filter .

    In For the steripen, making 1/2 L is pretty easy, sort of fast, but really no one wants to stand thee and make more. The additional effort to make 1 L seems to me like more of a burden, so to me it encourages small batches by design.

    That is my experience with both in the field. Yes in theory you can make small batches with either, practically speaking, I personally don't use the Sawyer that way.

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    Bunch of great points in this thread.

    The Katadyn Be Free really does pretty much end the fiddle factor of the Sawyer squeeze/mini, so it also eliminates the extra water carry weight of not wanting to go through the additional fiddling yet one more time.

    The Steripen is awesome for one person in an area where water is plentiful. I often don't carry any water with me and just treat and drink at the next water source whenever I'm ready for another drink. BUT, sitting and waiting for a Steripen to fill up more than a liter or two of water for either more than one person or for hikes with longer stretches between water sources sucks. Desert hikes and/or group water treatment will generally go much better with filters or chemicals.
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    I have always used a steripen because it is so quick, hassle free and effective. I tried a Sawyer but didn't like it. I want to try a Befree filter because it looks like the next best thing to a steripen and doesn't need batteries.
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