SteriPens anyone?

imported
#1

Anybody have any experience with Steripens - like…do they work?

It seems like voodoo to me - stick the glowy thing in the water and woo - woo - woo all the buggies die!!

Creeps me out, really. Just curious - does it work?
Anybody know???

kbatku

#2

I’m a section hiker but I’ve seen a couple thru hikers using them. There are 2 models? one is better than the other. Read Uncle Tom’s journal, he used it. You can also search and pull up more.

Lipstick

#3

I know of a number of hikers that swear by their SteriPens. And yes, they do work. Basically, they use UV light to sterilize water, which is the same process your municipal water system uses. It’s the most effective method known, better than chemicals (and much faster too) and just as good as fine filtering but also faster and more efficient for less weight in gear. The UV breaks down the DNA of bacteria, viruses, and other lovelies to both kill them directly and to keep them from replicating (which is what makes you sick, after all.)

The only requirements are that you keep the volume of water small enough (1 liter for the SteriPens) that you don’t exceed the sterilization range of the UV element and that the water be relatively unclouded so as not to block the light as it passes through the water. That means you do sometimes need a light pre-filter with a SteriPen to get out sediment, but the “official” one they sell with the units is tiny and fits in the neck of a Nalgene. Most places you get water on the PCT (or AT or most other long trails in the U.S.) cloudiness isn’t likely to be a problem, so you can get a liter of 100% sterilized water in about a minute and a half just by dipping it up, sticking the pen in and hitting the button. Pretty cool, actually.

Strategic

#4

Can’t think of where I saw it last but I think the case for the newer models is also a solar charger for it. Cool. Oh, it was in the Brookstone catalog I got in the mail today. Haven’t looked any further.

Bushwhack

#5

Used it for my thru and LOVED it. I used lithium batteries so they’d last longer and carry lighter. Highly recommend the SteriPen.

Persistent

#6

Bushwhack,
There is a solar charging case for the SteriPen Adventurer/Traveller (the smaller model) that charges it’s Lithium CR 123 cells. It’s a pretty slow charger but it also does AC charging and acts as a case for the SteriPen.

I’ve been looking at switching to one myself, since I already use a solar battery charger for other things. If I can adapt the charger to handle CR 123 cells (it currently does AAs for my camera and mp3/radio) then it would be ideal at only 3.6oz extra for the Pen itself. If I can’t make the adaption work, I’ll have to go with the heavier option of the SteriPen Classic, which would be about 7oz with rechargeable AAs.

Here’s the
solar recharger I use, with the addition of a rip-stop backing and velcro tabs that raise it’s weight to 1oz (from the .8oz of the original.) I stick it to the back of my pack with the velcro while I hike and it will generally give me a full recharge during the day. I’m trying to get increasingly independent of resupply (except food) and this may well be the best next step, to add the SteriPen to my rechargeable arsenal :smiley: By the way, here’s the
SteriPen products page.

Persistent,
Congrats on summiting Katahdin! I followed your and Certain’s journals from pre-Springer prep and was pulling for you all the way. Hope all else is going well now that you’re back to civilian life.

Strategic

#7

I used it on my recently completed thru - no issues. Light weight, compact, convenient & great to have a liter of water 45 seconds after reaching the source. I carried an extra set of batteries - just in case. Supposed to be able to treat 50 or so liters from each set of batteries - easier to carry extras and not worry. Next town after changing - get another set.

Evil Eye