I learned in Scouts 50 years ago that to clean the threads of a water bottle after having treated the water within, you simply turn the bottle upside down with the cap securely tightened. Then you slowly loosen the cap just enough to let the treated water "bleed" through, rinsing the threads completely. I have been doing it ever since with no problems whatsoever.
Good video review. You seemed a bit surprised to find that there was a quartz tube around the light. Allow me to help. They didn't use quartz to add mechanical strength to the device. Rather, the reason that there is a quartz tube on the lamp is that regular (borosilicate) glass won't transmit the germicidal UV wavelengths (UVC) that are the key to the Steripen's principle of operation. Quartz is transparent to UVC (100-280nm); you can't use regular glass below 340nm, as regular glass would absorb the radiation that's supposed to do the work on the water.
Hey Sintax! Another great video. While I'm no expert id like to clarify how this method works. It actually doesn't kill the little nasties. The UV light sterilizes them causing the inability for them to reproduce inside of you. Hope that helps. Keep up the great videos. I look forward to the new ones every week.
I use a Steripen Ultra for backpacking. It is a little bigger, but it can be used in a plastic bottle turned upside down. Sawyer is far too slow filtering and the Katadyn BeFree gives the water a really bad taste so... I have a small prefilter that doubles as a cup at low water sources, and the ultra, and I've been very happy with it!
Original SteriPen has a tapered rubber stopper where the bulb enters the unit so you can turn the water bottle upside down and swirl as you demonstrated...drawback 4 double A batteries....
A lot of pros and cons between all filters and non filters for water purification very informative thank you for your video and all the time you have put into it to try to explain in more detail
What about stirring the water in your cooking pot? That doesn't add any weight, nor does it contaminate your water bottle. Your cooking pot will get decontaminated when you heat it anyway...
I've mostly switched from chemical treatment to UV SteriPens. Three reasons: 1) My wife doesn't like the taste of iodine or chlorine. 2) You need 20 to 40+ minutes of contact time for chemicals so one liter x 40 minutes is 2 pounds x 2 miles = 4 pound-miles I carried before I could drink it. 3) I live in Alaska, so with 32-38F stream water, required chemical contact time is never 20 minutes but is always 40+ minutes. I prefer one of these USB rechargeable units so I can start every trip knowing I have 40 pints = 20 liters I can treat. With the removable battery units, I'm not sure how much capacity they have left, so I'm often carrying an extra set of batteries.
And when you pour the water from the scoop to the bottle it gets recontaminated from the section above the blue line... that’s still dirty My method, dirty platypus. Inline filter into clean platypus. Guaranteed clean
You just use a bottle cap with a small mouth opening on top. So you unscrew the cap treat the water and put the cap back on and then open the top cap and drink and any water that touches your lips is clean
Thanks for the info. A couple of things. The ultraviolet light doesn’t kill anything it alters there DNA so they can’t reproduce so when you’re drinking the water you’re still drinking the organisms but they will not reproduce in your system therefore they pass right through you. A thing that some people obsess about is dirty water on the threads of their water container. If that was a concern we would never ever be able to swim in any body of water in North America without getting sick. You have to ingest enough organisms that when they reproduce, they overwhelm your defense system. Be blessed my friend. John
I've been looking at this thing, but there's been so much scepticism I've kind of put it aside. Which is a pity, since it's easy to find mostly clean water around here. So it's good to see you testing this. One concern has been durability. Another if this is as effective as it claims to be, or if UV purification is much more complicated and impossible to do with a handheld device like this. I've had the idea to use metal (steel or titanium) containers to make it more effective, the reflective walls should make it more powerful. What I'd also like to see is a device such as this using led bulbs instead of discharge bulbs, led bulbs are easily made to emit UV. (And most led bulbs today use a florescent layer to convert UV light from the bulb into visible light, as led lights otherwise won't look very natural.) But quartz is hard to beat for UV transparency, and while quartz is very hard indeed it's also brittle. So perhaps it's not much of a point.
In order to sterilize (in the proper sense, making them unable to reproduce) bacteria and viruses you don't need "UV" but a specific kind of UV called UV-C band which are in the 100-280 nanometer wavelength. That means you must use a specific germicide lamp.
@@uffa00001 LED can be engineered to specific frequencies, the problem with them is usually that they have a tight spectrum when what we want is the broad spectrum of black body thermal emission. But that's pretty much what you want when you want to hit a small frequency band. I guess it's a small market, and no one has taken the time and effort to develop it yet.
Cnoc has that 2L bladder with the wide opening. I plan on filling it up with a liter and using the large opening to put my steri pen in. After that, close it up, open the bottom cap, and fill :)
I used a steripen as a new backpacker because I was paranoid about waterborne viruses. Eventually I ended up switching just because using the steripen was time consuming and inconvenient. I could never actually tell when the light switched from red to green during bright days, so I wasn't always 100% confident my water was safe to drink. The only thing that probably saved me a few times was drinking from Appalachian mountain springs. Pouring from "dirty" to "clean" vessels also became quite tedous. When I was trying to get miles knocked out. I appreciated the simplicity of the squeeze system and found it even easier just to screw one on top of a smart water bottle, so I can just fill and go. If I were traveling to another country where waterborne illnesses were more prevalent I would probably throw the steripen back into my kit. The trouble of using it in say central america would definitely outweigh the safety of having it. Different gear for different situations. Nothing is one size fits all.
If melted snow is so pure that it doesn't conduct electricity between the sensors, just stir it with your finger (or spit into it) - it takes VERY little sweat/spit to make the water conductive enough.
I have used two steripens over the last 18 years. The first bulb finally burned out. SO, always have a backup (chemicals for me). I now have the steripen ultra and like you, cut off a cheap plastic bottle for my scoop. The steripen nests inside with a Gatorade packet. The ultra has that nice smiley face to read…maybe easier to see than the ultralight? I always charge it fully before trips. I like putting electrolytes in my water, so a sawyer or be free just doesn’t work as well. The steripen does take a bit more time..especially if with a partner (more water needed). But I’m hiking more these days instead of running, so time is not such an issue. Everyone takes backup anyway, right? Bc the filters clog and or freeze😬
I have used the original steripen with clear glacier water and once when staying for a weekend where I was told a well was contaminated. I also like the Sawyer Squeeze. Aqua Mira is my back up. I don't melt or eat snow due to toxic heavy metal contamination from the aerosols overhead. I sent my home snow sample to a lab and it was positive for aluminum, barium and strontium. This was at 3500' altitude in the Smokies and after snow had already been falling over 24 hours. No more snow cream!
I have a whole box of varied water filters from decades of hiking.. All make some terrific claims yet as any scientist will tell you, it is difficult to prove a negative. "I used a filter and did not get sick" proves nothing. I have three fellow hikers who never filter their water and...do not get sick. How do we know...as end users...that the filter/purifier/treatment actually works? Other than the military, does anyone do independent tests on the resulting water? Thanks for the video!
This stuff is used by thousands of persons in hiking and in emergency situations. If it did not work, you would read it from the newspapers, and the producers would go bankrupt fast. The fact that those businesses, such as Sawyer and Katadyn, continue is a clear proof that their products work. Generations of hikers were our Guinea pigs :-)
Crazy about the weather this year; mid april and wearing close to winter clothes still. New steripen looks great, the older model I had had terrible battery life and I didn't even feel comfortable bringing it on anything longer than a weekend trip. Can't wait to see this new model on a trip.
@@chelseapensioner yes..have used it many times..like that it is rechargeable..plug into car or into small pocket solar charger while outdoors. Have never used in nasty water..but have used in questionable and unknown well water..have other things for real nasty..carry it everyday everywhere. Just dunk and stir.
@@tracker5849 How did it work out for you? With the H20Go now on the market, not many are buying the Steripen anymore but I still see it as a valid tool.
Unless I'm mistaken, steri-pen does make a model with a narrower profile and rubber area, so that it could be used with smart water bottles and the like, in the way you described - holding it upside down and swirling. Those are probably heavier though and could negate the savings over a nalgene
Yeah,, I've definitely read posts on forums etc where people were talking about using their Steripen with regular Gatorade bottles like the one in this video. I forget the model name though.
Great information as always! If I am using a questionable water source, I filter and then SteriPen, but I don't mind carrying the extra weight. I like the idea of a plastic bottle scoop as I always used a wide mouth bottle for that chore and poured into a Platy. By the way, Sarah was a riot in the last video.
In your Winter consideration for your Steripen, how well do the batteries last in cold weather?Are the batteries lithium polymer or Lithium Ion? Another option: Use your Aqua Mira (tablet form) and run that through an activated carbon filter to remove the less than healthy Chlorite (byproduct of Aqua Mira). This combination will kill viruses and the activated carbon filter, (if of the appropriate micron filtration), will purify and filter the gray water debris. You might also consider a Nalgene Cantene with your Steripen at 1.6 oz. Thank you for your review of the Steripen.
I think I have come up with a lighter option than using a Nalgene bottle with the pen. A mayonnaise container is lighter and still holds about 800 ml of water.
I cut all the color combination indicator light meanings, pictured on the directions, and then glued these cut little strips on to the outside of the plastic cap that goes over the lamp. Then I wrapped some clear packaging tape around this to seal it and keep them from coming off. I would never be able remember out in the field, all the different indicator light combinations and there meanings. And I do not want to carry the directions with me in the field. This way all the indicator light combinations and there meanings is always with the unit.
Hey I had quick question about backpacking. I'm just getting into it and have bought all the gear I need and am planning on going to the whites in 2 or 3 weeks for some backpacking. My question is, how do you go about finding a campsite off trail? Im tenting, but for tents or hammaocks? Keep the great vids up!
The Steripen Quantum comes with a much larger mylar bladder matched to fit. I also have a generic light thin copy of a steel Sigg bottle, no problem fitting the business end of the Steripen in. The AA and other models last longer, typically 100? liters. Quart milk bottles also fit, light and sturdy. Key factor, THIS IS NOT UV like a blacklight. This is UV-C which hospitals use to sterilize rooms and instruments now.
I used a sterile when I went to the Philippines some years ago. I treated all the water I drank for two weeks. I never once had a problem of any kind drinking water from an 80 year old well and everywhere else I went there.
A better suggestion. Apply the Steripen to the outside of a Smartwater bottle with a wide strip of reflectix or Mylar that wraps completely around both the Steripen and the bottle together. The UV light will reflect all within the wrap and increase the efficiency of the pen without you having to dip the pen into the bottle. Pen can be activated by dipping the whole thing underwater or applying a wet piece of paper across the electrodes...
We used the pen for two trips, Glacier NP and Rocky Mountain NP. It worked great we had no issues at all working out of Nalgenes. However, the water was crystal clear! I might be skeptical using it in NH or some parts of Maine where trash and roads are near by?
I bought one recently, and today, on my second trip (about 5 times of use), i got the signal that the bulb needs to be replaced... Im guessing it happened because i hit the sides of my bottle when i was stirring it. Not especially hard or anything, so i figured it would be able to handle it. Guess not :S Sucks, because i really liked its size, weight, and ease of use. I just tried contacting Katadyn, and hoping to be able to exchange it for a "befree" instead...
Great timing, I started researching the steripen last night and I purchased a sawyer squeeze. Trying to figure in what order I should treat my water since I use a bladder and bottle opening needed. Thanks!
If the water is dirty, the first operation is with the Sawyer. That will eliminate the solid parts and give you transparent water in the clean bottle. The Sawyer filter will not eliminate the viruses, so you will use the Steripen directly inside the clean bottle. That will also eliminate the viruses (bacteria and protozoa will already have been eliminated by the Sawyer filter). The Steripen must be used second as it needs clear water to work properly. If the water is transparent but unsafe (stream, water reservoir) you can skip the filtration with the Sawyer filter and only use the Steripen, which will do the job for virus, bacteria and protozoa.
I've always used the steripen classic. Big but like the others its never failed me. And I use a Milbank bag to filter debri. Milbank bags r great when boiling also.
sintax77 I think manufacturer should guarantee at least a minimum number of charge-discharge cycle for the battery so a user can estimate (at least) if his unit is still safe to bring with him especially on long hiking trips like a thru-hike.
I hope this is all true..I just went to Amazon and spent my money on one. Was going to buy a liberty filter. I'm just a bit skeptical about it only being a light. I have solar chargers so hope that will work....thanks for showing it
I have the steri pen..liberty and both sawyers..mini and squeeze as well as an emergency life straw just in case..as well as every stove and container you can imagine to boil....bring on the dirty water bottle...lol...once I started buying for water safety guess I got carried away
Great video. Good info. Haven't move toward a steripen system yet. Loving that Be Free filter for now. Noticed the Notch hat. How do like it? I've been eyeing one lately. Thx again.
Thanks, Dwayne. I've had that Notch hat for like a year now and love it (just noticed I'm wearing now as i type this, haha). Works great with sunglasses and just seems to have a decent fit in general. For my head, at least, ;)
Informative and helpful! Thanks for reviewing this particular purification method and tool. Best coverage I have seen. I have an off the wall question, how do you like the Sealskinz gloves? I struggled on my last trip with wet, cold fingers and have been searching for something that could provide some protection from rain in cold weather.
I got Giardia last year by putting water in my hat and pouring it on my head to cool down. I told the Dr what I had done and Giardia can live on dried surface for quite some time. This is definitely not for me. Giardia sucked.
Info According to the CDC: In a dry, warm environment that experiences direct sunlight, Giardia can survive for only a few days 8,9. In a moist, cool environment, Giardia can survive for up to several weeks.
I wouldn't really say it's "mineral sensing" with the electrodes. Pure water has very low conductivity, impurities boosts the conductivity. It's simply closing a circuit with the water.
I figured the same thing. Water. Conductivity. Seemed simple enough. According to Steripen though, that's not the case. For whatever reason, those sensors react to mineral content.
Two main drawbacks: It runs on batteries and can be broken if dropped. I gave up my pumps a few years ago when the Sawyer Squeeze came out. Small, tough, goes to .2 microns and inexpensive. Your cut off dipping bottle also goes in my Sawyer kit. It is extremely hard to fill a Sawyer dirty water bag in a shallow seep, puddle or spring. A cut top 12 oz water bottle makes it easy. Just dip with the cut off bottle in the water and fill the Sawyer dirty bag with it.
I love the idea of the steripen, but I would just be skeptical if the uv light actually killed any micro organisms. I for now, will stick with my sawyer mini!
Eric V I never used the mini except once to try it frkm a stream. Does it filter better than the Squeeze? I would imagine the Mini would work a little better cause it filters longer than the Squeeze.
Marc Grossetti hey Marc, I can’t compare if one is better than another since I’ve never had the squeeze. I’ve heard both sides saying that each one has advantages. The mini def has a smaller form factor but filters slower than the squeeze. In terms of Better in filtering I thing both are the same to safe drinking water standards.
I've been waiting for uv tech to get small and cheap for a long time. I really want to build an automated system I can put in my fridge to kill everything in the air. It would make produce last a lot longer, with none of the problems of a filter sitting in moisture. Ten years ago I thought it would be standard now, but nope. I'm not even an engineer, so idk why it hasn't happened.
You mentioned that you use lithium batteries in your GPS. I would suggest you use rechargeable ones and carry a few extra with you. I have been doing this for years and get around 5 years of life out of a pair of AA batteries used in a GPS unit.
Good point! I actually have a set of rechargeables that I use in my Garmin Oregon during 3-season hiking, but for cold weather / sub-zero trips I've found that they just get hammered too hard. Especially since I leave my GPS on for the duration of my entire trip, recording my track.
appreciate the video, but this isn't for me. I would rather use just about any other product out there. lol i use a 6l gravity system and then i use the aquatabs as a backup to the filter.
How I use the steripen - Nalgene 32 ounce bottle Humangear Cap cap Bottle top you can find on amazon that replaces the factory cap. You take the humangear cap off, collect water, purify water then you put cap back on. Your lips are never touching the "bad water" because you are purifying every thing below it.
Chemical contamination is something that you definitely should at least consider in places like the mid-Atlantic. Many of the streams in my area have been contaminated with acid mine drainage, agricultural, and industrial contamination (as evidenced by the statewide fish consumption advisory issued by PA FBC). I worry about drinking from chemically contaminated streams. Knowing what's up stream can help, but knowing some history might be important too, since some chemical contaminants can be environmentally persistent. Some public lands in PA are reclaimed coal mines, which means that even though currently the areas have no agriculture, mining, or industry upstream, they may still be contaminated. Almost no backpacking filters will handle chemical contaminants, since removal of those contaminants requires some kind of chemical adsorption like carbon filtration. The other problem with chemical adsorption is that the filters are not able to be refreshed (by backwashing, etc) and have a much shorter life than a traditional micron filter type purifier.
@TheTruthQuest123 Filters don't capture or neutralize viruses (except First Need, but there's no way to know if its working, without a micron lab services). UV does not kill larger bacteria, but will render them unable to reproduce, so they just pass through your system without infecting you.
Lithium AA = original Steripen. NEW Quantum model will eat any kind of AA inclufing rechargables. Some travel models use CR123A, powerful standard cells.
Not interested in drinking live or dead micro organisms or viral particles. MSRs Guardian not ultralight but removes even viral particles and is self flushing/maintaining. Has its best use in a group/expedition but have used it for solo hiking in Haiti, Peru, Nepal and the AT. Love the MSR Trailshot at 5oz and the Katadyne Be Free at 2.3 oz for solo hiking where virus’ are not an issue. Thanks for the grand review though, Sintax.
You probably have no idea how many live and dead micro organisms you drink when you eat raw vegetables, pasteurized milk, or just when you eat with your hands. Micro organisms that are dangerous are dangerous only if they reproduce and become many billion times more numerous that they were when you ingested them. If they don't reproduce, they are perfectly safe to "eat".
The red-green blinking light system excludes the approximately 13 million Americans who can't see the difference. (Reference the Jets-Bills color blind game a few years ago.) Otherwise, it seems like a useful alternative.
Good information. This product reminded me of another option to purify water. A clear plastic bag filled with water left in direct sunlight for about an hour is supposed to do the same process.
Excellent video brother! As usual! Though I’m a bit shocked as a fellow Ketoan, to hear your calculation/suggestion in regards to water consumption!!! Yikes!!!! And I say this out of concern for your health and that of anyone that follows your great channel or sees just this video.... The average sized human needs AT LEAST 4L of water per day AT REST. If hiking or other exercise is added to that day the intake must at LEAST double! Please reflect this in description and/or future videos, I’m truly concerned and only want to help. While one can SURVIVE on less, it’s not healthy to. This is documented medical fact. Please. Be well Craig
You must be joking. 8 litres or more of water can easily kill you. Search "water poisoning". Even being "at rest" all day you will not manage to drink 4 litres of water, that's hard to do. Drink when you are thirsty and don't become "anal" on this and you will be healthy. People is already obsessing about calories, imagine if they had to obsess about "drinking enough". Your body tells you when you drank enough, not the "(pseudo)medical facts".
Pro tip: forgot your toothbrush? Fill your mouth with water and steripen your way to a bright healthy smile! Ok kidding but that almost sounds like it would work...
sintax77 if you see a camper one-throating a smurf lightsaber and shaking his head like a doberman playing tug of war, he's just practicing good hygiene. *the more you know*
The weight, time spent waiting, and complication of this (plus the potential confusion of whether it worked or not) makes the sawyer mini and a dirty bag a clear winner, at least for me... if you want to shave weight off of a squeeze system just lose the bag and use a smart water bottle as a dirty bottle, just screw the squeeze mini onto the bottle and drink directly through the squeeze... the mini weighs 1.65 oz and especially using it this way without a bag shaves off both that extra weight (making it half the weight of this pen) and also removes the time factor of having to squeeze it, and you know all of the water that comes out has passed through the filter without a chance of contamination.... all you have to do is fill up the bottle and drink
I learned in Scouts 50 years ago that to clean the threads of a water bottle after having treated the water within, you simply turn the bottle upside down with the cap securely tightened. Then you slowly loosen the cap just enough to let the treated water "bleed" through, rinsing the threads completely. I have been doing it ever since with no problems whatsoever.
Great tip!
Good video review. You seemed a bit surprised to find that there was a quartz tube around the light. Allow me to help. They didn't use quartz to add mechanical strength to the device. Rather, the reason that there is a quartz tube on the lamp is that regular (borosilicate) glass won't transmit the germicidal UV wavelengths (UVC) that are the key to the Steripen's principle of operation. Quartz is transparent to UVC (100-280nm); you can't use regular glass below 340nm, as regular glass would absorb the radiation that's supposed to do the work on the water.
Hey Sintax! Another great video. While I'm no expert id like to clarify how this method works. It actually doesn't kill the little nasties. The UV light sterilizes them causing the inability for them to reproduce inside of you. Hope that helps. Keep up the great videos. I look forward to the new ones every week.
I use a Steripen Ultra for backpacking. It is a little bigger, but it can be used in a plastic bottle turned upside down. Sawyer is far too slow filtering and the Katadyn BeFree gives the water a really bad taste so... I have a small prefilter that doubles as a cup at low water sources, and the ultra, and I've been very happy with it!
Original SteriPen has a tapered rubber stopper where the bulb enters the unit so you can turn the water bottle upside down and swirl as you demonstrated...drawback 4 double A batteries....
A lot of pros and cons between all filters and non filters for water purification very informative thank you for your video and all the time you have put into it to try to explain in more detail
What about stirring the water in your cooking pot? That doesn't add any weight, nor does it contaminate your water bottle. Your cooking pot will get decontaminated when you heat it anyway...
I've mostly switched from chemical treatment to UV SteriPens. Three reasons: 1) My wife doesn't like the taste of iodine or chlorine. 2) You need 20 to 40+ minutes of contact time for chemicals so one liter x 40 minutes is 2 pounds x 2 miles = 4 pound-miles I carried before I could drink it. 3) I live in Alaska, so with 32-38F stream water, required chemical contact time is never 20 minutes but is always 40+ minutes.
I prefer one of these USB rechargeable units so I can start every trip knowing I have 40 pints = 20 liters I can treat. With the removable battery units, I'm not sure how much capacity they have left, so I'm often carrying an extra set of batteries.
Is the steripen useable while it is charging?
And when you pour the water from the scoop to the bottle it gets recontaminated from the section above the blue line... that’s still dirty
My method, dirty platypus. Inline filter into clean platypus. Guaranteed clean
That was my main issue, good idea, just need the bottle cut to the top to pour over a clean area.
@Monkey Nut, What filter do you use? I’m trying to find one
You just use a bottle cap with a small mouth opening on top. So you unscrew the cap treat the water and put the cap back on and then open the top cap and drink and any water that touches your lips is clean
@@senorwilliams3969 best is Katadyn pocket water filter. Check it out. I bought one for myself.
@@333Anvar ok thanks
Important to know...it is UV-C which purifies water not A or B that come from from the sun. These lights produce UV-C.
Thanks for the info. A couple of things. The ultraviolet light doesn’t kill anything it alters there DNA so they can’t reproduce so when you’re drinking the water you’re still drinking the organisms but they will not reproduce in your system therefore they pass right through you. A thing that some people obsess about is dirty water on the threads of their water container. If that was a concern we would never ever be able to swim in any body of water in North America without getting sick. You have to ingest enough organisms that when they reproduce, they overwhelm your defense system. Be blessed my friend. John
What is the difference between the Red Cross branded ultra light and the regular ultralight?
I've been looking at this thing, but there's been so much scepticism I've kind of put it aside. Which is a pity, since it's easy to find mostly clean water around here. So it's good to see you testing this.
One concern has been durability. Another if this is as effective as it claims to be, or if UV purification is much more complicated and impossible to do with a handheld device like this.
I've had the idea to use metal (steel or titanium) containers to make it more effective, the reflective walls should make it more powerful.
What I'd also like to see is a device such as this using led bulbs instead of discharge bulbs, led bulbs are easily made to emit UV. (And most led bulbs today use a florescent layer to convert UV light from the bulb into visible light, as led lights otherwise won't look very natural.) But quartz is hard to beat for UV transparency, and while quartz is very hard indeed it's also brittle. So perhaps it's not much of a point.
In order to sterilize (in the proper sense, making them unable to reproduce) bacteria and viruses you don't need "UV" but a specific kind of UV called UV-C band which are in the 100-280 nanometer wavelength. That means you must use a specific germicide lamp.
@@uffa00001 LED can be engineered to specific frequencies, the problem with them is usually that they have a tight spectrum when what we want is the broad spectrum of black body thermal emission. But that's pretty much what you want when you want to hit a small frequency band.
I guess it's a small market, and no one has taken the time and effort to develop it yet.
I'm thinking I might filter first then purity with the pen aftwrward
Cnoc has that 2L bladder with the wide opening. I plan on filling it up with a liter and using the large opening to put my steri pen in. After that, close it up, open the bottom cap, and fill :)
Excellent point. I have the same bag and didn't even think of it.
I used a steripen as a new backpacker because I was paranoid about waterborne viruses. Eventually I ended up switching just because using the steripen was time consuming and inconvenient. I could never actually tell when the light switched from red to green during bright days, so I wasn't always 100% confident my water was safe to drink. The only thing that probably saved me a few times was drinking from Appalachian mountain springs. Pouring from "dirty" to "clean" vessels also became quite tedous. When I was trying to get miles knocked out. I appreciated the simplicity of the squeeze system and found it even easier just to screw one on top of a smart water bottle, so I can just fill and go.
If I were traveling to another country where waterborne illnesses were more prevalent I would probably throw the steripen back into my kit. The trouble of using it in say central america would definitely outweigh the safety of having it.
Different gear for different situations. Nothing is one size fits all.
If melted snow is so pure that it doesn't conduct electricity between the sensors, just stir it with your finger (or spit into it) - it takes VERY little sweat/spit to make the water conductive enough.
I have used two steripens over the last 18 years. The first bulb finally burned out. SO, always have a backup (chemicals for me). I now have the steripen ultra and like you, cut off a cheap plastic bottle for my scoop. The steripen nests inside with a Gatorade packet. The ultra has that nice smiley face to read…maybe easier to see than the ultralight? I always charge it fully before trips. I like putting electrolytes in my water, so a sawyer or be free just doesn’t work as well. The steripen does take a bit more time..especially if with a partner (more water needed). But I’m hiking more these days instead of running, so time is not such an issue. Everyone takes backup anyway, right? Bc the filters clog and or freeze😬
I have used the original steripen with clear glacier water and once when staying for a weekend where I was told a well was contaminated. I also like the Sawyer Squeeze. Aqua Mira is my back up. I don't melt or eat snow due to toxic heavy metal contamination from the aerosols overhead. I sent my home snow sample to a lab and it was positive for aluminum, barium and strontium. This was at 3500' altitude in the Smokies and after snow had already been falling over 24 hours. No more snow cream!
I have a whole box of varied water filters from decades of hiking.. All make some terrific claims yet as any scientist will tell you, it is difficult to prove a negative. "I used a filter and did not get sick" proves nothing. I have three fellow hikers who never filter their water and...do not get sick. How do we know...as end users...that the filter/purifier/treatment actually works? Other than the military, does anyone do independent tests on the resulting water? Thanks for the video!
Yes
This stuff is used by thousands of persons in hiking and in emergency situations. If it did not work, you would read it from the newspapers, and the producers would go bankrupt fast. The fact that those businesses, such as Sawyer and Katadyn, continue is a clear proof that their products work. Generations of hikers were our Guinea pigs :-)
Crazy about the weather this year; mid april and wearing close to winter clothes still. New steripen looks great, the older model I had had terrible battery life and I didn't even feel comfortable bringing it on anything longer than a weekend trip. Can't wait to see this new model on a trip.
Doesn't the inside edge of the collection vessel contain unpurified water above the water line?
Potentially SOLD. been wanting one. Will be looking into it...thanks!! You went for the win with REPLACEABLE
Just ordered a few minutes ago...hope its worth it
@@tracker5849 Well, was it?
@@chelseapensioner yes..have used it many times..like that it is rechargeable..plug into car or into small pocket solar charger while outdoors. Have never used in nasty water..but have used in questionable and unknown well water..have other things for real nasty..carry it everyday everywhere. Just dunk and stir.
@@tracker5849 How did it work out for you? With the H20Go now on the market, not many are buying the Steripen anymore but I still see it as a valid tool.
Unless I'm mistaken, steri-pen does make a model with a narrower profile and rubber area, so that it could be used with smart water bottles and the like, in the way you described - holding it upside down and swirling. Those are probably heavier though and could negate the savings over a nalgene
Yeah,, I've definitely read posts on forums etc where people were talking about using their Steripen with regular Gatorade bottles like the one in this video. I forget the model name though.
Great information as always! If I am using a questionable water source, I filter and then SteriPen, but I don't mind carrying the extra weight. I like the idea of a plastic bottle scoop as I always used a wide mouth bottle for that chore and poured into a Platy.
By the way, Sarah was a riot in the last video.
I have an older model, that takes lithium or alkaline batteries. It also came with a pre-filter to screen out floaters and sediment...
For the dip method, given a 1-liter limit, might I suggest . . . a 1-quart Ziploc bag? It'll certainly pack away easily.
What do you think about the Sawyer point zero two? Was thinking about getting one to replace the squeeze.
In your Winter consideration for your Steripen, how well do the batteries last in cold weather?Are the batteries lithium polymer or Lithium Ion? Another option: Use your Aqua Mira (tablet form) and run that through an activated carbon filter to remove the less than healthy Chlorite (byproduct of Aqua Mira). This combination will kill viruses and the activated carbon filter, (if of the appropriate micron filtration), will purify and filter the gray water debris. You might also consider a Nalgene Cantene with your Steripen at 1.6 oz. Thank you for your review of the Steripen.
Does the solid green light mean the water is pure, or just that 90 seconds are up ?
90 seconds are up, which means the water is pure, if you kept the lamp in no more than 1 litre clear water.
Hiking in jeans!! Your gonna get hypothermia! Another great video man👍
Life in the fast lane, maaaaan
I think I have come up with a lighter option than using a Nalgene bottle with the pen. A mayonnaise container is lighter and still holds about 800 ml of water.
I cut all the color combination indicator light meanings, pictured on the directions, and then glued these cut little strips on to the outside of the plastic cap that goes over the lamp. Then I wrapped some clear packaging tape around this to seal it and keep them from coming off. I would never be able remember out in the field, all the different indicator light combinations and there meanings. And I do not want to carry the directions with me in the field. This way all the indicator light combinations and there meanings is always with the unit.
Cliffy Nelson good idea!
Hey I had quick question about backpacking. I'm just getting into it and have bought all the gear I need and am planning on going to the whites in 2 or 3 weeks for some backpacking. My question is, how do you go about finding a campsite off trail? Im tenting, but for tents or hammaocks? Keep the great vids up!
Hey there sintax77 what would you take if you was going to be out on the trail for all 3 Seasons
Can you use it in a steel bottle or only in a nalgene bottle?
The Steripen Quantum comes with a much larger mylar bladder matched to fit. I also have a generic light thin copy of a steel Sigg bottle, no problem fitting the business end of the Steripen in. The AA and other models last longer, typically 100? liters. Quart milk bottles also fit, light and sturdy. Key factor, THIS IS NOT UV like a blacklight. This is UV-C which hospitals use to sterilize rooms and instruments now.
I used a sterile when I went to the Philippines some years ago. I treated all the water I drank for two weeks. I never once had a problem of any kind drinking water from an 80 year old well and everywhere else I went there.
Why would you need to sterilize clean snow?
A better suggestion. Apply the Steripen to the outside of a Smartwater bottle with a wide strip of reflectix or Mylar that wraps completely around both the Steripen and the bottle together. The UV light will reflect all within the wrap and increase the efficiency of the pen without you having to dip the pen into the bottle. Pen can be activated by dipping the whole thing underwater or applying a wet piece of paper across the electrodes...
any thoughts on reviewing a solar charger? Would love to hear your input on them, they seem to be up and coming fast
We used the pen for two trips, Glacier NP and Rocky Mountain NP. It worked great we had no issues at all working out of Nalgenes. However, the water was crystal clear! I might be skeptical using it in NH or some parts of Maine where trash and roads are near by?
I bought one recently, and today, on my second trip (about 5 times of use), i got the signal that the bulb needs to be replaced... Im guessing it happened because i hit the sides of my bottle when i was stirring it. Not especially hard or anything, so i figured it would be able to handle it. Guess not :S
Sucks, because i really liked its size, weight, and ease of use. I just tried contacting Katadyn, and hoping to be able to exchange it for a "befree" instead...
Hey you should make reflectix koozies for your batteries and test to see if that helps.
Johannes Brahms Reflectix is an insulator, you’d need a heat source since they would still eventually get cold.
Great timing, I started researching the steripen last night and I purchased a sawyer squeeze. Trying to figure in what order I should treat my water since I use a bladder and bottle opening needed. Thanks!
If the water is dirty, the first operation is with the Sawyer. That will eliminate the solid parts and give you transparent water in the clean bottle. The Sawyer filter will not eliminate the viruses, so you will use the Steripen directly inside the clean bottle. That will also eliminate the viruses (bacteria and protozoa will already have been eliminated by the Sawyer filter). The Steripen must be used second as it needs clear water to work properly. If the water is transparent but unsafe (stream, water reservoir) you can skip the filtration with the Sawyer filter and only use the Steripen, which will do the job for virus, bacteria and protozoa.
Have had one for a year..charging as you speak on a solar charger.
I've always used the steripen classic. Big but like the others its never failed me. And I use a Milbank bag to filter debri. Milbank bags r great when boiling also.
i use a Katadyn hiker on bike touring and i trust it i would only use the UltraLight UV Water Purifier as a step 2 in someplace that bad really water
UV doesn't actually kill anything - just keeps it from reproducing. I've used one for a few years and I really like it.
my hdpe 32 oz nalgene weighs 3.85 oz
Does the user manual mention how many charge-discharge cycle on that unit you are using? Nice review 👍!
It does not, but you raise an interesting point. If the battery dies before I hit 8,000 lamp uses, does the pledge apply to that?
sintax77 I think manufacturer should guarantee at least a minimum number of charge-discharge cycle for the battery so a user can estimate (at least) if his unit is still safe to bring with him especially on long hiking trips like a thru-hike.
What if you took your life water bottle, put the steripen in and then squeeze it. Would that work? that would bring the water level up.
I hope this is all true..I just went to Amazon and spent my money on one. Was going to buy a liberty filter. I'm just a bit skeptical about it only being a light. I have solar chargers so hope that will work....thanks for showing it
I have the steri pen..liberty and both sawyers..mini and squeeze as well as an emergency life straw just in case..as well as every stove and container you can imagine to boil....bring on the dirty water bottle...lol...once I started buying for water safety guess I got carried away
Interesting info I didn't know. Esp the snow minerals and the salt tip. Thanks for the vids tips and entertainment. Cheers.
I'll stick with my water filter, but still a good review. For some reason I just never trusted the steripen. Maybe someday!
Yeah, I know the feeling. Now that I have one though, I'm pretty intrigued by it.
You can bring the purity to water, but can’t make you drink
Great video. Good info. Haven't move toward a steripen system yet. Loving that Be Free filter for now. Noticed the Notch hat. How do like it? I've been eyeing one lately. Thx again.
Thanks, Dwayne. I've had that Notch hat for like a year now and love it (just noticed I'm wearing now as i type this, haha). Works great with sunglasses and just seems to have a decent fit in general. For my head, at least, ;)
sintax77 Guess I’ll have to buy one now for sure. Cheers.
Informative and helpful! Thanks for reviewing this particular purification method and tool. Best coverage I have seen. I have an off the wall question, how do you like the Sealskinz gloves? I struggled on my last trip with wet, cold fingers and have been searching for something that could provide some protection from rain in cold weather.
How much does your scoop weigh? Trying to do the math for potential savings.
The one liter scoop is 0.5 oz (14 grams)
I got Giardia last year by putting water in my hat and pouring it on my head to cool down. I told the Dr what I had done and Giardia can live on dried surface for quite some time. This is definitely not for me. Giardia sucked.
Info According to the CDC:
In a dry, warm environment that experiences direct sunlight, Giardia can survive for only a few days 8,9.
In a moist, cool environment, Giardia can survive for up to several weeks.
I got the katadyn hiker pro love it!! But I might try the the uv light pen!!!
I wouldn't really say it's "mineral sensing" with the electrodes. Pure water has very low conductivity, impurities boosts the conductivity. It's simply closing a circuit with the water.
I figured the same thing. Water. Conductivity. Seemed simple enough. According to Steripen though, that's not the case. For whatever reason, those sensors react to mineral content.
Thats a great save idea 👍👍
Two main drawbacks: It runs on batteries and can be broken if dropped. I gave up my pumps a few years ago when the Sawyer Squeeze came out. Small, tough, goes to .2 microns and inexpensive. Your cut off dipping bottle also goes in my Sawyer kit. It is extremely hard to fill a Sawyer dirty water bag in a shallow seep, puddle or spring. A cut top 12 oz water bottle makes it easy. Just dip with the cut off bottle in the water and fill the Sawyer dirty bag with it.
I love the idea of the steripen, but I would just be skeptical if the uv light actually killed any micro organisms. I for now, will stick with my sawyer mini!
Eric V I never used the mini except once to try it frkm a stream. Does it filter better than the Squeeze? I would imagine the Mini would work a little better cause it filters longer than the Squeeze.
Marc Grossetti hey Marc, I can’t compare if one is better than another since I’ve never had the squeeze. I’ve heard both sides saying that each one has advantages. The mini def has a smaller form factor but filters slower than the squeeze. In terms of Better in filtering I thing both are the same to safe drinking water standards.
Thanks Eric V. 👍
Marc Grossetti you’re welcome! Take a peek at my channel! I do travel and hiking videos! Thank you.
Eric V my parents actually use a uv light in their well to kill bacteria. It definitely works!
Great Review
I've never purified my melted snow water. Never saw the need in that. If I melt fresh snow there will be no contaminates.
Like the gloves! System is so floored as is. Modifications are needed at purchase. Sorry sintax77 Cheers
I've been waiting for uv tech to get small and cheap for a long time. I really want to build an automated system I can put in my fridge to kill everything in the air. It would make produce last a lot longer, with none of the problems of a filter sitting in moisture. Ten years ago I thought it would be standard now, but nope. I'm not even an engineer, so idk why it hasn't happened.
You mentioned that you use lithium batteries in your GPS. I would suggest you use rechargeable ones and carry a few extra with you. I have been doing this for years and get around 5 years of life out of a pair of AA batteries used in a GPS unit.
Good point! I actually have a set of rechargeables that I use in my Garmin Oregon during 3-season hiking, but for cold weather / sub-zero trips I've found that they just get hammered too hard. Especially since I leave my GPS on for the duration of my entire trip, recording my track.
appreciate the video, but this isn't for me. I would rather use just about any other product out there. lol i use a 6l gravity system and then i use the aquatabs as a backup to the filter.
Give me a sawyer mini or redline filter any day.. I would use the steripen... but I would filter first !!
nice review
How I use the steripen -
Nalgene 32 ounce bottle
Humangear Cap cap Bottle top you can find on amazon that replaces the factory cap.
You take the humangear cap off, collect water, purify water then you put cap back on.
Your lips are never touching the "bad water" because you are purifying every thing below it.
Chemical contamination is something that you definitely should at least consider in places like the mid-Atlantic. Many of the streams in my area have been contaminated with acid mine drainage, agricultural, and industrial contamination (as evidenced by the statewide fish consumption advisory issued by PA FBC). I worry about drinking from chemically contaminated streams.
Knowing what's up stream can help, but knowing some history might be important too, since some chemical contaminants can be environmentally persistent. Some public lands in PA are reclaimed coal mines, which means that even though currently the areas have no agriculture, mining, or industry upstream, they may still be contaminated.
Almost no backpacking filters will handle chemical contaminants, since removal of those contaminants requires some kind of chemical adsorption like carbon filtration. The other problem with chemical adsorption is that the filters are not able to be refreshed (by backwashing, etc) and have a much shorter life than a traditional micron filter type purifier.
I really didn't like the steri pen.... Sawyer is for me
@TheTruthQuest123 Filters don't capture or neutralize viruses (except First Need, but there's no way to know if its working, without a micron lab services). UV does not kill larger bacteria, but will render them unable to reproduce, so they just pass through your system without infecting you.
Lithium AA = original Steripen. NEW Quantum model will eat any kind of AA inclufing rechargables. Some travel models use CR123A, powerful standard cells.
This is not recommended for internal use, right?
distilled water won't conduct elecrity at all.. that's why it's it's used in car batteries etc.
Not interested in drinking live or dead micro organisms or viral particles.
MSRs Guardian not ultralight but removes even viral particles and is self flushing/maintaining.
Has its best use in a group/expedition but have used it for solo hiking in Haiti, Peru, Nepal and the AT.
Love the MSR Trailshot at 5oz and the Katadyne Be Free at 2.3 oz for solo hiking where virus’ are not an issue.
Thanks for the grand review though, Sintax.
You probably have no idea how many live and dead micro organisms you drink when you eat raw vegetables, pasteurized milk, or just when you eat with your hands. Micro organisms that are dangerous are dangerous only if they reproduce and become many billion times more numerous that they were when you ingested them. If they don't reproduce, they are perfectly safe to "eat".
I usually just use the drinking fountains outside the men's restroom. Don't they have those everywhere in the wilderness?
The red-green blinking light system excludes the approximately 13 million Americans who can't see the difference. (Reference the Jets-Bills color blind game a few years ago.) Otherwise, it seems like a useful alternative.
Kenneth Nied the Steripen Ultra has a smiley face to let you know it's done.
how does it work on bear-poop, or even mouse poop floating into the water container...?
Good information. This product reminded me of another option to purify water. A clear plastic bag filled with water left in direct sunlight for about an hour is supposed to do the same process.
Yes, I've heard of that too, but never tried it. Good point!
Why bother sterilizing melted snow? It's a safe bet that it's already sterile.
Keep the steripen inside your jacket when below freezing and it will stay warm.
I use my steripen in my jetboil cup and then transfer to narrow mouth water bottle...easy
Most effective, cheapest and even lighter weight than the pen....... fire
So i guess i'm going to give it a try Thanks for watching my WEIGHT hahahah
Thanks for video I'll stek with the Sawyer scez thanks
Ill stick with my Sawyer and a Smart Water bottle.
Viruses aren't living things.
You didn't stir it enough.
First!!!
Lightning!
Second!
I thought most people were embarassed to do this "first" thing. Oh wait...how old are you?
Who cares what does me saying first have to do with you?
Excellent video brother! As usual!
Though I’m a bit shocked as a fellow Ketoan, to hear your calculation/suggestion in regards to water consumption!!! Yikes!!!! And I say this out of concern for your health and that of anyone that follows your great channel or sees just this video....
The average sized human needs AT LEAST 4L of water per day AT REST. If hiking or other exercise is added to that day the intake must at LEAST double! Please reflect this in description and/or future videos, I’m truly concerned and only want to help. While one can SURVIVE on less, it’s not healthy to.
This is documented medical fact. Please.
Be well
Craig
I don't remember making a suggestion on how much water someone should drink per day in this vid, but perhaps I'm forgetting something?
sintax77 that’s why I began with calculation. Forget “suggestion”,My syntax was incorrect.
It was a concern not a criticism.
Forestwalker111 I have never drank 4 liters in one day..not even adding soups etc.
You must be joking. 8 litres or more of water can easily kill you. Search "water poisoning". Even being "at rest" all day you will not manage to drink 4 litres of water, that's hard to do. Drink when you are thirsty and don't become "anal" on this and you will be healthy. People is already obsessing about calories, imagine if they had to obsess about "drinking enough". Your body tells you when you drank enough, not the "(pseudo)medical facts".
Pro tip: forgot your toothbrush? Fill your mouth with water and steripen your way to a bright healthy smile! Ok kidding but that almost sounds like it would work...
Hey, wait a minute...
sintax77 if you see a camper one-throating a smurf lightsaber and shaking his head like a doberman playing tug of war, he's just practicing good hygiene. *the more you know*
Actually, I have held a uv flashlight facing inside my mouth and I swear it kills mouth and gun bad bacteria...🤔
The weight, time spent waiting, and complication of this (plus the potential confusion of whether it worked or not) makes the sawyer mini and a dirty bag a clear winner, at least for me... if you want to shave weight off of a squeeze system just lose the bag and use a smart water bottle as a dirty bottle, just screw the squeeze mini onto the bottle and drink directly through the squeeze... the mini weighs 1.65 oz and especially using it this way without a bag shaves off both that extra weight (making it half the weight of this pen) and also removes the time factor of having to squeeze it, and you know all of the water that comes out has passed through the filter without a chance of contamination.... all you have to do is fill up the bottle and drink
Get a life straw .
'that is cold and tasty water', if water is clean it has no taste...
I call this is BS and pass it. Lol