Steripen UV water treatment

**SGTD00m** · 04-29-2008, 12:01 PM

Does any one own or has anyone every used a Steripen to treat water with? Everything i read about them is pretty positive. There biggest draw back is battery life but now them come with a solar recharger so u can go off the grid with them. Also they must be used with clear water and they obviously don't filter chemicals out.

They claim the bulb is good for 5,000 treatments. Which would make them out last most standard water filters.

here is one review i found

http://www.gearbuyer.com/site/steripen_review.html

and there web site
http://www.steripen.com/

What are you guys feelings on them?

**crashdive123** · 04-29-2008, 03:07 PM

Have only read about them, never tried one.

**Mountaintrekker** · 05-03-2008, 01:03 PM

Personally, I don't like to rely on battery operated survival gear more than I have to. I have heard you can only use the pen in clear water for it to be effective. If so, then you need to pre-filter your source water then use the pen. Sounds like a pain in the arse to me.
I use a Katadyn pocket filter which has a silver impregnated ceramic filter good for about 14,000 gallons. No chemical taste (like iodine based purifiers) and no batteries or electronics to get fudged up out in the bush. Wilderness trekking/moving about can be hard on your gear. I fall, and roll with the best of them and I have had this filter for 9 years and it's still going strong. Parts are readily available and mine has even froze without being drained and still no problems.
I wouldn't personally get one. Water is next in line after regulated body temp as far as survival goes. Don't go and complicate getting clean water more than you have to. Get a good filter and a camp pot and several sources of fire. That should set you up with having an alternate way of getting some H2O in you. Remember the KISS principle and also remember you may not be in a good frame of mind when you need to do these actions like getting clean water and staying warm.

Just my .02

**mikefish08** · 05-03-2008, 05:31 PM

Hi I treat water for a living. Save your money useyour standard clorine tablets to treat your water. After the clorine has had contact time shake it up good to remove the clorine. Chemicals must be removed by filtration a GAC carbon block filter will rempove some chemicals. And if you get one with a 1 micron outer shell most bacteria will also be filtered out. Another method is to boil your water. UV sounds good, but it is useless if the bulb breaks.

**Chris** · 05-03-2008, 05:47 PM

That all being said, UV technology is time proven and tested as an efficient means of sterilization.

**Rick** · 05-03-2008, 05:51 PM

Seattle's Cedar River Treatment Facility is the largest UV filtration plant in the US.

http://projects.ch2m.com/cedarps/

**Buddha443556** · 05-03-2008, 11:04 PM

I wouldn't want to depend on it solely, but no reason not to add it to a water treatment regiment. UV is effective on virus.

Interesting little pre-filter for the Nalgene bottles they got.

**canid** · 05-03-2008, 11:16 PM

there are several pathogens that can't effectively and reliably be treated with such UV exposure, and sadly, G. lambili is one. i found this during my research of SoDis treatment, which is just as effective and much cheaper if the sun is out and you have a couple spare hours.

**Buddha443556** · 05-04-2008, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by canid

there are several pathogens that can't effectively and reliably be treated with such UV exposure, and sadly, G. lambili is one. i found this during my research of SoDis treatment, which is just as effective and much cheaper if the sun is out and you have a couple spare hours.

I was trying to find out if the pre-filter sold by SteriPen would catch those protozoans but there's little useful info on that pre-filter that I can find.

Ran across another system that uses UV, the Vortex Voyager [PDF] by www.vortexpurewater.com .

SoDis treatment, never heard of that, I learned something new today.

**SGTD00m** · 05-04-2008, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by canid

there are several pathogens that can't effectively and reliably be treated with such UV exposure, and sadly, G. lambili is one. i found this during my research of SoDis treatment, which is just as effective and much cheaper if the sun is out and you have a couple spare hours.

Canid i am confused do u mean Giardia lamblia because i can find no info on G. lambili. According to the steripen it treats for Giardia can u give me a link i would like 2 read anything else about UV water treatment if u have it.

Also the reason i was asking everyone is they have started putting these in the aircraft crash kits now. Just trying 2 find out what i can about a new peice gear thx.

**Buddha443556** · 05-04-2008, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by SGTD00m

Also the reason i was asking everyone is they have started putting these in the aircraft crash kits now. Just trying 2 find out what i can about a new piece gear thx.

What else is there for water in the kit?

**SGTD00m** · 05-04-2008, 02:45 PM

standard iodine and chlorine tabs. 1 bottle of 50 iodine per vest and 1 packet of chlorine tabs blister packs with 24 tabs per vest. There is more in the crash kit but i can't remember exact numbers the kits get inspected and resealed every 100 hr of flight time part of preflight is checking that seal. They add the steripens to that kit not our vests. There is a pretty good list here.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/Appa.php

However this list is out of date i believe because there are a few things that have been added or replaced. Also this is the minimum packing list unit Safety and Standards can add equipment.

**Buddha443556** · 05-05-2008, 05:14 PM

I found one military review of the Steripen here. This review has been removed from the site pending further testing which is why I used a Archive.org link. Was not a good review for SteriPen.

That US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine site has lots of information on commercial water purification products. Great Database.