Anyone tried the steripen or other UV water treatment devices?

I took an Adventurer Opti on a trip to Brazil - using it for all water consumed during the week. I used it in classes of water and in a 1 liter Nalgene wide-mouth bottle I brought along. I found it easy to use and didn't have any intestinal problems - which seems to happen all too often when I travel internationally.

My only comment relates to the button you push to activate it. I found that button to be harder to push than I thought it should be. It always worked, but it seemed somewhat finicky.

I have not used it in the outdoors.

I like mine. I have the Classic, first gen model. Had no problems. I used to prefilter moving water with a bandanna when that prudent, but now have the FitsAll filter.

The important thing about the Steripen is you have to press the pen On button before putting it in the container or it won't work. You then put it in the container and the level of water has to reach the electrodes or it won't work. Then swirl the water a little, light goes off, good to go.

Ken, could that be an intentional design feature to prevent the button from being accidentally depressed in storage or in ones pack?

I have 3 of them, I have used them all over the place and not gotten sick from them. This is the 3rd time responding to this and my computer crashed twice while writing a big spiel about it. They are worth the investment in my opinion and work great..... Wait, no computer crash....amazing.

Second to that. I have the first green AA model. Worth every penny and fits in my energy procurement plan very well (4xAA powered).

By the way ... my Steripen has NOT caused my computer to crash.

Maybe the "spiel" was just too big??!!!

;-)

How do you sterilize the mouth of the bottle?

I'm picturing dipping your Nalgene bottle into the stream then using the pen to disinfect the contents of the bottle. What about the threads and the outside?

Its a matter of volume. The tiny amount of water you're talking about doesn't matter much - unless you've just dipped it in sewage. After all, how many of us have gone swimming in a lake and not worried about clamping our mouths shut the whole time?

agree with KenK above.

i use my drinking cup to obtain the water - easier to handle in creeks, puddles, etc. than the nalgene - and then carefully pour into the nalgene.

i like the steripen - just make sure you wipe the prong contacts from time to time.

Generally, and this is true for all purifying/sterilization means that operate in the container like this (chemical treatements, for example), you use some of the treated water to flush the threads and exterior of the container. It isn't perfect, but the dilution principle, reducing the bugs to a minimum that your body can usually deal with, seems to suffice as it has a long track record of working.

I've used the first generation model for years. Still going strong with nary a sick day. Filtering is important.

Like bsmith I use a separate cup to fill the bottle, then I swirl the bottle during use to insure that everything in the bottle gets a dose (all the water above the waterline. Like Doug, I then use a small amount of the clean water to flush the areas where contaminated water might have gotten on it.

I like the SteriPen very much when I am in an area with lots of water. I use it canoeing all the time. Use a prefilter in dirty water. In dry areas it takes a while to make lots of water so I use a filter. In areas where the threat levels are high (outside the US) I use a dual method. Filter and chem, filter and pen, etc.

I also like it when traveling in places where the water is suspect. I use my own bottle for washing my teeth and make drinking water in my hotel room. It is much easier than the filter I used for years for this purpose.

Respectfully,

Jerry