steripen compatible container

Hi Konrad,

I use one of my old PlatyPus Big zips. However, I recently just started using my MLD 850 cook pot to collect and sterilize water. It was easier then any soft sided container and the weight was basically 0 as it was multi use for something I was already carrying.

I would try to just use the heiny can.

…

Konrad,

Mike's suggestions both work well.

Which model do you have? If you have the Journey and funnel/bottle adapter you can use most any wide or narrow mouth bottle, upside down easily. Even plain water/soda bottles.

I switched to the Journey for this reason.

Todd

I, too, use a Journey. I drilled a large hole in a spare gatorade cap, which lets me insert the pen in it and flip the bottle upside-down to easily swirl it without leaking.

I've seen someone do the same thing for an Adventurer, cutting an oblong hole and using duct tape as a gasket to seal it.

I've been struggling with the same thing lately, and have found a solution that's a good compromise (for me) of weight and convenience. I've seen lots of good suggestions on BPL, but to make the most of your time and the batteries, you really need a full quart or liter container for each treatment (my pot is too small). And sometimes I end up spilling too much using a cut off platy or bag for treatment, so I prefer something rigid. Also, to fill that container fully in shallow streams it is almost impossible unless you use a separate scoop. The white nalgenes/blue tops are half the weight (3.5 oz) of the clear/colored ones (7+ oz). I use my cooking mug (a Snowpeak 700) for scooping and the 2 nest together perfectly. A 1 liter nalgene cantene and a cut off platy for a scooper would be lighter, but I like the rigid containers. I'm carrying a pound or two less water than normal so what's a couple extra ounces? And the Nalgene/mug combo fits in an outside pocket nicely with some tape on the nalgene to keep them from rattling. Plus nalgenes make great warmers at night that you know won't leak.

Edited to add that I use a Steripen Opti. I tried the gatorade top with a hole in it thing, but it leaked too much. Would be nice if steripen made a bottle adapter for the Adventurer/Opti.

My BPL membership may be revoked for this, but I'm doing the same thing Brian is — using a 1 liter wide-mouth HDPE Nalgene bottle. I like the simplicity — scoop up the water, treat, and drink. I also prefer rigid water bottles with attached caps.

I use the Steripen Opti…

Steripen Journey and the Dasani or Aquafina bottle I drink out of. 5.2 oz with batteries.

I do the same as John, I have the Adventurer Opti and the convenience of the standard nalgene for collecting water is the big driver. I also don't have to worry about damaging a gatorade/aquafina type bottle.

Konrad, I just use normal gatorade bottles with my Adventure, which are cheap and easy to find. The secret is you have to fill them ALL THE WAY full, to the very brim, then when you stick the steripen in the water sensors will be covered. You can still swirl it around very gently. This is easier if you have the opti model with the sensor closer to the lamp, but it works with the old-style adventure too. You just have to be careful and use finesse. The advantage of this method is that there are no droplets of water at the bottle's neck that don't get sterilized, since the water goes all the way to the brim. I did this all summer while guiding trips in ME & NH, it worked great.

I too use a steripen adventure opti with a 1L HDPE nalgene. Steripen is awesome. I don't mind the extra weight of the nalgene (3.5 oz) because I haven't carried more then 1L since switching to the steripen, most of the time less (water is fairly plentiful in the trinity alps). I know I could go lighter with a gatoraid bottle, but this works and is light enough.

I still prefer the original setup the O.P alluded to with the collapsible Nalgene bottle and the mod with a coffee filter{ that original thread had lots of development}. Why? It's light, the Nalgene will take boiling water no problem, has a configuration so it stands up like a freeze dried meal, the coffee filter gets the floaties, the cap with a neck lets me clip the item to my pack so it can't fall out, but most of all it can collapse way down for a shallow source and I can manipulate the water in it to totally fill the upper area and neck so the Steripen Adventurer hits everything regardless of slight fill differences.I taught the procedure to my wife and daughter and it works for all of us. We then pour into recycled 1 liter pop bottles which are very light. Tried dry roasted peanut jars with a nice wide throat. Disaster. Leaked out the cap.

I break the top off a bottle of 20 year old Scotch, drink all I can and pour the remainder on my head. If I can still stand, I use the left over bottle to sterilize my water in.

When I'm out of Scotch, for the lightest option, I use a 1 liter Smart Water bottle with the top cut off. The smaller Smart Water bottle slips inside.

For general use, where I can stand a couple more ounces, I too use the Nalgene HDPE bottles. For all the fiddling around, they are robust, inexpensive and easy to use. I add a Humangear cap so I don't dribble. http://www.rei.com/product/777295. If I'm using the Scotch option, dribbling doesn't really matter.

Hey; Talk about sterilization as the way to the Next Plateau as Kurt put it, the Scotch and and a book about Birds. Your priorities are first rate.

In a perfect world, the Scotch should be enjoyed with a few cubes of 15,000 year old glacial ice….

Thanks guys for the additional info. I am using a Steripen Opti, so unfortunately I will not be able to use the normal water bottles Journey users enjoy.

The more I think about it, using my cook pot would be a bad idea since I normally store a windscreen, alc stove, and lighter in there…it would just be a bit of a hassle emptying the pot of the cooking kit, and replacing it after fetching water

I like the idea of using a gatorade bottle filled to the brim, but I'm concerned about being actually able to fill the water all the way up to the brim (given that some water sources are merely low flowing streams). Maybe I'll do that and bring a ziplock as backup. Then there's always the gatorade cap mod with the duct tape gasket.

Dale, i'm appalled that you would bring something as heavy as a glass bottle to the trail :D

Thanks for the input everyone!

This question has come up a couple times. I had gone through a large grocery store looking at any possible recycled containers. I found Smart Balance plastic mayonnaise jars to be a good alternative, with very large openings and 1.8oz/50g weight. They do come in a little under a liter at 32 liquid ounce capacity.

I knew I saw it somewhere!

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/forum_thread/13592/index.html?skip_to_post=123268#123268

my concern is the duct tape with that gatorade bottle. If your going to add that, why not just buy a grommet that is the side of the steripen?
why at all though? is it so hard to take the top of and just swirl the pen in the bottle?

I like that plastic mayo jar! i don't eat the stuff but I may be purchasing some anyway

Bike Bottle > in front Wet Rib bottle pocket (This is the ONLY container in which I use my SteriPen)

Hydration Bladder > In pack's hydration sleeve (This is filled W/ raw water & I drop in the correct number of Katadyn chlorine dioxide tabs)

So my bike bottle is for IMMEDIATE water purification needs and where I mix my electrolyte powder.

I have purified bike bottle water with the SteriPen and added it to my hydration bladder to top it off but very seldom do so.

I don't think there is a grommet you can buy the exact weird shape of the Adventurer. I wish they made one.

And I'm not sure about the Gatorade bottle, but the Vitamin Water bottle I was recently trying to adapt for the Steripen is too narrow to move the thing around in – in fact its a slight squeeze to get it in there at all.

I tried to make a gasket with RTV silicone, but it leaked and seems too fragile. I'll try the duct tape method next.

The soft Nalgene canteen is really heavy compared to a Platy. That big monster cap is made out of iron, I think.

Quote me on this: when we run out of things like duct tape, zip ties, sheet-rock screws and paper clips, civilization will come to a slow grinding halt.

I think the duct tape is an elegantly simple solution and field repairable. So it's duct tape and maybe a little ugly– if it works, it works.

Steripen should make a nice silicone gasket with a peel-n-stick adhesive on it, so you can adapt the container of your choice. I'd fork over a few more dollars for one.

Steven, to answer your questions as to why duct tape not just swirl the pen itself. You'll find that the pen won't go into the gatorade bottle deep enough for the sensors to touch the water and work effectively. Moreover, theres no room to swirl the pen when it's crammed up against the bottle opening. Therefore, he has a duct tape gasket in place so that he can set the pen into the cap as far as he normally can, BUT now he has the ability to flip the whole bottle upside down, without leaks, and allow the water to hit the sensor that way. He then swirls the entire contraption while upside down to ensure all water is purified. It seems to work very well. I haven't tried the gatorade bottle with my opti yet, but im curious to know if the new protruding "eye" on the opti will already be long enough in itself to reach water levels. That being said, I still don't think I'll be able to swirl the pen around for peace of mind

"The soft Nalgene canteen is really heavy compared to a Platy. That big monster cap is made out of iron, I think."

So put one less ounce of water in it. The large mouth is so much easieer to deal with. Easier to fill, can use the pen easily, faster to dry out when you get home.

I agree with Dale. I believe Dale mentioned this in a previous Sterpin question. I find the plastic mayonnaise containers to be a great alternative, with very large openings and 1.8oz/50g weight. The Kraft mayonnause container has the largest opening, but weighs in at 2.0 ounce. I can use the Opti to clean the water, wipe the top off and drink. I then carry it in my packs side pocket.