Treatment Bottle for a Steripen

"I decided to cut off the very top of a 1 liter consumer water bottle. Bottle sans top is about 1oz of weight and will hold about 28oz water."

How's that for great minds thinking alike? ;)

I just finished mine a week ago. I used the bottom half of a 2 liter bottle because it was shorter than a full one liter bottle, making it easier for the UV light to penetrate all the way to the bottom of the container. The only concern I have in advance of field use is that squeezing the bottle to form a pouring spout repeatedly may crack the plastic. A way to get around that problem would be to use the top section of the bottle or, better yet, a smaller one, for a funnel. It shouldn't add more that a few grams.

Thanks Tom. I really like both of your suggestions. Using a 2 liter bottle (or I think AquaFina has a 1.5 liter bottle) I could cut the size so that will hold the full 1 liter and I love your suggestion of using the cutoff top as a funnel. Genius!

Hey! You stole my ideas

I have both a cut off 2 liter and 1 liter bottle.

I measured and marked where 1 liter and 1/2 liter are.

1 ounce and 2/3 ounce respectively

I think I've decided I like the smaller one best

What about the Ziploc Twist-N-Loc Quart Container? It weighs 1.9 oz with a lid and it can be used to make shakes in too.

I've communicated many times with Steripen tech support and the Steripen handles a liter or a quart, and in fact, the Steripen works just great even with a 1.9 oz Ziploc twist n Loc Container plastic quart container — which has the advantage of much less weight and is 100% easy to clean out. Makes a great shake/drink container too (with the lid). I checked with Steripen about the okayness of such and it was okayed by Aaron in their tech support and I used it with a steripen for 23 days on the JMT this last summer. Just make sure the container is leak proof — some of the ZipLoc containers are not. You have to fill it up with some water, put lid on, and shake it to see if it is leakproof.

Here is what Steripen's support told me about this container (06/30/2009):

"The container shape of the Ziploc twist n Loc Container will not be a detriment to the effectiveness of the SteriPEN. When using your SteriPEN Adventurer, remember that you must agitate the water for effective treatment. To ensure the container shape does not adversely effect the treatment, simple stir the lamp of the SteriPEN Adventurer through the whole container.

My only concern with this container is solarization. Do you know what material is used to manufacture this container and its thickness? Certain plastics will yellow and become brittle when exposed to UV radiation. The container may crack after extensive use with the SteriPEN. This is the same as when you leave it outside in the sun for extended periods."

Links about container:
http://www.ziploc.com/?p=b7
(you want the medium size – weight shown is for two containers, I only bring one lid. I use a sharpie and label one “Dirty” the other “Clean”).

I could see where the cutoff water bottles may degrade over time but they are certainly easy and cheap to replace.

The gatoraid or lifewater bottles have a large opening top. They *just* fit the adventuror. The slight spillage washes the outside threading on the bottle with clean water.

I know it's not SUL but the Kroger brand reusable basket style coffee filter fits perfectly in the mouth of the 1 qt. ziploc container.

I cut the top (the heavy part!) off of a Nalgene 1 liter "canteen" – what's left is a heavy duty plastic envelop that holds a liter nicely, works well with the Steripen, and wraps around it for storage.

"What about the Ziploc Twist-N-Loc Quart Container?"

Now this is a textbook example of how a thread like this should operate. You start with one idea, someone else chimes in and, next thing you know, there are several good ideas presented for folks to choose from.

Thanks to all. :)

> My only concern with this container is solarization.

By and large, any fizzy water bottles with rocket bases are made of PET. This is a tough, non-cracking, non-leaching plastic. The UV will not harm it in the sort of doses we use. And of course, 12 months later you can make another one for $0.

Cheers

I may get banished from the site but I just use o e of the lightweight nalgene bottles. They weigh 3 Oz in the quart largemouth size

It doesn't leak it makes shakes, I make coffee in it in the morning and I carry water in it during the day

Banished!

jp ;p

I would adopt the topping of a regular schmegular PET bottle, but what about visible UV Light and your eyes.. IIRC, they warn you not to use certain types of bottle because you can hurt your eyes?

I finally got a Steripen. The REI sale for like $65 was too good to pass up. I just got back from a trip and received it while I was gone.

I plan to use my SP600 or SP900 pot to treat the water since I already have one of them in my pack. I also have one of those Coleman fule funnels/filters I will use to transfer the treated water to my bottle. The screen in the funnel should take most of the chunks out. I may use some cut down paper coffee filters for silty water.

I found my 900 Ti pot to be not deep enough to swirl around the Steripen.

Try it out with your pot(s).

oksy, I love this site. I can always find interesting ideas from the myriad of brilliant and clever people here. I recently read that the plastic most major manufacturers use (including gatorade, poweraid and smartwater) use #2 PETE plastic, which leeches harmful chemicals into water after just one use! I am sceptical, even of nalgene bottles. they too have proven to leech into water contained within.

So Johnny, what do you use to store your water?

> I recently read that the plastic most major manufacturers use (including gatorade, poweraid
> and smartwater) use #2 PETE plastic, which leeches harmful chemicals into water

Knowing the groundless hysteria some anti-everything campaigners can arouse, I would have to ask for some very good scientific evidence of such a claim. Scientific references, not blogs.

Cheers

I used to work in the PET industry and now work for a large international food company. PET (it's actually labelled #1) will leech acetadehyde, which has a fruity taste, is an approved food additive, and is found naturally in many food products (e.g. coffee, bread, fruit, yogurt). The acetaldehyde is generated during manufacture, so the majority of it comes out during the first use, and is rarely detected by people like me unless the manufacturere did poor job. If you repeatedly use a PET bottle, the amount would likely get to very low levels. There is very little of other components (which could be added for processing or color) which will come out.

However, PET is considered a "clean plastic." Other polymers like PC, HDPE, and PP will leach many more compounds. This includes unreacted monomer, antioxidants carriers, & blowing aids. I recently did a study of off-flavors that are created by PET, PP, and HDPE and can tell you that PET contributed the least amount of odor/flavor. I talked with many of the large resin companies, bottle manufacturers, and consultants during this study. I have seen studies talking about the compounds in PET bottles, only to realize that most of the compounds (other than acetadehyde) came from the closure or the liner inside the closure.

Yes, PET will yellow and degrade over time when exposed to UV (I also did a study on that several years ago). The rate of that degradation is much less than PC or HDPE. PC usually has those antioxidate additives to prevent that, and still shows more degradation than PET.

If you are truly sensitive or worried, use glass, but I think the downsides there are greater.

Tom

You beat me to it Tom.

Clear bottles (water, gatorade) and see through colored bottles (sprite, root beer) are made from #1 PETE.

Solid and cloudy (milk jugs) bottles and containers are usually #2 HDPE.