Camelback All Clear UV Purifier

Nice! At the very least it will give steripen some competition which should drive it to improve its product.

I don't like that it appears to only work with the bottle it comes with

Hey, how about that? I'd lost track of it since their prototype years back, which looked like a repackaged UV Aquastar. This one tucks the tube into the cap and is rechargeable only, with supposedly an 80-cycle capacity between charges.

http://www.camelbak.com/Sports-Recreation/Purification/Faq/faq.aspx

Looks very promising.

Cheers,

Rick

It's 1 lb 1 oz.

Steripen Opti is 3.6 oz. 1 pint soda bottle is 1.7 oz. I also have a seperate water treatment container 0.6 oz. Total 6 oz.

The Camelback weighs 11 oz more.

No experience whatsoever, but just initial impressions:

Pros — definitely makes it a lot easier to agitate water. No worries about spilling either — unlike stirring with a Steripen.

Con 1 — bulky — I can just imagine the size of the contraption needed to house this bulky cap plus protruding UV tube(s)!
Con 2 – dislike built-in rechargeable batts — esp. one that can only be charged via USB. I don't always travel with a laptop…

The SteriPen Freedom is even lighter at 2.6 ounces and also rechargeable. To be fair it won't treat as much water per charge though, but you could bring a backup charge pack and cable and still come out ahead

The works (cap) is 7 ounces.

Cheers,

Rick

…how great a product camelback could make if they'd toss out the old model that says they have to ship everything with a bottle, and just said "what's a better way to use a UV purifier with what we already sold them?"

This product seems like a non-starter to me. This is what happens when product managers start off by asking themselves the wrong question.

"The works (cap) is 7 ounces."

Now we just need to see how bulky the protective case is. Methinks they should have the UV cap double as normal cap — maybe with an opening for easy sipping! One less cap to carry and much less worries about protecting the UV cap and tube separately. Anyone got pics?

There wasn't a sample unit out to see at REI or I would have taken a few pics. The packaging seemed a little large and heavy, but that doesn't mean much.

The total weight COULD include the (a) extra standard Camelbak cap that is included and (b) a zippered case for the UV unit. I don't know if that is true, though.

This could be paired with a Nalgene canteen bladder to save weight (http://www.campsaver.com/wide-mouth-canteens). The liter-sized bladder is still around 1-2 oz, so you could get the total weight to around 9 oz +/-. There are also lighter Nalgene and even Camelbak caps, too.

It's always interesting to see a new product that might push the market, as mentioned above. I do like that the UV bulb is circular and imbedded within the cap. The label says that it will work in cold water. I think the biggest downside for me is the reliance on the USB-rechargeable li-ion battery, although I guess there are places where a reliable solar charger would work.