Which SteriPen Model?

[Cameron M]

"A bit of a paradigm shift from replaceable batteries"

Absolutely. In the true spirit of UL as expressed on this site, one could use a 18650 battery as both a powerbank and to power the coveted Zebralight at night. Some resupply sites offer USB charging. And, get this, several times this year I observed people with solar cells sharing their charged batteries with needy strangers. I'll wager that the weight of a solar cell would be more than offset by all the peanut M&Ms you could bargain for.

Power-mooching will become the new paradigm.

[Robert Blean]

I see several comments like "continually buying batteries is expensive" and "it's nice to start the trip knowing the battery is fully charged". Why are people who use batteries not using rechargeable ones? I know their capacity is less, but it is still plenty for most trips that most people take. For longer trips either take spare batteries or else take primaries if you must.

You can still have battery commonality with your Zebralight if desired — they come in CR123. I have not looked, but I would bet that there are CR123 power banks, too, for recharging your USB items.

–MV

[Jerry Adams]

I use rechargeable batteries a lot, mostly just not to create garbage

Rechargeable RS232s don't work in Steripen Opti. They have a little different volatge or something? I got just a couple liters treated before it said they were discharged.

NiMh batteries take a lot of charges, but their voltage is a little less, they're slightly bigger although fit in most devices, they gradually lose amount of energy stored, the become more sensitive to cold, they weigh more (per watt hour) than Lithium

Rechargeable Lithium AAs and AAAs aren't available

A rechargeable Lithium USB battery would be pretty good

[Cameron Habib]

I've got a Steripen Ultra and I've had good experiences with it. My rational for going with the rechargeable version was that if I'm going on a long enough trip where the batteries may die, my other electronic devices (GPS, headlamp) would also need additional batteries, making it lighter and cheaper to just bring along a solar panel or one of those USB backup batteries to recharge from than it would be to carry a bag of individual batteries along with me. Hasn't failed me yet.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for sharing Andy and Richard. That makes sense.

[Andy F]

"Let's face it, if we wanted a "pure nature experience" we'd be on a bushcraft forum, not a backpacking forum. Gear is part and parcel of the BPL ethos, for better or worse."

This made me laugh. I'm on bushcraft forums too. In general, many there tend to carry heavier, "bombproof" gear, and more of it. :)

[Roger Caffin]

The original Adventurer has been updated to the Classic 3. It takes 4 lithium AA cells and weighs the same as the Opti. A BPL product review should be out soon.

Cheers

[Barry P]

"…and weighs the same as the Opti."

I guess until you put batteries in. Then one is 3.6oz and the other (with lithium) is probably 5oz.

[Mitchell Ebbott]

The Classic 3 weighs 6.3oz with batteries, according to the SteriPEN website. It's the heaviest model they make besides the silly hand crank Sidewinder.

[Billy Ray]

"Let's face it, if we wanted a "pure nature experience" we'd be on a bushcraft forum, not a backpacking forum"

I don't agree… I've been backpacking for about 40 years and have many 'pure nature experiences'… And I've always though that was the point of backpacking…but I guess for some people backpacking has become an electronics gear experience :)

"If I can save weight and complexity by bringing my iPhone instead of a camera, book, and notepad and let it function as a GPS in a pinch, I'm gonna do it."

Or… you could leave all that at home and save the most weight :)
I don't take any of that stuff you listed…

"On the other hand, if you're carrying a solar cell the math changes and a rechargeable SteriPen comes out on top."

not if it's cloudy :)

"and I like the idea of starting every trip with a full charge without wasting money or landfill space on CR123s."

Well.. maybe… but you need to consider that a few years your rechargeable itself will be consigned to the landfill if the rechargeable battery is not replaceable. While the disposable battery Steripen will still be in service…

billy

Billy

[Mitchell Ebbott]

I suppose my point is that the pure nature experience we're looking for isn't intrinsically linked with the avoidance of electric or electronic devices. It all depends on how those devices are used. Would you say someone with a film camera (non-electronic) is missing out on a "pure nature experience"? I wouldn't. But then it's silly to say that a user of a dSLR has jumped ship away from a "pure nature experience" just because their camera is now electronic. An iPhone is just one step further—it's the best (and lightest) camera I own. That's the main reason I bring it in the backcountry.

It's not about what devices you have or whether they're built on silicon, it's about how you use them. If I was hunting down reception to make calls or using my phone to edit spreadsheets, I'd be missing the experience. But when I use it as a camera and occasionally to read a book, I haven't found it to detract from the experience at all.

I'm with you on solar chargers. Not worth it IMO, except perhaps in very specific conditions (e.g. desert hiking).

I wonder if SteriPEN would replace a failing battery. They already have a program to replace the UV lamp once it's kicked the bucket, so I imagine they would have something analogous for a failing battery.

[Billy Ray]

Good points Mitchell… you have a reasoned mind.

I will say this about cameras:
I think a lot of people miss the scenery by trying to capture/frame a scene.
I have witnessed a lot of people (perhaps most or even all)… in a hurry to snap a pic and move on… having hardly stopped at all to take the scene in… I mean REALLY take it in… in a meditative kind of way.

So I actually think that photography can diminish a persons wilderness experience… whether a film camera or electronic does not matter in this regard as they both, to some degree, serve as a distraction.

I include myself in the above…
though I will say that I spent 3 weeks on the JMT without a camera… without a book… and certainly without a phone or GPS… intentionally… and it was my most profound wilderness experience.

Billy

[Ken Thompson]

Those batteries should be recycled and not going into the landfill. Carry on.

[Billy Ray]

"Those batteries should be recycled and not going into the landfill. Carry on."

So it's not okay that I just throw them out along the trail??????
Or sometimes into a convenient lake???

Billy

[Mitchell Ebbott]

"Good points Mitchell… you have a reasoned mind."

Thank you! I guess that philosophy degree wasn't all for nothing.

You make a good point on photography. The typical touristy point-and-shoot mentality is silly, where the main point is to get a picture so you remember the experience. Just remember the experience! It's better than the picture! But sometimes photography (I mean actual photography, not just moment-capturing) can draw you into a scene or a place even more closely. I'm no pro by a long shot, but I still notice things that I would have otherwise missed when I'm trying to find just the right framing, or keeping an eye out for some interestingly juxtaposed features. It's even better when I'm hiking alone, because I don't feel rushed to get a usable shot and move on.

One afternoon on the JMT I got to camp early, set everything up, then took a hike around the lake looking for a good spot to catch the sunset. It was a great chance to get intimately acquainted with the shoreline, and once I found my spot I stayed there for over an hour, just watching the sunset and occasionally taking a photo or two as the alpenglow set in. That was a meditative experience for me….

… right up until I popped a nosebleed and turned half the lake red. But before that, it was a very relaxing evening! I think the point still stands.

[Barry P]

"The Classic 3 weighs 6.3oz with batteries, according to the SteriPEN website"

Yea, that's with alkaline. You will get much better life with Lithium so knock of 1.2oz by using lithium AAs.

-Barry

[Bob Shuff]

Trying to resurrect this thread for any more specific recommendations. I had a SteriPen Freedom that sat unused for the first 3 years I had it – just didn't take the trips (intl travel and backpacking) that I was planning in 2012, or since until this spring. Then I took it on a trip to India and a recent backpacking trip. It was really acting up and I had a hard time treating a Liter because it wouldn't turn on again without drying the sensors and waiting. I also found the flashlight on and hard to turn off.

I returned it to Steripen just inside the warranty period, and they said it needed a code update and was working now, but I asked for the option to switch to a different model (for a nominal price). As I've read this thread and others, I've really narrowed it down to the Freedom or Ultra. I like the rechargeable batteries, and don't use CR123 or AA for anything else currently in my pack.

The Ultra weighs almost double (4.9oz vs 2.6oz), but has a bigger battery with more than twice the capacity in Liters per charge. The Ultra can also be used on narrow mouth bottles. I was carrying at least one Nalgene (soft) bottle before to sterilize 1L in, but if I change that to a smartwater or platypus bottle it seems to make up for the additional weight in the unit.

Anyone tried both, and can provide any additional recommendations for which of these two units to choose?

Thanks,
Bob

[Jim C]

Bob,

So the Ultra can be used with a Smartwater bottle? That would be a nice feature

For folks that use a Steripen with a Smartwater bottle—and this may be relevant to any Steripen model and any water bottle—how do you deal with the water on the mouth or threads of the bottle? I'd guess that the UV light doesn't reach that, but it's only a guess.

Or do you use a separate container to scoop water from the water source (stream, etc.) and the pour it into the bottle you'll drink from? Isn't there still a chance of transferring contaminants from the outside of the scoop to the mouth of the bottle? I suppose you could carefully pour into the bottle without touching, and taking care not to spill any untreated water onto the thread.

Or am I just worrying too much?

I've been using a water filter (Sawyer Mini for solo, Sawyer 3-in-1 for trips with others), and in this case, my water collection vessel is not the one I drink from, so the risk of contamination is lower. I've got, to date, zero experience with SteriPen, but I've been considering it lately, and I'm leaning towards the Ultra.

[Bob Shuff]

I've read the ultra and classic have a round soft rubber stopper-type base for the UV light. You insert it into the bottle and invert the bottle. When the water hirts the sensor the light starts the sterilization cycle. Not sure if that's the right word, but you know what I mean.

That would seem to take care of all the water inside. I pressume I can wipe the water off the outside, or otherwise just avoid ingesting it. I'm no expert, but I think the cooties in a few drops touching my hand or handkerchief is not too worrisome. Drinking a half liter or more would be a completely different scenario.

The freedom and adventurer, I think, need to be held in the bottle from above and used to stir the water, which therefore requires a widemouth bottle like a Nalgenes, although maybe a Gatorade would work.

[Ken Thompson]

The Freedom is small enough to fit inside a Gatorade bottle. BUT it is only capable of doing a half liter at a time, You'll have to go through two complete cycles for a liter.

[Ian]

I've owned the opti adventurer for a few years and bought the ultra last December. I much prefer the design of the ultra and how I can use it with an aquafina bottle over the opti. I'm still putting it through its paces so can't give a full review but so far so good.

As far as concerns over sterilizing the threads, as someone who swims in rivers and lakes, and gets untreated water in my mouth from time to time, I don't worry about it. I might wipe off the threads with a sleeve or bandana but that's about it.

[Barry P]

I picked up that Freedom on sale last December. I also noticed it’s hard to do 1L. You have to pull the Freedom out, dry off the contacts REAL GOOD and then you can get it working again. This adds an aggravating 10 second routine right in the middle of purifying 1L of water.

What’s also surprising is that if you pull the Freedom out too early, the UV light stays on! Aghh. Don’t look at it! But it’s off in about 3 seconds; whew!

But my opti turns immediately off if I pull it out early. And it’s so much easier to do 1L. But now that Ultra is calling my name :(.
I wonder how I can tell which software I have in my Freedom. I thought it is newish.

-Barry

[Bob Shuff]

I decided to go with the Ultra. Steripen charged me a nominal fee to make the exchange. Adding ounces was my big hesitation, but I justify it by using lighter weight bottles and not needing spare batteries. I also like knowing I can give it a full charge before every trip and not be counting up to 20 liters minus whatever accidental flashlight usage occurred.

Plus – there's a big smiley face on it, so thanks for the help and have a great day! :)

[K. Urs Grütter, LL.M.]

Very intriguing technically. Will not alter taste of the water. Got one for our summer trips and it let me down (less than 50% reliable!), SteriPen replaced it. New item seems to work fine (20 treatments so far). The Ultra is nice handling: Get a 1l PET-bottle, get water from creek or lake, turn on Ultra, stick it on the bottle like a cork, reverse all and keep swirling (method of Justin "Trauma" Lichter). Quick and easy – but do not forget a back-up…

[Jim C]

I brought a brand new Steripen Ultra on what was to be a 6-night trip in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. I should be on the final night of that trip, but on day four of the trip, the Steripen called it quits, displaying the sad face and indicating the bulb was not working. I then displayed my own sad face because, while I had brought some chlorine dioxide tabs as backup, I hadn't brought enough to last the remainder of the trip, nor did I have enough fuel to boil enough water. Shame on me for not bringing more tabs (maybe I was being stupid light, or maybe just stupid), and shame on Steripen for not making a more reliable device. It was convenient while it lasted, but it's just not something I'd feel comfortable relying on. Even if I had brought enough tabs, the wait time make them impractical to me. This makes a Sawyer mini a better backup, but at that point, why not just go all filter, all the time? When I get home, I'll contact Steripen about a replacement, but the damage is already done. Still, I did get four nights out, and the Sawtooths were beautiful.

[Author]

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