How Reliable Are Steripens?

[Michael Sirofchuck]

Having used mine throughout South America, Alaska, and the Southwest without any problems, my guess is that if it lights up, it’s working.  No light, no sterilization. It may be just that simple.

[Jerry Adams]

There’s no way to know if any treatment works beyond the manufacturer reputation

Even if you drink untreated water you probably won’t get sick, and if you do it will probably be minor.  Lots of people have few or no symptoms.

I drink about 2 liters per day which I often treat just to be careful.  I boil another 2 liters, but that doesn’t have to be treated.

I use squeeze, but it would be the same with steripen.  If you only treat water you don’t boil then it will last twice as long

 

[Arthur]

“Even if you drink untreated water you probably won’t get sick, and if you do it will probably be minor.  Lots of people have few or no symptoms.”

I have seen many, many children die in our clinics in Central America from drinking the water.

Ask Ryan about his hospital stays (pleural) with giardia, as a healthy adult.

 

[Jerry Adams]

I’m talking U.S. wilderness areas.  Backpacking.  Alpine areas like Cascades or Sierras or Rockies.

Some people get giardia or crypto or something else.  Some people drink untreated water with no problem.

But, it’s so easy and lightweight to treat water that you may as well do it.

You probably don’t need a backup though.  If you’ve had no problems in the past.

[Mike M]

if the blue UV light is on, it’s working

how do you tell if your pump/squeeze filter is working?

how do you tell if your Aqua Mira is working?

how do you tell if your AquaTabs/Micropur tabs are working?

[David Thomas]

>”how do you tell if your Aqua Mira is working?”

At the end of the treatment period (20-30-40+ minutes, depending on water temperature), give it a sniff.  Can you still smell the chlorine?  Conveniently, our odor threshold for chlorine is about the same as the concentrations we use for water treatment while backpacking.  The lower doses used in municipal water systems (due to the longer contact time) are such that sensitive people can smell it from the tap, but other people can’t.

If you can’t smell it at the end of the cycle, the tablets / solution may have lost its potency over time and/or some of the halogens may have been consumed reacting with organic or inorganic matter in the water – this is why highly turbid water is problematic when using chemical treatment, but, if you can smell the chlorine/iodine at the end of the treatment period, it’s good.

If in doubt, give it a double dose.  Give it a longer contact time when you can (like overnight when once you’ve made camp).

[Rex Sanders]

“if the blue UV light is on, it’s working”

Yep, the light is working :-)

But is it killing enough of the nasties? Can’t tell, maybe not. Turbid water, not swishing thoroughly and continuously, aged and weakened light source, the frequently-feared untreated “drops on the threads,” treating too much water at one time, …

No water treatment system is perfect. And without testing for infectious stuff (impractical for backpacking), we can’t be certain that it’s worked.

Mostly, all EPA-certified water treatment systems work fine, with most water sources, if you follow the instructions. They all have trade-offs.

— Rex

[Mike M]

those were rhetorical questions

the answer is you can’t tell

if I put an Aquatab tablet and wait the prescribed time, I assume it’s working

if I pump water from my MSR Trailshot into my water container, I assume it”s working

if I see a blue light emitting from Steripen and wait until the light goes out, I assume it’s working

[Roger Caffin]

The Steripen has been successfully tested in clear water to EPA requirements. You are definitely warned about the problems of turbid water: the particles can block the UV. Don’t ask for miracles: they don’t exist. You can always boil such water.

Turbid water is a nightmare for micron-level filters. Instant block-up. Been there … On the other hand, a coffee filter paper or even a couple of layers of handkerchief can be used for the visible stuff.

‘Aged light source’? Not so much. The Steripen monitors the time used and the lamp to deal with this. You get a warning when the lamp approaches end-of-life.

But chemicals all have problems with turbid water too: the particles preferentially absorb the disinfectant.

‘Drops on the threads’ are not a problem. In themselves they would represent a dilution factor of at least ten thousand to one. Wipe them off the thread before putting the cap back on and you would have at least one million to one reduction.

Yes, follow the instructions.

Cheers

[Brad P]

If you use chemical treatment, unscrew the cap partway, turn the bottle upside down after the chemical dissolves so that water dribbles out. This treats the cap and threads.

[Brad Rogers]

My experience is old – from 2008 or 2009 where I bought a Steripen – worked at home, but would not work in the field during it’s first trip  – it kept saying the batteries, which were new, were dead.  When I got back home it worked again.  There was not a second trip with the Steripen and I went back to Aquamira.

I recently picked up antother Steripen cheap to try again as I really like the concept and though I’ve been using Aquamira drops for 15 years I really don’t like the taste, and with more of my hiking partners using Sawyers (which I also don’t like), it sucks to have to stop and wait every time I get water while they don’t.  I know I could use Mike Clelland!’s pre mix bottle – and that’s an option, but I’m really re-thinking my water treatment.

[talagnu]

a sawyer squeeze threaded directly on top of a water bottle has been the most reliable and efficient water filtering system I’ve used. I’d like to try a steripen for when nightly temps get below freezing, though

[Randy Cain]

In response to Brad P, the same could be said for Aquamira or Sawyer filters for that matter.  How do you know they’re doing what they’re supposed to do?  It’s all about trust on any of these items.

[AK Granola]

If you want 100% guarantee that a method works, boil. All the other methods, follow directions and they will most likely work.

For the last 5 or so years I’ve been using a Steripen, and I’ve drawn from murky tundra ponds, silty rivers, and plenty of sources with “floaties.” I prefilter through a handkerchief to remove the larger stuff. So far so good! I’ve never had an issue that wasn’t user error.

I used a BeFree on the Chilkoot Trail, since all the streams run clear. I loved being able to scoop and drink. I used it on the JMT too, since water sources are generally clear. Then I used it on Eagle River in Alaska – and that was the end of my BeFree filter! Dumb move. I had assumed there would be other water available and there was, just not where we camped. Oops. Better planning would have avoided that situation. Fortunately they’re cheap.

I guess I don’t have a favorite, but I still like the Steripen and it will be taken on most Alaska trips.

[James Marco]

Typically, I do not trust rechargeable batteries. The new lithium may be OK after a lot of research. I have a Steripen Adventurer Opti that weighs about 3.5oz with batteries. It is good for most silty water I find, even though it says to only use it on “weak lemonaid colored water.” I just double dose it and stir the water around. I use the half liter, wide mouth gatoraid bottles (two in my pack for a total of one liter.) However, they are only rated for a pint. My bottles are about 19oz not 16 oz, but I have never had a problem. Been using them since they had metal contacts on the outside to detect the water rather than the newer LED ones. Besides, low batteries can still function as a light source at night. Just change them out for new ones when you need to use it for water, so, it is multii purpose. But, as others have said, I also carry a dozen half-liter tablets for purification if something breaks on the Steripen. But, I did when I used the Squeeze, too. It plugged up in about a season, though soo, I went back to the Steripen…no plugging it up. Stop, fill my bottles and zap the two in about 2 minutes. I don’t even take my pack off sometimes.

[J-L]

I posted earlier in this thread that my Steripens had been completely reliable. Well, this summer on day 3 of a 30 day trip, I broke my Steripen Ultralight! I had been hiking through the rain for several hours and my Steripen got wet – it was in a silnylon stuff sack in the side pocket of my pack. Water had seeped through the closed cover of the micro USB charging port. It flashed me the error of “UV bulb damaged”, and no amount of drying got it working again.

Luckily, I had chemical tabs and was able to borrow a friend’s filter until I was able to buy my own filter. So I will admit to user error (I should have done a better job protecting my Steripen from rain), but it was still frustrating and I think a water treatment product should be a little more water resistant.

[dirtbag]

Most things have potential to fail us while out on multi-day trips. Filters can freeze, clog or break. Bags can rip.. batteries can die.. electronics can freeze or get water damaged.. So be aware of all of this!! I have used different filters over the years and finally have settled on the Steripen for probably going on 3 years now. I have encountered all the issues throughout the years with all the filters and squeeze bags.. even after being careful and cautious.. $hit happens.. its inevitable. So far my only issue with my Steripen was on my last trip.. dead! My fault as I should have fresh charged it before I went out. I do carry my battery charger,  so I could have charged it while out in trail.. I also carry 3 or 4 Katadyn purification tabs which I could have used also.. luckily for me we passed 2 springs on our way where i was able to tank up and top off my 2 liters.. and we camped near flowing water that I was able to boil and use for my cooking and coffee..  so I was fine. I still love the Steripen and now I will remember to give it a fresh charge before every trip.. just like i do everything else.

[Bruce Tolley]

@ Randy

We need to distinguish between knowing that a product is failing or has failed in the field vs suspecting that it is not working.  Even with hollow fiber filters, if the filter is damaged from falling on the ground or freezing, water will pass through it but it will not filter out micro-organisms.

I have used all three methods: filters, chemicals, and UV.  My Steripen has the advantage of no waiting for the water but requires vigilance with battery charging and some degree of finesse in treatment, and it is heavier than chemical treatment. At the other extreme, chemical treatment with Aquamira or equivalents is simple, highly reliable but a LONG wait for potable water.

Then there are personal taste issues. My wife and son like the taste of water that comes from gravity filtration with carbon.

As a side issue, I saw on my last trip to REI that some filter manufacturers are claiming that the products treat/filter out viruses.  Perhaps the BPL editorial staff could investigate this claim.

 

[Roger Caffin]

only issue with my Steripen was on my last trip.. dead! My fault as I should have fresh charged it before I went out.
I do not trust rechargeables,. That is why I prefer the Steripen Classic3: it takes 4 off AA lithium batteries. Remove batteries at home and tag as empty. Insert new batteries before any trip on seeing the MT tag. Simple.

some filter manufacturers are claiming that the products treat/filter out viruses.
This is a bit more complex.

First of all, while bacteria are ‘big’ (micron range) and are easy to filter out, some viruses are very tiny (nanometer range), and they are much harder to block. You need a much finer filter for viruses, and that usually means the flow rate through the filter is going to be lower – maybe much lower. Nonetheless, there are SOME filters on the market which can block most viruses. But note very carefully: NOT all filters can do this. If the filter is fast, it will not be blocking viruses directly.

However, life is not that simple. Free-floating viruses are not all that common: they are usually attached to something. Very often that ‘something’ is large enough that a common micron-level filter will in practice effectively block a lot of the virus load. So sometimes, in practice, a micron-level filter will remove a lot of what viruses is present, but not all of them. Not the free-floating ones. Are you feeling lucky?

Cheers

[dirtbag]

I love the taste of the free floating ones in the morning!

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