Water Purifier Portable Water Purification System

[daveb]

Anybody use one of these?
http://www.steripen.com/
Seems like a easy to use item. I'd be more likely to drink out of my fresh water tank if they work.

[Angel]

I have used the one that does not crank while backpacking and when I went to Thailand. Worked great.

Angel

[LenS]

I have seen one use and it worked fine. Of course you can only purify one quart at a time and the water should be clear for the UV to be effective. The only concerns I have heard about them are: batteries die and you do not have replacements with you or if the electronics fail. In either case you no longer have a water purifier. UV purifiers will really kill the "bugs" though if used as directed in clear water.

To be rated as a purifier in the U.S. the device (UV unit, chemicals, mechanical filter, etc.) must meet the EPA standard for a water PURIFIER.

cysts and parasites: 3 Log reduction min. that is 999/1000 removed/killed
bacteria: 6 Log reduction min. that is 999999/1000000 removed/killed
virus: 4 Log reduction min. that is 9999/10000 removed/killed

The above says nothing about heavy metals or man introduced chemicals and pesticides.

I clean our fresh water tank once a year with chlorine bleach and then only put known safe water in it for drinking. More convenient then purifying one quart of water at a time for drinking and cooking.

We do have Katadyn Exstream water purifiers with us in case the only water we have available is suspect. Again they are only one quart units. I have used them in Haiti for ALL my drinking (and teeth brushing) needs. They also have a charcoal element for improving the taste of water if needed and maybe take out some chemicals if present.

If by chance you are concerned for biologicals ("bugs"), heavy metals, and chemicals I would look at a Berkey w their black elements. On the other hand if you really knew all that crap is/could be in the water I wouldn't go near the place.

We have used a Sweatwater pump filter and iodine (Polarpure) to purify lake water while canoe camping. We still only use lake water that the park rangers say is safe to drink once the "bugs" are killed.

[Greggd]

Daveb ,
We have the Classic and the Mini . The Classic stays in the SportsMobile and I carry the Mini in
my Fishing and Hunting Vests . I have not used the Classic yet but have given the Mini a good amount of use with I guess a great deal of success , no water borne illness or problems yet . I first saw this technology being used in Alice Springs , Australia to treat their city water of course on a much larger scale and according to test results is a proven method for true purification .
I think that you should have one for yourself Dave .
Greggde

[LenS]

Great deal

The Gander Mountain outlet store in our area is closing. Daughter just called and ask if I wanted any more Katadyne purifiers at 75% off. The one they had in the check out line was a $50 unit (that should be the bigger bottle), so the price would be $12.50. The replacement guts (good for 26 gallons) cost $35 at REI. Told her to get me two if she can find a second one.

[Greggd]

That is a killer deal LenS , I have to special order the Replacement filters for our older Katadyne Purifier would you know if they have a web address for that store ? They may have our models filters and I would LOVE TO buy some at a reduced price for a change .
Greggde

[LenS]

The Gander Outlet is in Waterford Michigan. They told us awhile ago that they had lost their lease and would not move the store when it was up. I guess the time has come. No idea if they have a web site. Could try googling Gander Mountain. My son in law got a bunch of Columbia shirts for $15. Our daughter stocked up on sports sandles for her girls future use. They were already on sale and she still got 75% off of that sale price.

Do not know where Katadyn is going with their older models. The Exstream design is now obsolete (sometime after March of this year...last time I looked). No longer on their web site. They no longer use the ViruStat microbial water purification cartridge with its petna-iodide resin. The European Union no longer "allows" iodine for water treatment. I personally use the ViruStat stack in the European setup and not the American EPA required setup (required by EPA for "purifier" status). Having the carbon last will tend to take out any of the iodine released by the penta-iodide resin when deactivating bacteria and virus. I of course have and will still use Polar Pure when needed.

Oh, the EU is now reconsidering their decision, because of the lack of iodized salt in a large part of the world. Trace iodine can be good.

[joey2cool]

SteriPen has a SideWinder addition now, so there's no need for batteries (UV light via hand crank instead). I carry a Straw in the van because it is so small - $13 at Cabela's http://www.cabelas.com/aid-water-pur...-straw-1.shtml. I haven't had a need to use it so I can't vouch for it, but it's reusable and good up to 20 gallons.

[daveb]

Well I have an MSR pump but even though I rarely drink the water from my van (I carry potable water) sometimes I might be low and need to use the water inside the van and those pens look so small the would be a good item for the BOB