SteriPEN Long-Term Review

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These days, it seems that practically everyone is using a gravity fed squeeze-type filter, but I've been using the UV light treatment system with the SteriPEN for over 14 years, so here's a long-term review of the SteriPEN, my take on why I prefer this method of water purification, pros and cons, and what I'm likely to buy next.
Gear mentioned in this video:
SteriPEN Ultra: amzn.to/3v5UOz0
SteriPEN Classic 3: amzn.to/3jz18dn
SteriPEN Adventurer Opti: amzn.to/35TLoyi
Sawyer Squeeze Filter: amzn.to/3KmPEVY
Aquatabs Water Purification tablets: amzn.to/3DRxKbq
Anker PowerCore Battery Pack: amzn.to/3JkUIsF
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links in this description are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission if you purchase an item after clicking on the links. This comes at no extra cost to you and will help this channel to continue producing videos with the goal of inspiring people get out and enjoy the wilderness. Thanks for your support!

Опубликовано:

7 апр 2022

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Комментарии : 88

@snapdragon2441 Месяц назад

This is very helpful, thank you.

@ShastaBubba Месяц назад

You're very welcome!

@newlifeeveryday1821 2 года назад

Very helpful Dan. Thanks.

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Glad it was helpful!

@xymzk 2 года назад

This was helpful, thanks!

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Glad to hear it!

@janvanstraten5516 2 года назад

Very interesting and informative. Thanks Dan.

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Glad it was helpful!

@kennethcampingdiary1976 9 месяцев назад

I use both life saver cube water filter and UV filter for my camping i use saywer as per filter 😊

@ShastaBubba 8 месяцев назад

Cool, thanks!

@MichaelAstrom Год назад

Thank you for sharing good and useful information, keep on the good job!!!

@ShastaBubba Год назад

I appreciate the encouragement! Thanks!

@butchie2752 2 года назад

Very informative. I have had the old steripen sitting unused for emergencies for many years and now I know a lot more about it. Thanks I subbed.

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Glad it was helpful! Really appreciate it!

@GodfreyMann 2 года назад

00:56 re: water contaminated with heavy metals and chemicals Grayl can filter them and remove viruses. I think steripen & Grayl would be a good combo, because in the event particulates clog the Grayl filter (which happens) one could switch to using it solely to hold dirty water and decontaminate with steripen. The issue is if particulates clogged the Grayl in the first place then pre-filtering with eg a back-washable Sawyer would make sense. Sounds like a lot to carry, but water security is more important than food.

@ShastaBubba Год назад

Interesting method; thanks for sharing it! I agree with the importance of water security.

@kennethcampingdiary1976 8 месяцев назад

Have been using lifesaver cube and Jerry can as my main camping water filter, only until recent year i added a nemo 10 liters pressure water bag and Sawyer squeeze as prefilter before i use my lifesaver cube and a DIY UV lighte treatment a bit over kill LOL but at the end of the day i still perfer using water filter to physically removing any possible virus or bacteria as final treatmen i will use a UV light

@ShastaBubba 8 месяцев назад

Wow, that's quite a setup. Guess you can't be too safe, right? Thanks!

@peakbagger7682 Год назад

Thank you for sharing your long-time experience. I only use my SteriPEN Adventurer on trips where I am at a hotel or restaurant. It can't filter dirty water. I will take it to Kenya, Africa next week 2/1/23 for the resort I will stay at. The Sawyer Squeeze would be my choice for backcountry hiking & backpacking. I hope to hike the Appalachian Trail in April 2023 with the Sawyer. I wouldn't trust electronics on the 2, 194-mile-long AT. My instructor, Dr (Ph.D.) Warren Doyle from my 10/22 Appalachian Trail Institute class, who has hiked the AT 19 times, never filters water and has never got sick. He recommends a Sierra Cup.

@ShastaBubba Год назад

Thanks for sharing your perspective. Clearly, no method of purification is fool-proof or 100% robust. Electronics can fail and filters can clog or freeze. Amazing that your Instructor has been so lucky not filtering is such a well-traveled area. I was able to cross the Bob Marshall wilderness once without filtering (did use a few chemical treatment pills on stagnant water), but that's a pristine wilderness, so much less likely to get sick there.

@isawalter3465 6 месяцев назад

interesting, thank you

@ShastaBubba 6 месяцев назад

Glad you liked it!

@martinworos914 Год назад

This is the proper way to make a product comparison video. I have used pumps and the Steripen. I no longer do week-long backpack trips and I only trusted MSR pump filters. I am 65 and want to overnight in the Rockies around clean, running water. I think the Steripen will be a better choice than the Sawyer since I already own the Steripen and there are no virtues of the Sawyer to compel me to change systems. Thanks for the very informative video.

@ShastaBubba Год назад

Thanks so much for the kind words. Glad it was useful!

@dmourati 2 года назад

Brand new to filtration/purification so this is timely. I went with the Sawyer Squeeze + CNOC and then based on comments just got the coupler. I also picked up something called a millbank bag meant as a heavier duty prefilter option. The water I am working with in CA is from natural springs in basins with lots of algae.

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Definitely a more tricky area of the country for water purity than where I hike! Good luck!

@offtraildog701 2 года назад

got my Steripen in 2002. loved it w/ my nalgenes but switched to platypus bladders and had to switch treatment since I did not want to carry a nalgene just for treating water. I have used so many filters over the years and all have some issue. Had the Befree and works great unless there is any glacier silt. backwashing does little to help. tried backflushing/cleaning at home with no improvement so tossed it after a short summer of use. talk about having to sqeeze hard to get some water ! Now I am trying the Platypus Quikdraw and still have my orginal Steripen. BTW - SteriPen suggests replacing the UV light after 5,000 treatments. At the 4,900th treatment, the LED will be Green, slow flash then steady on. I always carry Micropur as a backup

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Good info -- thanks for sharing this. Hope the Quikdraw lasts long and serves you well!

@CordCrenshaw 2 года назад

I use the Katadyn BeFree and have been happy with it but you make a good case for the steripen. Thanks for sharing your insights.

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Thanks for watching and sharing your input!

@GodfreyMann 2 года назад

Katadyn products don’t filter viruses, so combining with UV light makes sense if not only as a backup.

@norhiker4792 2 года назад

Thanks for the informative video. In Norway I have never considered water treatment as it normally is crystal clear. Also I hike mostly in the mountains where the water sources are light exposed continously and contamination from other hikers is not an issue. I think if I were to get a filter the Katadyne BeFree seems a good solution in terms of filter effectiveness vs. practicality. Hope you get to go on some hikes soon Dan 👍 All the best from 🇳🇴

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Thanks so much! First trip planned for the end of this month and I can't wait to get out and try some new gear!!

@andyr4611 Год назад

I have done a lot of backpacking in Norway and rarely treated water with no problems. But this summer I will be walking from Southern Norway through Hardangervidda , an area where I think there are a lot of sheep so should I be more concerned about mountain water in the south? Thanks.

@MTwoodsrunner 2 года назад

usually carry a Sawyer Mini and often use it during summer months...I have used it during several week long trips without total failure...though it does tend to slow down and requires more frequent back washes. As you mention, freezing the unit will create a total failure of the mini as well as other similar filters. It's been perhaps 12 years since i last used a Steripen...my old compadre and hiking companion and Triple Crown earner 'Big Sky' usually had his along and we used that for years without any issues. I know 'Big Sky' switched to the Katadyn BeFree system...not sure what he's using these days...thanks Dan another well done video...atb...MTwoods

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Thanks Woods! Funny how our gear shifts over time. Usually deliberately for good reason, but sometimes looking back, I can't even recall why a shift was made.

@VideoFiend1 Год назад

Steri pen user from the start. Water tastes good, quick and kills everything. No illness issues so far. Prefilter with cloth. Still worry about heavy metals.

@ShastaBubba Год назад

Great! Glad it's working for you. Thanks for commenting!

@churra8257 2 года назад

you convinced me

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Wishing you many liters of safe drinking!

@chriseidam7319 2 года назад

Boy, we rarely see this POV on H2O treatment. I use both a Squeeze or Mini (keep it clean and it'll work fine) and a Steripen, the big, aqua blue one from about 8-to-10 years ago. I use the Squeeze to filter-out bacteria, parasites and solid pollutants, including toxic leaf litter. I use the Steripen as a redundancy should my Squeeze fail (clogged, frozen to death), plus to neutralize viruses. I have never run the battery down to low using it. I also carry a few coffee filters. They weigh virtually nothing and they are good in a pinch. They back up as T.P., too. Sure, I have increased my weight a little, but safety never takes a holiday. A family friend lost her colon to E-coli at 19 while volunteering for the Peace Corps in India. It happened in the early '70s. I bet she wishes she could have had a Squeeze AND a Steripen back then.

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Thanks for this! Coffee filters are a great idea. Sorry about the family friend; sucks when someone pays a lifetime price for the act of doing some good.

@xymzk 2 года назад

Yes, it's not worth messing around with. I've had daily major health issues for 12 years thanks to food poisoning. I'm permanently disabled and it has affected me in many ways.

@chriseidam7319 2 года назад

@@xymzk That is awful. I suffered some hearing damage when I took Kaopectaye per the advice of a nurse-friend of my mom's when I was suffering one of the worst food poisonings of my life. Sure enough, the hearing damage warning is right on the bottle. And it didn't make me feel even a bit better.

@ianhall702 2 года назад

Sawyer squeeze for me!!!

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Thanks!

@MrHamish54 5 месяцев назад

I attempted to use a Steripen Adventurer hiking the John Muir Trail in 2018. I had inconsistent results of the pen coming on and indicating completion of the sterilization cycle. I had new batteries at the start and even replaced the batteries after resupplying at Muir Ranch. I learned after the hike the problem may have been the lack of electrolytes in the water. People suggested putting salt in the water for the unit to complete sterilization. I used Aqua Mira liquid for the purification. I'll used this pen on subsequent hikes with no problem.

@ShastaBubba 5 месяцев назад

This is really interesting; thanks so much for sharing this detail. I hadn't heard of that, but it's a great answer for the very rare glitches I've had.

@oldrabidus2230 11 месяцев назад

Women’s pantyhose also make a great pre water filter. The synthetic fibers are much smaller and tighter than cotton and will catch smaller debris.

@ShastaBubba 11 месяцев назад

Ooh, good tip! I'll have to give that a try. Since the weave is tighter, do you find it clogs quickly?

@oldrabidus2230 11 месяцев назад

@@ShastaBubba depending on debris size, but there is a lot of surface area on nylon leggings so you can simply move it over to a new spot and or reverse the flow direction and push out the particulates.

@hoser7706 2 года назад

Very thorough and honest review. Thanks. Katadyn Befree is great too with tablets as backup. But I am looking at getting a Steripen for travel. Hard to beat the price of the Classic 3. Ultras are getting poor reviews.

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Thanks! I just bought an Ultra, so I'll have to let you know how that turns out after a season or two!

@hoser7706 2 года назад

@@ShastaBubba i just bought the Classic 3 yesterday. Lol. The size of the Ultra is tempting.

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

@@hoser7706 Apparently we share the gear-buying disease!

@hoser7706 2 года назад

@@ShastaBubba oh for sure. And it is a big club. I’d be embarassed to share how many tents, pads, and bikes I have. But it all lasts forever through trend after trend. 😁

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

@@hoser7706 ...and gear swap. 😎

@oldunion 2 года назад

fwiw, sawyer sells a "coupling ring" that you can use in lieu of the syringe for backflushing or gravity feed. My sawyer squeeze+coupling ring+ 3L CNOC Vector Bag is right at 6oz and that likely includes some moisture left in the sawyer. I'd like to try the steri-pen but east coat waters seem too variable for it, I like that the sawyer also stops sediment too as evident from backflushing after filtering 2-4L from some sources.

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Thanks for mentioning that; I wondered whether streams in the East tend to be more tea-colored (beyond spring runoff) and perhaps the UV light would be less effective. Also, lots harder to know what it upstream.

@DumpTrump4TRE45ON Год назад

I prefer the steri pen as well! I am not adding anything like Iodine or Chlorine unless I have to. It takes less time than boiling. I have had Giardia, and I do not want any animal related viruses. I also use A katadyn Filter or a Lifestraw filter. Mine is the classic, and in Winter I double treat it because low temps (I live in Alaska and I will backpack down to -20 F or sometimes less. I carry a Nut Milk Bag (Amazon) and its better and lasts longer than cheese cloth. I live in Alaska and an awful lot of animals poop in the water, tons of beavers, bears, moose, wolves, ducks, geese, and fish. DNA is everything.....(I do have Aqua tabs or I boil as a backup).

@ShastaBubba Год назад

Glad I'm not the only one! Thanks for the tip on Nut Milk Bags -- been looking for a good prefilter. I carry Aqua Tabs as a backup too; very light as a secondary option.

@tonyrowland9216 Год назад

There is an outfitter in Minn that provides these with his packages.

@ShastaBubba Год назад

Very cool, thanks!

@blunted1mike 2 года назад

Sawyer Squeeze regular size for sure! Pro tip, buy the additional Sawyer coupler that fits your standard smart water bottle. Then use a cnoc bag to hang and let gravity do your filtering for you. I tried the Katadyn BeFree, which was wonderful for the first week of using it, then it degrades significantly over time, while the Sawyer squeeze holds up just fine. Back flush with said coupler and keep on moving.

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Thanks Mike! Solid advice from a veteran of the AT!

@oldunion 2 года назад

Lol I just came in to give this exact endorsement. it's great system and I like that I can fill my 3L vecto if I have to carry water into camp.

@sB-wt5ov 2 года назад

Darn it! I recently bought the sawyer mini, not even the squeeze model

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

@@sB-wt5ov Ouch. Maybe it will be okay if you don't push it too hard. I mean, they're still making them, so they must work for some folks, right?

@sB-wt5ov 2 года назад

@@ShastaBubba I hope so, but I know what my next investment will be thanks to you! I think it will be enough for this season at least

@DrJohn493 2 года назад

Really like the steripen concept but concerned about the failure rate. I'm still stuck on chemical treatment (Micropur tabs) with Sawyer micro filtering as a backup. Or vice versa...chem treatment has served me well over the years. I usually carry 1 treated liter of H2O and have a second liter being treated. Or 1 treated liter and then filter at my evening campsite if H2O will be nearby. But I always carry MP chem tabs in my 1st aid kit. To be honest, the way I consume H2O on the trail, the MP chem tabs are very effective for me. And darn, if you're a weekend warrior I hate to think what I am 😉

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Thanks John. Chem treatment is probably the best/most reliable if you don't mind the taste!

@DrJohn493 2 года назад

@@ShastaBubba I've never detected a chem taste with the MicroPur tabs but then my wife tells me I've killed my tastebuds with the copious quantities of Tabasco sauce I put on/in stuff 😋😉

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

@@DrJohn493 Ouch!

@georgiosladas3106 Год назад

Excellent video! If sterilize a bottle of water from rain or a river and store it a week is it getting smelly?? Or you can drink it even after a week? Cause every time I stored water from natural saurce, after a few days becomes smelly and not drinkable. Could steri keep it normal rain water for a few days???

@ShastaBubba Год назад

Great question! I have no idea, never having had to do that. Interesting experiment, for sure.

@cincopasos8122 2 года назад

In the Peruvian andes there are surprisingly many people and cattle, neither of which have any consideration for keeping water sources clean. So I filter first and then disinfect with chemicals.

@ShastaBubba 2 года назад

Thanks for sharing your perspective; good to get more international feedback here since conditions vary widely.