Compact Water Purification Solutions......

[WAND3R3R]

Here are a few water purification tools I use, they are compact, lightweight and have worked well in Africa and South America in remote locations!
-AK

Link Below,

http://www.apocketfullofwanderlust.com/2012/11/great-stuff-for-wanderer-water.html

 

[HenryJ]

Thanks for sharing. I have had interest in acquiring a UV water purification pen. Do you recommend yours?

 

[WAND3R3R]

STERI-PEN

HenryJ, I recommend the Steri-Pen. Sometimes Costco or Sams Club have it on sale for about $65.00.
-AK

 

[HenryJ]

Thanks. I'll keep my eyes open. We do have a Costco that is close.

I am seeing several Steri-Pen models available: Adventurer Opti, Journey, Classic, Traveler, Emergency, Freedom. Which would be preferable?

I see quite a few bad reviews on the solar charger and rechargeable batteries. I think I have my own ways to deal with a battery supply.
I keep a Berkey bottle in my bag, so I have filtration covered.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Thanks. I'll keep my eyes open. We do have a Costco that is close.

I am seeing several Steri-Pen models available: Adventurer Opti, Journey, Classic, Traveler, Emergency, Freedom. Which would be preferable?
.

SteriPen tends to get a bit crazy with their packaging. Most of their systems use the same bulb. Here's the rough breakdown:

Adventure - designed to be very compact for backcountry use. CR123 batts. 8,000 treatments within a bulb's optimal lifespan.

Journey - Same system as above. Has an LCD display for techno-phobes that can't read LED lights, I guess. 8,000 treatments. CR123 batts. Has a conical fitting around the bulb for use with consumer bottles, like Evian, Aquafina, bottles, etc. This is mostly a "traveler's" SteriPen for that reason.

Classic - The suckers SteriPen. This is the one people see at Costco and think it's a bargin. It is, but it only lasts 3,000 treatments before the bulb is pooped. It's now only sold as a complete kit. It has the conical fitment around the bulb like the Journey. Not a necessary feature in my opinion. It does use AA batts, which some like. Kinda bulky for backcountry travel.

The Freedom is the new tiny USB chargeable version. Verdict is out on that one. It's kind of a weird system. Designed to be tiny, but only if you have access to USB charging, which isn't usually a low size scenario.

The Emergency is effectively just a red Classic with a bulb that only lasts 3,000 treatments.

The Traveler is a blue Classic with a bulb that lasts 3,000 treatments.

The one I would recommend is the Adventure. Hands down. No question. We'll sell roughly 50 Adventure pens a year. Most Classics are bought as gifts as they're cheaper.

Lastly, I know OJ did a test of the SteriPen and more or less flunked it. I've used it extensively. Probably consumed 200 liters of backcountry water treated by a SteriPen. Works great.

 

[WAND3R3R]

Steri-Pen

Flounder, thanks for the info concerning the various models. I can only speak about the "Adventurer." It has served me well, I have used it to purify water in the Amazon Jungle, Cambodian Forest and Equatorial Guinea, African forest to name a few places. I keep it in the case inside a ziploc-bag to stay clean. I use it in conjunction with a micro-filtration system as the second step (filter first, steri-pen second) and my water is clean!!
-AK

 

[HenryJ]

Great information! Thanks guys! I can see how it would be a good plan for water that "looks clean" but you are worried about the critters that might make you sick.
I pulled the trigger on an Adventurer Opti

With a little looking I was able to find it for sale shipped at $59 after a coupon discount.

Just one more tool. Never hurts to have options.

 

[h2os2]

Great info!
Some other compact water purifiers also are Lifestraw http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/lifestraw
or Aquamira http://www.aquamira.com/preparedness/aquamira-frontier-filter

 

[Christophe Noel]

It's probably good to clarify some terms. Purification is usually a chemical process to neutralize pathogens in the water. The SteriPen is a purification process using UV light, but it's still a "purifier." I guess boiling would also be a purification process. Basically, the kooties are still in the water, just made safe to drink.

Filtration is the other way to remove harmful pathogens from water. This is a mechanical process. Filters will extract all the nasty bugs anyone would ever encounter with the exception of viruses. This is largely a non-issue. The only common virus to be survivable in wild water sources is Heptatitus, and only a rare strand at that. In other words, getting a virus through a backcountry water source in North America is not just rare, it's nearly unheard of.