Date: 2017-02-11
To: Gear Review: SteriPEN Ultra (water purification)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

STERIPEN ULTRA Gear Review!Weight: 4.96oz (0.31 lbs)Image copyright SteriPEN/Hydro-PhotonThere are three main ways to clean your water on the trail. #1 - Physical Filter (such as the Sawyer)#2 - UV Sterilization (such as the SteriPEN)#3 - Chemicals (such as Aquamira) I chose #2, the UV sterilization, because I didn't feel that a third of a pound would be breaking my back and because it felt much more reliable than a filter. I had read reviews of leaky seals on Sawyer filters, broken filters, and problems with cleaning it. You need to "backflush" filters with clean water to prevent yucky stuff from forming and to get the accumulated gunk out or else your filter will work VERY slowly. That sounded complicated. I also didn't want to pump water every time I needed some - it takes so much time - and I wanted to carry Nalgene bottles. The SteriPEN is perfect for using with Nalgenes and that made me feel good. I have an affinity for Nalgenes. I carry one with me everywhere and they're basically unbreakable. I use a Camelbak when I hike short distances, though - it's a brand of hydration pack. There's a soft pouch that you carry on your back and there's a hose with a mouthpiece that hangs over your shoulder that you drink through. It's convenient but I did not want to fuss with the pouch and hose and filling it and everything. Some people carried them. I did not.This is how I carried my water. I liked having big 1 Liter Nalgenes because it felt super solid (though this shows one Nalgene and one Powerade bottle, because I somehow lost a Nalgene in Vermont. Oops)Pros:-SO FAST AND EASY. It took some other hikers HALF AN HOUR to filter one liter with a Sawyer. Aquamira takes something like 5 minutes to mix then another 30 minutes to work before you can drink the water. My SteriPEN takes 90 seconds to sterilize an entire liter of water. It takes only 45 seconds for a half liter. All you have to do is collect the water and stick the SteriPEN in it, and swirl it around for about a minute. SO FAST. SO EASY.-Rechargeable. I carried the SteriPEN Ultra. It's a pretty small version that is rechargeable with a microUSB cord. Since I also use an Android phone I was already carrying a microUSB and my brother had generously bought me a very powerful portable battery that I could use to recharge it rather than bringing extra batteries with me everywhere. I liked that it was rechargeable and it felt so much easier than carrying extra batteries or whatever.-Simple. A filter has multiple parts and the chemicals are caustic and require mixing and pouring. I carried one thing. It was simple. I like Nalgenes. I don't like SmartWater bottles (lots of people with filters used SmartWater bottles because they are one liter and have a screw top that fits with the filter). Also, the Nalgenes fit well in my Osprey Atmos pack pouches and were easily accessible. It may be worth checking to see what water system works best with your pack - some side pockets just aren't the right size for Nalgenes or are hard to get to. You want to be able to access your water, fill your system, clean your system, and put it pack in place without needing any help. Independence! Woo!Cons:-Maybe fragile? The part that you stick in the water (the part with the light) is glass. It comes with a protective plastic cover that snaps on securely as well as a neoprene pouch to store the whole thing. I didn't have any problems at all with fragility but I guess it was a little bit more susceptible to drops than a filter would be. Bear in mind that I heard stories of Aquamira bottles breaking and burning chemical holes in packs and of filter parts bursting (especially those squeeze bags)... but I thought I'd mention that part of the SteriPEN is glass.-Not a physical filter. Here's the main con of not having a filter: you can't filter out the silt and dirt. Sometimes my water was a little bit gritty. I could pour my water through my spare bandanna to filter out some of the grit but it was never as good as using a real micron filter. I didn't really mind because almost all of the water sources on the trail (like, 98%) were beautifully pure and I didn't notice any grit at all. Mountain streams and springs are CLEAN! The remaining 2% I either sucked it up and drank slightly sandy water or I asked a hiker friend to filter for me (in return I would SteriPEN their water the next time). There were 3 times that the water was yucky enough that all of us got together and SteriPENned/Sawyered/AND Aquamira-ed everything to feel safe.Do I recommend this gear? Yup. You guys. SteriPENs aren't very popular anymore. I saw mostly filters on the trail - mostly the Sawyer and Sawyer Mini - and they worked just fine. I'm just here to say that I loved my little SteriPEN and I loved the little happy face that showed up whenever I cleaned my water. LOOK AT THE CUTE HAPPY FACE!Any questions!? Think I should add more info somewhere? Feel free to email me at elleoutdoors@gmail.com!Disclaimer: I did a LOT of research before starting my thru-hike but my Gear Review series is about my personal experiences with my choices of gear and everything might not be true for everyone! Decide carefully, my hiker friends, and get things that work for you