February 19, 2012 in Outdoors

New SteriPEN makes water purifying even easier

Stephen Regenold, Special To Outdoors
 
Tags:Gear Junkieoutdoor equipmentoutdoorsSteriPENThe Gear Junkiewater purifiers

SteriPEN Freedom turns on automatically and turns off when water is purified. No buttons to push.
(Full-size photo)

For the past couple of years, while backpacking in the wilderness and on international trips, I have relied on a device called the SteriPEN to purify water.

The battery-power “pen” emits UV light that destroys bacteria, viruses and protozoa such as giardia and cryptosporidium to provide “germ-free” water with the press of a button.

Sounds like magic, I know.

But the SteriPEN ( steripen.com) is just a scaled-down version of the same kind of UV-light purification system that many municipalities in the United States employ to treat mass quantities of H2O.

To use a SteriPEN, you dip the unit’s glass lamp into a cup of water or a bottle and stir gently for about a minute as the UV light flashes in your drink.

Once finished, the lamp turns off. Presto, your water is good to go! SteriPEN’s latest magic purifying wand comes in a tinier and even more travel-friendly design.

The company’s Freedom model, which costs $120, is the smallest and lightest SteriPEN yet, weighing just a couple of ounces and fitting in any pocket at 5 inches long.

It is also the easiest model to use. You do not even need to push a button to operate it – small sensors near the lamp know when the unit is dipped in water, triggering the UV mechanism to turn on and begin to disinfect.

Once complete, the lamp shuts down and the unit’s green L.E.D. blinks off, telling you the water is safe to drink.

Another upgrade: The Freedom pen has an integrated battery that recharges via a micro USB port.

You can plug it into a laptop computer, an AC wall outlet (with an included adapter), or, for backpacking, a compatible solar charger.

The company specs 40 purifications between each charge, enough UV juice for all but the longest wilderness trips.

On the Web: gearjunkie.com.

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Three comments on this story so far. Add yours!

  • rosehips on February 19 at 8:22 a.m.

    Steripens are good products but I would still want to use a post filter to get any dissolved solids or dead organisms out of my water. The biggest complaint I’ve heard about them are the batteries. If you forget to bring spares and you get caught with dead batteries, you could be in big trouble if you are far from a convenience store.

    Sawyer has some great lightweight filters that even compare to the weight of this Steripen. I’d go with an inline filter which is less than half the price of the Steripen.

    http://www.highwaterfilters.com/sawyer-products-s/70.htm

  • rosehips on February 19 at 2:06 p.m.

    One of the biggest advantages of the steripen is that you can use in when winter camping. It can freeze and still work, while filters won’t.

  • richl on February 19 at 9:19 p.m.

    Good points, rosehips.

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