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FYI….Steripen is a water purifying system using ultraviolet rays…http://www.steripen.com/
Fubar, nice pick up, good for the high country creeks… -
What T Downing said:D After you put water into your bottle, you turn on the Steri-Pen and put the end into the bottle. When the light turns green, your water is safe to drink. It uses UV light to kill everything and doesn’t alter the taste. I’ve wanted one, but they usually go for $145
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Does your pee glow? 😯
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I’m sure the water would taste better than when using iodine drops. I used drops on an Outward Bound hiking trip a few years ago. Orange peels helped with the taste. Great find.
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If you’re starting with clear water, the litre-sized filter bottles that have been around for years, for about $10, are the most sensible water purifying source I’ve yet found. I’ve used them from Alaska to Arizona and lots of in-betweens. Since we all carry a water bottle of some sort anyhow, there’s no extra gear. In area where natural water is plentiful I just dip the bottle in, screw the lid back on and drink my fill, then dump what’s left. It’s also handy when traveling to places where the city water stinks. Sure beats iodine and my first bottle is many years old and has filtered untold gallons of water and is still going strong. It has totally eliminated my carrying a pump filter when backpacking. Just one more possibility.
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Fortunately there are a lot of options out there. I like the Steri-Pen and have used it a bunch. It’s only potential drawbacks are that it requires batteries and it is only suitable for smaller amounts of water, a liter for instance, because of how close the UV light needs to get to all of the water. I also have a MIOX system made by MSR which is super light and is good for larger amounts of water at your base camp or where ever. Drawbacks are batteries and taste.
My trick with iodine tabs is after they have been given time to kill off everything add a vitamin C tab. and it helps take the taste away. But I still don’t like ingesting iodine.Josh
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Ive been using products made by these people for sometime (possibly as long as 10 years) and can recommend them, my only suggestions when filling the water bottles put a fine mesh over the mouth to reduce larger debris getting in and prolong the life of the filter.
I cant say who stocks their products your side of the pond but Ive always used mail order very successfully.
I also like to use bottles in pairs to balance the weight and to always have one full bottle come night/breakfast.
http://www.bwtechnologies.com/aquapure_traveller.htmlIve never used the SteriPen but a lot of people like them look forward to hearing how you get on.
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Unique shape on that one Pothunter. Can’t say I’ve seen it before. Yeah I need to get a prefilter for the bottles. Don’t enjoy floaties, lol. I used pills for years, but besides the taste I hated waiting 20+ minutes for them to work. By then the water is warm:evil:
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FUBAR wrote: Yeah I need to get a prefilter for the bottles. Don’t enjoy floaties, lol.
You probably know this already. The SteriPEN will not work reliably unless the water is clear. It depends on the UV light reaching any microbes to disable them. If the light is absorbed by crud, there’s a risk of microbes being unaffected. These days there are SteriPEN kits sold with the prefilters.
I used to sell these devices, and I’ve known several satisfied users. Good choice if you’re spending a lot of time outdoors. And they’re pretty quick even for churning out treated bottles of water for a few party members.
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About 8 years ago we went to Mexico and climbed Orizaba. We used the Miox. The Miox was just coming out then. We got it from my buddy who works at the MSR Factory. I recommend it and would still use it but we had to give it back after our trip.
What I use locally in the wilderness is iodine or chlorine.
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Fubar and Tom — Brita also has a pour-through filter for like a tea pitcher or such. It’s big and bulky and for that reason I don’t think it’s suitable for backpacking, where we mostly need water filters, but might work OK for car camping if you start with. You’d have to start with clear water, I think. I have a Brita on my sink to filter stinky well water and they don’t seem to last too long and cost too much. Somebody else here before suggested the water bottles with filter built in, and I’ve used them for years, about $10 and come with a replacement filter. Just can’t see how to beat that deal as we need to carry a water bottle anyhow. Also good for airports and other public germ factorys. just my thoughts. Homer
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It seems that there four major things that need to be considered when filtering water
1 solids (clear or murky water)
2 heavy metals
3 bacteria
4 chemicalsMy brother is a bio-chem student and I asked him about it, since I definitely dont know much about this type of thing. He suggested that those pour in Brita filters are simply just a carbon filter. Its used for heavy metals and some chemicals. He also suggested boiling the water for a few minuets to burn off the bacteria. This is all assuming that your using relatively clear water to begin with.
I remember boiling lake water for drinking when I was in scouts. Never really had a problem with it. Not saying I would do the same in Lake Ontario, but it worked then.
Hopefully someone a little more informed could step up to give some insight on this.
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Boiling, of course works, but has its problems. Need time to boil. Have to wait for cool water to drink. You use up more fuel for what stove you use. Those filter bottles are great for dipping into a nice cold stream. Steri-pen has same advantages
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