Steripen Failure

[dr_wu002]

I have a steripen. I had a steripen. I haven't had the opportunity to backpack in over 2 years now and I tried out this stupid thing and it didn't work over the weekend. I've always found it somewhat confusing to use and it seemed to have a mind of its own. Has anyone ever had this same problem? The problem was that I filled up like all of my Nalgene bottles with dirty bing-bing water and when I went to "purify" them with the pen the thing didn't turn on. The blue light that is. The indicator lights turned on (red/green) but they don't ever make sense as to what they're doing or mean. Eventually even they did not turn on. So I had contaminated all my bottles and ended up having to borrow tablets from MEB to "recondition" my bottles back into drinking condition. I continued throughout the weekend to get the pen to work and even tried "fancier" batteries to no avail. Last night after about 1/5 of vodka I went medieval on the thing so now I can say I had a steripen in the past tense.

Has anyone ever had continued luck with this device? I've had mine since 2005 and it worked only intermittent during that period. It seemed like it worked only when it felt like working and despite the fact that I read the directions its user operation never really resembled what the directions claimed it would. I'm very frustrated and now I have to buy some sort of pump to purify my water. I'm a cheap bastard and don't like buying stuff like this and felt that the $teripen would last me to my grave. I wanted to be buried with it.

Any suggestions? People rec'd the Katadyn.

-Dr. Wu

 

[mookie]

sounds confusing. when i run out of water i prefer to drink my own urine.

 

[skiguy]

Any suggestions?

-Dr. Wu

I heard Disco might be coming back in therefore if the Pen starts working again you might be able to use it in conjunction with Matts's Disco Ball

 

[vegematic]

In my volunteer work on the AT I chat with plenty of hikers and see a wide variety of gear come and go. In the previous couple of summers a lot of thru hikers were carrying steripens and there were *numerous* complaints about malfunctions, many similar to what you described. This summer? I didn't see a single steripen. I think the word is getting out that they are not very reliable. Mostly folks were using some form of bleach or iodine treatment because it's lightweight, doesn't require batteries, and can't break down.

-vegematic

 

[dr_wu002]

I heard Disco might be coming back in therefore if the Pen starts working again you might be able to use it in conjunction with Matts's Disco Ball

I have a red and a green laser pointer for this. A weak UV light just isn't going to do it for anyone. Plus, my SteriPEN is now in the past tense and I sure as hell won't be buying a new one. Looks like a Katadyn is in my future.

Seriously, has anyone ever had continued success with this device?

-Dr. Wu

 

[AMF]

I don't know about the pen failure, but I do know that they are not recommended for water with any amount of cloudiness or particulate matter. Successful UV sterilization generally requires a pre-filter to remove such material, at which point, unless you are pulling from a clear mountain stream, you may as well use a standard filter.

 

[WinterWarlock]

I have a red and a green laser pointer for this. A weak UV light just isn't going to do it for anyone. Plus, my SteriPEN is now in the past tense and I sure as hell won't be buying a new one. Looks like a Katadyn is in my future.

Seriously, has anyone ever had continued success with this device?

-Dr. Wu

Hey Doc - send a PM to DuctTape here - he's a lurker, but active on ADKForum. He swears by, not at, the SteriPen.

Scott

 

[erugs]

I was given a Steripen and haven't used it yet. (I'm afraid to find it doesn't work with Manchester water ) . I brought it backpacking last weekend but also brought my MSR along, too. A friend ended up filtering all of our water with the MSR while the rest of us hiked over to Bondcliff and back to Guyot. She decided to use the filter rather than the pen and noted that the MSR seemed to pump slowly in comparison to others she had used. It has a new filter, so I'm not sure what that's all about.

 

[dr_wu002]

I was given a Steripen and haven't used it yet. (I'm afraid to find it doesn't work with Manchester water ) . I brought it backpacking last weekend but also brought my MSR along, too. A friend ended up filtering all of our water with the MSR while the rest of us hiked over to Bondcliff and back to Guyot. She decided to use the filter rather than the pen and noted that the MSR seemed to pump slowly in comparison to others she had used. It has a new filter, so I'm not sure what that's all about.

I have an MSR filter and it's stupid slow. That's why I got the SteriPEN -- no pumping involved. Although slow is better than broken (and now destroyed) but I don't have patience for slow pumps. Note that I drank the Guyot Campsite water untreated. I did not drink Ethan Pond or Throeau Falls water untreated though because I know both have beaver activity relatively close. The problem was that I contaminated my water bottles so I had to recondition them before I could pour in yummy Guyot water to drink.

-Dr. Wu

 

[cbcbd]

I recently got a Steripen and all of the tests I did at home when I first got it worked fine... then the first time I take it on the trail and go filter some river water the stupid thing lights up and then immediately shuts down with a frowny face... I tried it a few more times and then just got frustrated and drank directly from the stream. Tested when I got back home and worked fine
Maybe its the whole murky water thing, don't know...

A friend of mine is on the PCT right now using one, I'll have to check up on him to see how its treating (or not treating) him.


...and yeah, got rid of my MSR a long time ago... too slow. Got a Pur filter then - now Katadyn.

 

[WinterWarlock]

I've been using the Katahdin Hiker Pro model - doesn't seem slow at all. And a few times the water has been pretty murky (trail runoff once!)

 

[Snowflea]

Dr. Wu, did you reread the product warning about where not to stick it? Just wondering.

I have a Steri-pen and like it a lot for dayhikes and short backpacking trips. (Used it twice on a run in the Sierras yesterday!) For a long hike such as the PCT or AT, IMO it's not really practical because the batteries last only about 40-50 treatments (I counted). For someone like me who treats maybe 25% of my water, Steri-pens are a bit more practical. Also, my super-duper deluxe model uses camera batteries which are more expensive and harder to find in dinky trail towns.

If you're concerned about weight, it beats carrying a pump. Iodine is lighter, but... YUCK!

 

[dr_wu002]

Dr. Wu, did you reread the product warning about where not to stick it? Just wondering.

I have a Steri-pen and like it a lot for dayhikes and short backpacking trips. (Used it twice on a run in the Sierras yesterday!) For a long hike such as the PCT or AT, IMO it's not really practical because the batteries last only about 40-50 treatments (I counted). For someone like me who treats maybe 25% of my water, Steri-pens are a bit more practical. Also, my super-duper deluxe model uses camera batteries which are more expensive and harder to find in dinky trail towns.

If you're concerned about weight, it beats carrying a pump. Iodine is lighter, but... YUCK!

Yeah, I'm pissed because I didn't do anything naughty with it like the directions warn against. And it still broke.

Iodine is cool because you can put the neutralizing tablet in it later on and then the water tastes yummy again.

Thankfully MEB stopped me: I was going to eat the iodine tablets and then drink the untreated water. Apparently you put the tablets in the water first. Learn something new every hike.

-Dr. Wu

 

[Lawn Sale]

I wish you had posted here before it met its demise.

Did you shake the pen down so the mercury would end up at the bottom of the bulb and not at the top, which is where it will end up if it's laying down for any length of time?

Another problem is people hit the button then immediately put it in the water. It needs a second to do a check cycle and will "malfunction" if you don't give it a second or two.

If that didn't work, the earlier Classic models had a problem with the gasket around the 2 electrodes, water would get in and short out the unit, causing it not to work. The upgraded models are encased in silicone so that cannot happen anymore. They replaced mine and gave me a bunch of free stuff as an apology. Since most people don't register them (I didn't), they cannot contact everyone for a replacement. I think the replacements are also available through your local dealers. They have a lifetime warranty, it doesn't get much better than that.

I have 2 of them now (Original and Adventurer), and they work fine, no problems after the aforementioned issue. I also have two of the filters, the solar charger with neoprene sleeve, and too many batteries to count.

You could have also e-mailed Miles Maiden, the CEO of Hydro-Photon (SteriPen manufacturers), who I have met and talked with personally on several occasions, along with several of their engineers. They are very proud of their pens and stand by them to the Nth degree. I am very confident any issues would have been resolved immediately.

I have read all the technical reports from independent labs, including the challenge water test, which is greater than 30 NTU (pretty damn dirty, our raw lake water is 1.5 NTU), and all came through with flying colors. It honestly did better than I thought it would, but the reports are from independent labs all across the country and posted on their site for all to see.

They are a small company and work diligently to produce a quality product, which they stand behind. They work with hikers, bikers, and travelers to constantly improve their product and ensure it works in every environment. They are always open to suggestions and are appreciative of feedback, positive and negative.

To anyone going to Acadia, they're located in Blue Hill, on the Ellsworth road (across from the fairgrounds), only about 1/2 hour out of the way. I recommend you take some time and stop by for a visit and tour, you won't be disappointed.

I do not work for them nor receive any endorsements, my observations are my own and based on personal experiences.

I have a MSR Waterworks, Pur Hiker, and Pur Guide filters, and used to use Aqua-Mira, but I don't use them anymore. I bring ClO2 tabs as a backup, but have not needed them.