[pct-l] steripen for water purification

[Greg Kesselring]

Mr. Wizard wrote:

Anecdotal data: For the rest of the Oregon/Washington trip three of us  
used the SteriPEN exclusively. The fourth member of the group used a  
filter. He got giardia; we didn't!

Wow, that sucks (for the fourth member of the group). 

It does not bode well for filter users.

Did he always use his filter or were there times when he drank right out 
of a stream without filtering?  Are you sure it was giardia?  Was the 
diagnosis confirmed by a doctor?

Thanks!

Greg

Craig Rice wrote:
> Hi Laura,
>
> I've used the SteriPEN "Classic" the last two years as I did the  
> SoCal, Oregon and Washington sections of the PCT. I could purify water  
> daily for about a week and a half on a single set of Li batteries.  
> While the "PEN" is heavier than a bottle of AquaMira, which previously  
> was my purifier of choice, and has to be included in the "baseweight"  
> of the "gram weenies", it's effective pack weight is less than  
> AquaMire. Since water is ready in 90 sec for a liter, we ended up  
> carrying less water than normal and would "camel up" when we got to  
> water sources.
>
> I wasn't a believer at first. My hiker buddy, Strider, showed up with  
> one at the beginning of our Oregon/Washington trip. I long stated that  
> I would never use a GPS versus a compass on the trail--"never trust  
> your life with something that requires batteries". And here he is with  
> a water purifier that needs batteries! Also being a scientist I was  
> skeptical about the performance of the unit. After watching Strider  
> use it for a week--he's drinking and I'm watching my watch to time the  
> AquaMira--and getting hold of the original validation studies, I was  
> willing to try. Two years later it's my purifier of choice. Note: just  
> in case.... I usually bring along a few purifier tablets should I  
> manage to break the PEN. It's actually pretty tough device with the  
> storage cap on it.
>
> Anecdotal data: For the rest of the Oregon/Washington trip three of us  
> used the SteriPEN exclusively. The fourth member of the group used a  
> filter. He got giardia; we didn't!
>
> Mr. Wizard
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