[pct-l] water and walking

[linda.hungerford]

I've used both the Steripen adventurer (small black one) Steripen classic 
(big white and blue one).  The Adventurer used the CR123 batteries that were 
ridiculously expensive and short lasting, and sometime brand new they didn't 
have an adequate charge and the Steripen wouldn't work at all.  Its sensors 
were overly sensitive, too, and its performance was intermittent at best --  
maybe half the time, meaning some trips, it worked on the first purify, the 
batteries failes, the replacement batteries failed, and subsequent days I 
was boiling or using some nasty backup chemicals.  So back to REI it went. 
I replaced it with the Steripen classic, which, with 4 lithium AA batteries, 
has lasted well more than its specified 100 liters on a battery set.  It's a 
few ounces more and takes up more space, but not having to carry multiple 
sets of backup batteries, being able to get batteries almost anywhere and 
use the same size as the GPS, and knowing it will work whenever you sit down 
and turn it on and that you'll be able to drink in 90 seconds  -- well, it's 
worth several pounds in peace of mind...

linda