[pct-l] Fwd: Camlbak All Clear

Wed Jan 7 20:54:33 CST 2015

The original large white steri pen I started out with in in 2010 simply
wouldn't work sometimes.  I could get one liter, but almost never a second
without a long wait.  I returned it to REI after fussing with it for
months.  Should have gone back sooner.  The second lighter hiker model
worked well, but would go through batteries so quickly It was almost as
bad.  I'd bought the batteries at REI, as they are really hard to find at
regular stores and supermarkets, so I assume they were good to start with.
But I never got even close to as many liters as I should have and again, it
was just not reliable enough in the long run because I didn't want to carry
that many spare batteries.

Since hooking up the gravity feed on the Sawyer, I don't have to sit there
swishing the pen or squeezing the bag for 5 or more minutes trying to fill
multiple bottles anymore and that ease of use is the selling point for the
Sawyer as gravity feed for me.   On the Winds with Yoshihiro I filled for
both of us routinely and later in Glacier, at times 4 of us.  No problem.
On the AT this summer, my gravity filter was so easy to use I always
filtered for anyone else I was hiking with, sometimes nearly the whole
shelter's worth.  Gravity is the only way to go for groups.  As noted by
Jay, freezing is an issue with the Sawyer, as with any filter, and I always
kept the filter element in a zip lock and brought it into my bag at night
when we had 0 degrees in GA, TN and NC.  It was cold in March on the AT.

Shroomer

On Wed, Jan 7, 2015 at 5:52 PM, marmot marmot <marmotwestvanc at hotmail.com>
wrote:

> No snow. Water sources were streams. Steripen worked on way out. Would not
> register on way back. Tried again with new batteries. Some times it works.
> No consistency   I can't remember the year. I think 09. Maybe new sensor
> works
> Marmot
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Jan 7, 2015, at 5:38 PM, Jay Bruins <jbruins at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Insightful. A few follow up questions based on the manufacturers claims,
> if you don’t mind. ( http://www.steripen.com/steripen-misconceptions )
> >
> > When was your yoyo? They redesigned the sensor in 2009.
> >
> > Did it fail on “snow melt” like they claim or other sources?
> >
> >
> > There’s plenty of anecdotes elsewhere on the internet, but a yoyo seems
> like a more consistent test environment.
> >
> > J
> >
> >
> >
> >> On Jan 7, 2015, at 4:35 PM, marmot marmot <marmotwestvanc at hotmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> Unreliable means that on a yoyo of the Backbone trail, I used the same
> water sources going as coming back. The excuse that the manufacturer used
> that there weren't enough minerals in the water so that's why it would not
> register ---show a smiley face,did not fly.
> >> The excuse that altitude bothered it wasn't true either. So I just
> can't trust it
> >> Marmot
> >> Sent from my iPhone
> >>
> >>> On Jan 7, 2015, at 3:51 PM, Jay Bruins <jbruins at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Does anyone care to elaborate on "unreliable"?
> >>>
> >>> I've used a Steripen Freedom when traveling abroad (eg restaurants) as
> well as with a Nalgene in the backcountry. Haven't had an issue. What
> failure modes should I be wary of?
> >>>
> >>> For two people, it's much nicer than the Sawyer (mini or otherwise).
> In Henry Coe last week I had to sleep with the mini I carried just to
> ensure it didn't freeze. I'd honestly consider bringing it on the PCT this
> year except I can't figure out how I'd use it with anything other than a
> Nalgene. (A Gatorade bottle is 20oz. Burning the power of two treatments
> for less than 32oz doesn't seem like a win to me.)
> >>>
> >>> Jay
> >>>
> >>> PS Burned through the three bags the Squeeze came with. Returned it to
> REI. When I replaced it with a Mini, I picked up an Evernew 900ml bag,
> which has held up twice as long as the Sawyer bags. I may pick up a few
> more bags and Evernew's hose to complete the hydration system and call it
> even.
> >>>
> >>>> On Jan 5, 2015, at 6:22 PM, be hope <bh.csuchico at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>> Been using the same SteriPEN Adventure unit since 2008. Logged over 4
> K
> >>>> trail miles ~~ including some wildernesses where I don't treat the
> water.
> >>>> It's worked perfectly and flawlessly every time. At the end of each
> hiking
> >>>> season, I remove the batteries (per the fine print in the Steripen
> user's
> >>>> manual ) from the unit and ~~ depending on the time out on the trail
> ~~
> >>>> might use those batteries the next hiking season for a spell before
> >>>> replacing them with the extra batteries I always carry. Treating
> water when
> >>>> the battery is cold will drain the battery faster. If I anticipate
> treating
> >>>> water early in the morning, I'll keep the unit in my sleeping bag
> >>>> overnight.
> >>>>
> >>>> A UV treatment method will both filter and purify water. One time I
> asked a
> >>>> doctor specializing in infectious diseases . . . ."why should hikers
> be
> >>>> concerned with water purification?" It seemed that hikers only needed
> to
> >>>> filter water and not have the purification capability in a water
> treatment
> >>>> system in the backcounty. His answer: “yes, you really don't have to
> be
> >>>> worried about water purification in the backcountry, BUT, one never
> knows.”
> >>>>
> >>>> Since a UV treatment may be ineffective with non denuded water, I also
> >>>> carry a Steripen Pre-filter ~~ that thing really does pre-filter all
> kinds
> >>>> of stuff. And if the water is really bad, my small synthetic wash
> cloth
> >>>> will serve as a pre-pre-filter.
> >>>>
> >>>> If my water bottle lid gets wet before treatment, then that lid-water
> is
> >>>> not gonna get the UV treatment. After treating a bottle of water, I'll
> >>>> carefully swish a small amount of treated water from the bottle to
> rinse
> >>>> the lid; the same infectious disease doctor above assure me that is
> >>>> sufficient to remove any non treated water from the lid.
> >>>>
> >>>> Never had giardia, but as we all know, personal hygiene is critical
> and may
> >>>> be more important than the water treatment system one uses, UV or non
> UV.
> >>>>
> >>>> Let me take this opportunity to wish all a Happy New Year and best
> wishes
> >>>> for hiking this year !
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> be hope
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> On Mon, Jan 5, 2015 at 4:19 PM, marmot marmot <
> marmotwestvanc at hotmail.com>
> >>>> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>> My experience with a steripen is that they are unreliable.
> >>>>>  . . . 
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