Water purification with the Steripen Adventurer Opti ultraviolet gentle is a straightforward method to kill the micro organism, viruses, and cryptosporidium present in pure water sources when day mountain climbing, tenting, or backpacking.
It’s simple to make use of, very dependable, and works in all temperatures, together with beneath freezing, which can break most water filters made with hole fiber filter components. The Adventurer Opti will also be used with all forms of water containers, offered you may insert the sunshine factor far sufficient into them together with wide-mouth Nalgene or Hydro Flask aluminum bottles, CamelBak water bladders, and zip-top reservoirs from Osprey, Gregory, CNOC, HydraPak, and Platypus.
Observe: Katadyn, which additionally manufactures water filters and purifiers, purchased the corporate that makes Steripens a number of years in the past. This explains why the Steripen Adventurer Opti is usually listed because the Katadyn Steripen Adventurer Opti at retailers.
Like all backcountry water remedy options, the SteriPEN Adventurer Opti, have their execs and cons and are usually not appropriate in all circumstances. They work finest with sediment-free water from mountain streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes which are free from the chemical or mineral pollution discovered close to agricultural, city areas, and mining operations.
| Execs | Cons |
|---|---|
| Neutralizes organic organisms | Doesn’t work with all bottles or reservoirs |
| Very quick | Battery dependent |
| Non-mechanical, no pumping | Doesn’t take away chemical or mineral contaminents |
| Efficient in chilly or freezing climate | Not efficient with cloudy or murky water |
| Doesn’t have an effect on style | Doesn’t neutralize bigger organisms, i.e. worm eggs |
The Steripen Adventurer Opti weighs 3.6 oz together with batteries and might purify 50 liters of water as much as 8,000 instances. That’s greater than sufficient for weekend journeys the place you’d drink 4-5 liters per day. If you happen to use it in temperatures below 32 levels, it’s finest to retailer it close to your physique to maintain the battery heat, however it may be packed wherever in hotter climate.
The SteriPEN Adventurer Opti can be utilized to purify 1 liter or half-liter of water at a time. You should utilize it with any plastic, metallic, ceramic or glass bottle so long as it has a large sufficient opening so you may submerge the Opti’s gentle factor in it. Whereas a wide-mouth 1 liter Nalgene bottle could be very handy to make use of, there’s no purpose you may’t use a cooking pot too.
As soon as submerged, you stir the water gently with the SteriPEN till the UV gentle goes off, which indicators that your water is purified. It takes about 90 seconds to complete. It is so simple as that. The ultraviolet gentle destroys the DNA that lets micro organism, viruses, or cysts replicate in your intestine which is what makes you sick. If you happen to’re frightened about water remaining on the threads of the bottle or container you used, wipe them dry with a clear material. This isn’t an enormous concern since your immune system can often deal with the small variety of organisms remaining on the threads if any.
The Adventurer Opti is powered by two CR123 lithium batteries, that are comparatively cheap in the event you purchase them in amount at Amazon. They’re lithium batteries so that they’re good in chilly climate and received’t freeze when the temperature drops beneath 32 levels, like alkaline batteries that comprise water. If you happen to take longer journeys, the SteriPEN Basic is perhaps a greater answer as a result of it will probably purify 150 liters on a single set of AA batteries though it’s about twice as heavy because the Adventurer Opti, with batteries.
Like all water remedy options, it’s necessary to hold a water purification backup in case your major technique fails. For instance, I all the time carry Katadyn Micropur Chlorine Dioxide Tablets as a backup water purification technique in case my major technique – be it a Steripen, a gravity filter, a pump filter, or squeeze filter – breaks, clogs, the batteries die or it fails by some means. I don’t use Micropur tablets on a regular basis as a result of I choose the style of non-chlorinated water they usually’re a reasonably costly answer, however they reliably purify silt-free water saved in any container and at any temperature.
Suggestion
The Steripen Adventurer Opti is an easy-to-use water purification answer that may deal with as much as 50 liters. It’s powered by two lithium batteries and good for weekend journeys with a pair, assuming you drink 4-5 liters of water per day or carry spare batteries for even longer-term use. Water purification with ultraviolet gentle is a really protected and efficient method to purify pure water sources for human consumption, it’s very quick, and doesn’t depend on arduous squeezing or pumping to work. It could actually work with any water container that has a big sufficient opening to submerge the sunshine factor reminiscent of a wide-mouth Naglene bottle, a Hydro Flask bottle, and most hydration bladders with zip-tops.
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Disclosure: The writer bought this product together with his personal funds.
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