"I SERIOUSLY doubt if the Amigo gravity filter will take out viruses. The SteriPen absolutely will. Thus the SteriPEn is a water PURIFER, and the Amigo is not. The FDA would not classify the Amigo as a purifier."

That's accurate. Katadyn rates the Hiker/Hiker Pro cartridge at 0.3 µm, much too large for filtering viruses (and which they do not claim).

Cheers,

Rick

In regards to viruses, IIRC they don't exist in US water. Something to note for use in other countries though.

Hi Chris

You do NOT remember correctly ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Viruses exist everywhere around the world. What do you think causes the common cold? Water in the USA is as suspect as water in most any Western country. Granted, some third-world countries are worse.

Cheers

Hi Ken, and everyone

> Buy the batteries online. Cheap.
Caution!

Buying on line is OK provided that you buy 'brand name' batteries. The Duracell and Panasonic batteries on that web site should be OK provided that they are not 5 years old and not fakes. The other cheaper brands ... are probably not able to provide the 1 Amp needed.

You get what you pay for.

Cheers

Hi Robin

That is a UK web site, not subject to USA EPA regulation. The Super Delios system only filters to 0.2 microns. It is not a 'purifier' in the EPA meaning of the word, as it cannot stop viruses.

On the other hand, if you want to use it as a filter and handle virus problems separately - it could be fine.

Cheers

Hi Tony

I have some Sawyer filters here about to go into test.

Cheers

Hi Beat

> some water seems not to have enough electrolyte content to be registered by the Steripen
Known, albeit rare, problem for the Adventurer. That's why the Adventurer Opti is a better choice.

> It would occasionally just not light up at all, and often light up briefly, to be followed
> by an error (red light
> increasingly difficult to turn on (it would turn on and immediately turn off),
That sounds like an inadequate battery to me. Happens all the time with cheaper batteries. What brand were you using?

Cheers

That looks like a really nice product

Cool packaging - clear case so you can see circuit board inside

Skimpy info on their web site

It says 12 treatments per charge - how many pints is one treatment? How long does it take to treat a pint

Then you can charge the internal battery from any battery with magnetic clips - cool

Is the On/off switch easy to turn on and off? My Adventurer is a real pain, especially when it gets cold.

They said it costs $49 but isn't currently available, check back in June 2010 for availability. Maybe they meant 2011?

They said this is their first product

This sounds like a new company so one might expect some complications ordering and receiving a product

Roger,

Great news to hear that you will be running test on the Sawyer filters.

Looking forward to seeing some real scientific testing on them.

Any idea of when that article might be out?

-Tony

Granted I'm not an expert, but I am a vet and have had some dealings with inland fish farming where water purification is a key part of the business. They use UV for purification but only AFTER serious filtration because UV does not work if the water contains particles that can provide shade for bacteria and virus (remember they are quit small). So from my knowledge there is no way that a device like stirpin can work in a trail situation. Do any of you guys have any explanation that would tell me how the system can work?

You're supposed to stir it and it requires more than a minute to treat

In that time, you'll be exposing all side of any particles

I'm not sure where you get your info Roger, but everything I've read indicates the chances of getting a virus from US water sources is basically nil. Of course they exist, water borne or otherwise, but that doesn't mean we need to be paranoid about treating for them.

Suppose it depends on standards and the goal is perhaps just to get under the infective dose of a pathogen, but in muddy water I doubt that it's possible with UV light. Furthermore particles are 3D and can hide microorganisms quit well.

Hi Mads,

One's supposed to pre-filter or settle turbid water before treatment. The Steripen literature has a maximum NTU value to stay within for it to be effective, as well as physical descriptions of what water looks like at that turbidity (since nobody carries a meter with them). Offhand I don't recall the value.

Also, double-treatment is recommended for poor water conditions. Luckily, a good proportion of high-country water is quite clear. Obviously that's not the case everywhere!

cheers,

Rick

Edited by halfturbo on 03/09/2011 16:31:47 MST.

If you use your bulk water container to store untreated water

Let it settle to get clearer water to treat

For water you're going to boil anyway for cooking, no need to treat it, if you just bring it to boil it will kill the bugs according to some link on a recent thread

Then you can save your batteries too

I also have the ULA Amigo.

I was less than impressed with it. I had it fail and had to get a new filter on my 3rd outing. I tried to filter the brown (tannin filled) water that is available on coastal hikes in Washington. But everyone else’s pump style filters also got clogged so I was not too dismayed. Then while hiking the Loowit trail (Mt. ST. Helens), it clogged again do to silt in water. The replacement filters were somewhat pricey back then and then the foam pre-filter in the silnylon came loose, so it has been retired.

I have since gone with Aqua Mira liquid. It is not as thorough as the filters (unless you wait 4hrs) but very convenient. I carry two sports bottles and let one "cook" with the chems as I hike using the other.

-Dale

I have a Steripen Adventurer. I took it on one 3 day hike. It worked fine as far as I can tell, but why anyone would want to sit around stirring for 90 seconds if they had a choice is beyond me. I went right back to my Sawyer and Charcoal filter combination. Two drops of chlorine per liter to kill viruses, Sawyer removes cellular organisms, charcoal removes chlorine and many contaminants. I connect the output of the filter directly to my hydration bladder so I don't have to worry about spilling. The best part is hang and forget. I snooze or snack or check my map while my filter does the work.

By the way, all the filters I've owned say freezing compromises them. You should check your instructions to see if the Amigo filter is safe after freezing. I always wrap my filter and water in my pack liner and sleep with them when freezing temperatures are expected. My filter never freezes and I always have water in the morning.

I use the Sawyer inline filter tied into my standard bladder drink tube. Just dip the bladder, put it back in my side pack pocket, and go. It's showing on my shoulder strap in the profile pic. No clean/dirty bladder setup; just the dirty one. My water stops are quick; sometimes reloaded and out before the mosquitos find me. I do have to draw maybe 20% harder on the bite valve than when the filter is not present, but that is about the only downside I've found. Weighs about 2 ounces; nothing to replace; micron protection is same or better than most pump filters; one-time purchase at about $56. I convert a lot of backpackers with it at my store based on my experiences and praise of it; hope BPL's future review concurs.

Edited by dallasshewmaker on 03/09/2011 22:19:01 MST.

Interesting article!
However I do miss some lab tests of the treated water. Now you can not know if the filters are actually effective because:
a. the collected water could simply be not contaminated
b. the persons drinking the water could have built a resistance against the contaminants in the water

nm

Edited by jshann on 03/10/2011 02:30:12 MST.