SteriPEN Journey LCD Water Treatment System
January 14, 2009
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It’s that time of year again – when I get to brag about my tropical vacations under the guise of “product testing”. Hey, it’s not all ice and snow all the time, folks. Last week a few of the Geargals packed up and flew off to Mexico for some sun and surf and stomach cramps. Just kidding. I’ve never actually had a problem with the water in Mexico but a few of the gals were concerned about it (sissies) so we brought along the Steri-PEN Journey LCD water purifier. Um, actually, I got that wrong. Dear IRS, we went on a business trip specifically and solely for product testing purposes. Here are all our receipts including the ones for our completely necessary first class upgrades. And please keep reading for the results of this ardous work trip.
We used the SteriPEN to treat all of our water, and reasoned that if no one got sick, we could consider the SteriPEN a success. No one got sick, so there you have it. Best of all, though, the SteriPEN is super easy to use, convenient, and light. It’s much more pleasant than iodine tablets, faster than boiling, safer than just taking your chances, and lighter than hauling all of your own water. What’s not to like? Basically you press the button once to treat one liter of water, and twice to treat a half liter. If you want to treat more water, just use more than one cycle of the SteriPEN. After pressing the button, put the bulb end of the SteriPEN into water, and wait until the LCD screen displays a little happy face to tell you the water is safe. There is also a countdown timer for impatient people who haven’t yet gotten the hang of zen. My SteriPEN sample kit even came with an official SteriPEN Nalgene bottle and a coarse filter for those truly appalling water sources. On this trip we didn’t need that, but it is pretty neat. You can fill your Nalgene directly from your water source just by filling it through the filter. Then the SteriPEN screws into the bottle for a watertight seal while you’re treating the water. Very gadgety. I can’t wait to take this on a camping trip and feel smug while my companions grimace their way through their iodine water or spend forty minutes bringing a liter of water to a boil. The SteriPEN made it through airport security with no problems and dutifully survived ten days of heavy use in Mexico, treating enough water for four people. Evidently the battery is good for 10,000 cycles so this trip probably didn’t even make a dent in the battery life.
Easily squicked-out types might want to skip this next part, but the way the SteriPEN works is by rendering bacteria sterile rather than killing it. So the bacteria are actually still in the water, but they can’t reproduce and therefore can’t harm you or make you sick. I will admit that usually I don’t ever treat my water, mostly because I’m lazy, and have thus far been extremely fortunate to have never been sick and therefore have never been properly motivated to treat my water. Now that I have the SteriPEN, though, I will definitely conform to outdoor safety standards and treat all of my water with this simple, lightweight device. Who knows what future gut-wrenching unpleasantness I’ve been saved from? Plus I get to look cool and techy while other people fumble around with stoves and filters, and you all know how much I like that.
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