MSR Hyperfilter, LifeStraw, or SteriPen?

[spectre327]

I'm a little confused here. When water is collected, it needs to be filtered for particulates and then purified for drinking. The Lifestraw claims to be able to do both. The MSR is just a filter, and the STeripen is a purifier.

My question is, for the sake of expediency, do I need the SteriPen and the MSR together to have safe drinking water or does the Lifestraw do both just as effectively? I ask this because these are the options I am looking at for my wife and my camping trip.

 

[buckstopshere]

If it's a water filter, like the lifestraw, it will eliminate bacteria, Protozoa and parasites. It doesn't work on viruses. That's where a purifier comes in. It will eliminate 99% of viruses as well as the bacteria, Protozoa and parasites.

The steripen purifies water via UV.

I carry a lifestraw for emergencies. If I'm camping, I boil the water since I have a fire anyway.

 

[lordjackel]

Great thread but I am still confused... based on this it would seem you only really need a steripen since it will kill everything? (trying to understand this too). I have a lifestraw in my BOB but seems I would really want a steripen??

 

[buckstopshere]

Great thread but I am still confused... based on this it would seem you only really need a steripen since it will kill everything? (trying to understand this too). I have a lifestraw in my BOB but seems I would really want a steripen??

The majority of waterborne illnesses are protozoa or bacteria. In the Us, the top 10 are:


Amebiasis - Protozoa
Campylobacteriosis - Bacteria
Cholera - Bacteria
Cryptosporidiosis - Protozoa
Giardiasis - Protozoa
Hepatitis - Virus
Shigellosis - Bacteria
Typhoid fever - Bacteria
Viral gastroenteritis - Virus


typhoid fever and cholera were more prevalent when lots of folks were drinking wild water. These days, they're super rare. The biggest threats in the US today are giardiasis and Cryptosporidiosis both of which are problems that can be solved by a water filter like a lifestraw.


There are pros and cons to all things. The steripen takes a while to clean the water. The lifestraw can be used directly from the water source. Steripen requires batteries, lifestraw does not. Steripen is 3x more expensive than a lifestraw.

Thats why I have a lifestraw for emergencies. I carry a 40 oz klean kanteen with another 24 oz Nalgene bottle along with a titanium cook set. I can carry nasty water, boil it and put clean water in a clean container. If needs be, I can boil directly with the klean kanteen since I chose the single wall specifically for that reason.


For camping, I boil water at the campsite. If there's an emergency and I gotta move, the lifestraw works great. I trust it.

 

[cwillour]

Great thread but I am still confused... based on this it would seem you only really need a steripen since it will kill everything? (trying to understand this too). I have a lifestraw in my BOB but seems I would really want a steripen??

If the water is reasonably clear, a Steripen is often sufficient. Otherwise, the water needs to be pre-filtered to remove sediment. Additionally, if there may be chemicals present, a filter may be required to remove those as well.

 

[prescut]

In a nutshell, the steripen kills everything. You can then drink the water. What you are drinking is thousands of dead things that wouldn't hurt you. The question becomes, do I want to now filter that water of the dead bodies.
Some nasties are so small that you may need a very small micro filter and then you need pressure to push water thru. We aint talking using the Tshirt drain technique.
Lost

 

[Shootsforfun]

I agree, 80% can be filtered out with the MSR. I use both the MSR filter and a steripen. The are a couple of reasons for this. No one really likes to drink murky water, this discourages people to stay hydrated. Also, no one likes fish taste or any other "flavors". The steripen does not eliminate any chemicals that may "or probably do" exist in most of the worlds water supply..

The majority of waterborne illnesses are protozoa or bacteria. In the Us, the top 10 are:


Amebiasis - Protozoa
Campylobacteriosis - Bacteria
Cholera - Bacteria
Cryptosporidiosis - Protozoa
Giardiasis - Protozoa
Hepatitis - Virus
Shigellosis - Bacteria
Typhoid fever - Bacteria
Viral gastroenteritis - Virus


typhoid fever and cholera were more prevalent when lots of folks were drinking wild water. These days, they're super rare. The biggest threats in the US today are giardiasis and Cryptosporidiosis both of which are problems that can be solved by a water filter like a lifestraw.


There are pros and cons to all things. The steripen takes a while to clean the water. The lifestraw can be used directly from the water source. Steripen requires batteries, lifestraw does not. Steripen is 3x more expensive than a lifestraw.

Thats why I have a lifestraw for emergencies. I carry a 40 oz klean kanteen with another 24 oz Nalgene bottle along with a titanium cook set. I can carry nasty water, boil it and put clean water in a clean container. If needs be, I can boil directly with the klean kanteen since I chose the single wall specifically for that reason.


For camping, I boil water at the campsite. If there's an emergency and I gotta move, the lifestraw works great. I trust it.

 

[prescut]

My steripen came with a solar charger. How cool is that? If you need the steripen, you may not be close to power and that means if you lose the battery, you don't drink. Steripen thought it over and built a solar collector into the case. This is a great tool to have in any environment, not just backcountry. It also seems to attract fish at night. Anybody else notice that light bringing in the fish?

Lost

 

[Slawburger]

I like the Sawyer Mini. It can filter up to 100,000 gallons if you pre-filter out the large sediment (or let it settle out). The LifeStraw is good for 264 gallons.
Water Filtration Products - Sawyer

Viruses are very uncommon in North American water, bacteria and protozoan cysts are a bigger problem here.
Sawyer has a new "Point ZeroTWO" filter that is supposed to remove viruses if you are really concerned about it.

I had a Katadyn pump until the Sawyer Mini came out, I much prefer the Sawyer products.

 

[hooky]

I like the Sawyer Mini. It can filter up to 100,000 gallons if you pre-filter out the large sediment (or let it settle out). The LifeStraw is good for 264 gallons.
Water Filtration Products - Sawyer

Viruses are very uncommon in North American water, bacteria and protozoan cysts are a bigger problem here.
Sawyer has a new "Point ZeroTWO" filter that is supposed to remove viruses if you are really concerned about it.

I had a Katadyn pump until the Sawyer Mini came out, I much prefer the Sawyer products.

I use the Sawyer Squeeze. Just a tad larger than the mini and rated for 1,000,000 gallons. As with all Sawyer filters, don't let it freeze after it's been used. The expansion from freezing will wreck it and you'll never know it isn't working. Prior to the Squeeze, I used an MSR Sweetwater.

The Steripen isn't as effective with murky water or with all waterborne cysts.

 

[bwframe]

I like the Sawyer Mini. It can filter up to 100,000 gallons if you pre-filter out the large sediment (or let it settle out). The LifeStraw is good for 264 gallons.
Water Filtration Products - Sawyer

Viruses are very uncommon in North American water, bacteria and protozoan cysts are a bigger problem here.
Sawyer has a new "Point ZeroTWO" filter that is supposed to remove viruses if you are really concerned about it.

I had a Katadyn pump until the Sawyer Mini came out, I much prefer the Sawyer products.

I have a few Sawyer Mini's sprinkled around in my gear also. I've been using one dedicated to "cleaning up" my kitchen tap water of the poor taste from the Monroe Lake algae bloom this summer.

For less than 20 bucks, including a drinking pouch/straw and cleaning syringe, they seem like a no brainer. Guess what I'm giving everyone for xmas?

 

[kludge]

Another vote for Sawyer. I have the Mini. $20. This level of filtration just wasn't available for this price until recently. As above... I think several people will be getting these as Christmas gifts.

Chemicals (chlorine and iodine) aren't effective on cryptosporidium so you have to filter anyway. Or boil. Since I've had the Sawyer I have ditched the chemicals. With a "micron" filter in past years you would have to do both: filter and treat with chemicals, to get both protozoa and bacteria. With the PointONE filter the chemicals are no longer needed.

Viruses aren't a big problem in the USA. But if you just have to filter viruses, look at the Sawyer Point ZeroTWO filters.

I don't trust the SteriPen. For me a it's a travelers' device. You have to have clear water for it to work as advertised. So that means you have to filter anyway... so why not just have a filter that gets out protozoa and bacteria... like the Sawyer. (As mentioned, viruses not a big problem in our area of the world.) And if I have to filter a lot of water the SteriPen takes too much user involvement.

I freezing weather, you don't want to use the filter; if it freezes, you'll need a new filter. And chemicals will take longer, or will not be effective, so you should boil in freezing weather. Boiling kills everything.

Another option, is the Renovo Trio which follows the microbial filter with charcoal filter. About $50 though.