Online: www.REI.com
URL for this product:

From the U.S. and Canada — Call 1-800-426-4840
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT.
International — Call 1-253-891-2500
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT. English language only.

SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter

$69.95

(85)

Item # 761906

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Gear and Advice You Can Trust

This item ships for free! Learn more

To view videos or use the zoom feature on REI's websites, please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.

NOW PLAYING

Let the SteriPEN Classic ultraviolet purifier with prefilter be your single source for potable water on your next traveling or backpacking adventure.

Ultraviolet (UV-C) light rays safely sterilize clear water by destroying 99.99% of viruses, bacteria and protozoa, including Giardia and Cryptosporidium
SteriPEN protects you from risks that cause botulism, cholera, dysentery and typhoid, just to name a few
But if clear water is not available, no worries—the SteriPEN prefilter clears particulates and debris from water
Prefilter fits Nalgene® and other water bottles with 63mm wide-mouth openings; pour source water through filter, and clean water enters bottle
Then use the SteriPEN purifier to treat the water; just press a button and gently agitate the water with a quick stir
Purifies 16 fl. oz. of water (cold or warm) in less than a minute or 32 fl. oz. in a minute and a half
Small size fits most containers—use it in cups, mugs, water bottles and canteens
SteriPEN turns itself off once ultraviolet treatment is complete; can be used up to 8,000 times!
Watertight seals keep water away from the electronics; rubberized inset grips for secure handling in wet conditions
Low-power indicator lets you know when batteries need replacing; twist-off cap for easy battery access
Long used by municipal water districts and bottling companies, low-level UV-C light treats water safely, and unit's light will not damage eyes or skin
Purify 200 16 fl. oz. glasses of water with 4 lithium AA batteries (batteries sold separately)
SteriPEN recommends the use of name-brand lithium AA batteries with a capacity of 800 milliamp hours (mAh) or greater, such as Duracell, Energizer and Panasonic
SteriPEN does not recommend the use of alkaline batteries, as they provide very few SteriPEN treatments
Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries are approved for use; be sure to fully charge batteries before use
Average weight is 8 oz. with alkaline batteries and 6.4 oz. with lithium batteries; weight empty is 3.7 oz.
Only use SteriPEN independent of prefilter when clear water is available, as cloudy, sediment-laden water hinders effectiveness
Prefilter screen has a square aperture equal to 17 square microns
Includes SteriPEN Classic water purifier, prefilter, carrying case and instruction manuals

Since late 2008, all SteriPEN water sensors feature twice the electrode voltage of older models. The increased electrical current flow allows proper function in water with low conductivity such as snowmelt and even mineral-free distilled water.

Imported.

Item 761906

$13.99

with coupon code ANNV13
May 17-27 Details

Not a member? Add a Membership

View all SteriPEN products

REI Membership

REI Membership $20.00

SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter

3.6

(based on 85 reviews)

71%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Lightweight (55)
Maintenance (53)
Easy to clean (43)
Good filtration (24)
Easy to pump (6)

Cons

Unreliable (8)
Poor filtration (6)
Heavy / bulky (3)

Best Uses

Backpacking (61)
Hiking (49)
Day trip (37)
Car camping (17)
Travel (7)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (48), Casual/ recreational (25), Casual adventurer (5), Outdoor professional (4)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (31)

Reviewed by 85 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-10

Previous | Next »

Apr

2013

2.0

Unreliable

By Unnamed172

from GA-ME

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter:

Works when it wants to, this is a terrible product but i have heard good things about the steripen adventure except for its expensive batteries.

Comment on this review

Apr

2013

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Works great, good compromise between all

By Shaddow

from Kirkland (Seattle), Washington

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Fast
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter:

I don't often write reviews but trying to get into the habit more as I rely heavily on others reviews to make my purchase decisions.

I spent a lot of time decided on what route to take for my water treatment needs including reading seemingly endless reviews and forums, as well as actually trying out filters in the field, often by bowering friends or by observing others during search and rescue missions and training.

My main reasons for choosing this over traditional methods, including filters and treatments, is primarily for the ease and speed. On SAR missions as well as my personal hikes, I prefer to keep moving to the objective and stopping to filter water is an avoided time sink, as well as an unwanted cool down and dig-through-the-pack hassle. With UV treatment, I simply dip, treat and go. I keep the pen in a top or side compartment for very easy and quick access and storage. Another big upside is that I hike lighter only carrying 1 liter of water since treating is now so easy – it's now more effort to carry extra water than treat water on the fly.

My main concern was of course that it's battery operated and that it may be prone to failure as noted here in other reviews and elsewhere in forums, etc. What I found is that is usually operator error, either not knowing well how to use it or more commonly by using the wrong batteries which will fail quickly.

Note that is because of the TYPE of batteries NOT the unit or brand of batteries. Go Lithium or Eneloop rechargeable and you'll be just fine. I, of course, still carry an extra set but I do anyway for my GPS and flashlights so I'm not adding any weight that way, in fact, you could say that I now have additional backup batteries in my Steripen for use in my GPS or flashlights if needed. I could always then go to iodine treatment as I always carry backup (and so should you for this or any other filter).

Another big upside is that I don't have to worry about this freezing and the filter breaking when the temperatures drop overnight. And the weight is less than a filter, especially when the filter core and tubing is wet (consider that the filter is dry in the store).

As for the quality of treated water, first the taste is unaltered which I prefer, and this is much safer than filtered or other types of treatments. If you're not convinced that UV is a very, very good and thorough technique to kill all types of bad things then consider that all of the City of Seattle's water is UV treated and so is that of many other major cities.

Comment on this review

Apr

2013

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Used on trek in Nepal - works great!

By bholzman

from Irvine, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter:

Just returned from Nepal where I used on a 10 day teahouse trek. I purified water for my family (4 persons) and used one set of Energizer Lithium batteries for the entire period. I brought way to many batteries... The only caveat is that I only purified water my guide would drink untreated - he drank anything that came from a village water source that was clear.

Unit is easy to use and was reliable. One catch is to make sure the battery cover is screwed on correctly. The pre-filter could be better designed as well. It really restricts water from flowing in the bottle given the filter isn't that fine.

Comment on this review

Mar

2013

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Way better than pump filters

By farfrompukin

from Milwaukee, WI

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter:

I have had this for a few years now and taken on multiple week long trips and never had a problem. Make sure you bring backup batteries though and also a backup purification system (tablets) just in case something goes wrong. The best part is how quick it works and how little effort needs to be put in.

Comment on this review

Mar

2013

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Have used for years

By Beargirl

from West Palm Beach, FL

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter:

I have been using my classic Steripen since 2004 on 1 to 2 ten-day backpacking trips per year and it has served me well. I could never remember whether to push the button once or twice so I wrote "1 psh=32" on the thing with a sharpie. Problem solved. Also learned very quickly that rechargeable batteries just don't last long but the Energizer lithiums easily last ten days. It started behaving squirrley last summer; it worked and then didn't, then on my next trip I noticed that the bulb had a tiny crack in it so that may have been the issue all along. The bulb is fragile and and I had a bad habit of carrying it in an outside pocket of my pack - still not bad for 8 years of use. I always carry an extra set of batteries, iodine tablets (in case of, but hv never used them) and a designated bandana for wiping the pen and bottle neck (the UV light does not reach the drops of water on the bottle rim or lid). I'm buying another pen today.

Comment on this review

Feb

2013

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

As usual, prior planning pays off

By NNM-Wanderer

from Santa Fe, NM

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter:

A lot of the comments on here are based on older models. Things like sensitivity to water and ease of operation have been corrected for awhile now.

I prefer to use this model as opposed to the newer, lighter versions because it uses the same NiMH batteries that I use in my headlamp and GPS. I take along a small solar charger that can charge USB and a pair of AA batteries. This lets me keep everything up to snuff (including my phone) and it all still weighs less than most filters, especially the heavy-duty ones.

Prior planning helps when using just about any piece of equipment, and this one is no different. Just throwing something in the pack and expecting it to be perfect with no practice is a recipe for hardship. So practice with it and make sure you know how everything fits and works before jumping off the trailhead.

For example, I found that the separately sold funnel-shaped pre-filter works best for my needs as it snaps right into the top of the water bottles I carry. So that's what I carry instead of the wide-mouth compatible pre-filter included with the unit. Plus I now have two pre-filter elements in case one gets damaged. To take up source water I found that a Platypus Water Tank works great for filling. Once filled, I can hang it up or set it on an elevated surface. This gives me good control when pouring the source water directly into the pre-filter.

In combination with the solar charger I have a system that won't freeze, won't spring a leak in a hose, packs down really small, has essentially zero moving parts, and will last for the longest trip I can imagine without resupply. Plus I never have to crouch precariously on a stream bank and pump, pump, pump anymore.

Comment on this review

Sep

2012

5.0

Great water treatment system

By longstride

from Northern Ohio

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter:

My daughter got me a Steri-Pen for Christmas last year. I used it this summer on weekend backpacking trips. It is best used when you have good clean water to start with. If water is bad, I use my filter first then the Steri-Pen. In the Mountains in Wyoming for the most part this is all you will need.

Comment on this review

Aug

2012

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Broke after first use, unreliable

By samtoine

from Durango, CO

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight
Quick

Cons

Unreliable

Best Uses

Comments about SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter:

I bought this steripen to take to on my two month trip to Uganda. It broke after the second use. I had read the owner's manual and used the correct batteries, etc. The plastic that on the bottom of the battery compartment broke, making the steri pen useless. I was extremely unhappy to have this happen, as I had to use iodine and buy bottled water for the rest of my trip. I have talked to other people who have had trouble with the steripen, so I don't think it's a good thing to rely on in the backcountry. Also, the prefilter didn't fit correctly/leaked on both nalgene bottles I tried it with.

Comment on this review

Jul

2012

2.0

Get a filter pump

By cecitadel

from Columbia,SC

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight

Cons

Difficult to work
Unreliable

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter:

I used the steripen while backpacking mostly in the USA. I go on a long trip once a year. On the first two trips and a few short ones in between the device worked OK. it was temperamental and would not work right every time. Often I was wondering if the water was truly safe to drink. The problem was that the light would go out unexpectedly when sterilizing the water. I never got sick so that says something I guess. Still I was never very sure due to the way the light would go out unexpectedly. While preparing for my trip this year I could not get the cap off to replace the batteries. I tried everything I could think of and finally tossed it and I am heading to the store tomorrow to get a simple reliable pump and filter device. To me the steripen was a waste of [$].

Comment on this review

Jun

2012

5.0

Gotta be smarter than the pen

By John S 5280

from Denver CO

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Fast
Good filtration
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Requires Batteries

Best Uses

Backpacking
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Classic Water Purifier with Prefilter:

Ignore the negative reviews. The wife and I have been using this for months now, and love it! It has worked great for us in Colorado, the Dominican Republic and in Hawaii. It is so much less work than pumping, a lot faster than pumping, and better tasting than using tablets. So why do people knock it? First, know there is a learning curve on how to use it (it is not hard, just practice at home before you leave). Second, ditch the polycarb bottles and get yourself a classic old HDPE nalgene, you can squeeze it and pump a lot easier to pull water quickly through the prefilter (which you don't really need to use by the way).

I only wish the batteries would last longer. Don't expect 1 set of batteries to make for you on a 2 week trip. All in all, makes getting safe water a lot easier