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SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier

$89.95

(56)

Item # 799003

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The SteriPEN Adventurer Opti water purifier is equipped with a new optical water sensor for reliable performance so you can enjoy clean, purified water on the go.

From 2011 Backpacker Editors’ Choice awards: “Our testers have tried every water-treatment method available, and for most trips and conditions, this one beats them all”
SteriPEN Opti features an optical water sensor that detects whether or not the device is in water and only allows the UV lamp to activate when the SteriPEN is immersed
After pressing the button to activate the SteriPEN, immerse the lamp and optical sensor; the UV lamp will then activate and emit UV light and visible blue light
Optical sensor doubles as a backup LED flashlight that can be handy when walking to the stream to get water; operate flashlight with SteriPEN cap in place to protect the lamp
Adventurer Opti requires no pumping, chemicals, test strips, extended time-keeping or filters; leaves no aftertaste, will not clog and does not require lubrication
Innovative SteriPEN system uses UV light rays instead of chemicals to purify water for drinking
Ultraviolet (UV-C) light rays safely sterilize clear water by destroying 99.99% of protozoa (including Giardia and Cryptosporidia ), bacteria and even viruses
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 when used properly
SteriPEN protects you from risks that cause botulism, cholera, dysentery and typhoid, just to name a few
SteriPEN Adventurer Opti is simple to use: 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; carries easily in a shirt pocket
SteriPEN Adventurer Opti turns itself off once ultraviolet treatment is complete; light source can be used up to 8,000 times!
Watertight seals keep water away from the electronics; rubberized coating ensures secure handling in wet conditions
Low-power indicator lets you know when batteries need replacing; screw-off cap permits easy battery access
Use only on clear water, as cloudy, sediment-laden water hinders effectiveness; FitsAll prefilter (sold separately) clears particulates and debris from water
SteriPEN Adventurer Opti includes 2 nonrechargeable lithium CR123 batteries; SteriPEN does not recommend the use of alkaline batteries, as they provide very few treatments
SteriPEN recommends the use of name-brand CR123 lithium batteries with a capacity of 800 milliamp hours (mAh) or greater, such as Duracell, Energizer and Panasonic
SteriPEN Adventurer Opti water purifier includes a neoprene carrying case with belt loop

SteriPEN water purifiers meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards for microbiological water purifiers and have been independently tested by the Oregon Health Sciences University and the universities of Arizona and Maine. For complete test results visit www.steripen.com.

Please note: SteriPEN products can only be shipped to U.S. and Canada.

Imported.

Item 799003

Backpacker Magazine 2011 Editors' Choice Winner
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SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier

3.4

(based on 56 reviews)

66%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Lightweight (46)
Maintenance (29)
Easy to clean (18)
Good filtration (9)
Easy to pump (3)

Cons

Eats batteries (3)

Best Uses

Backpacking (40)
Hiking (30)
Day trip (16)
Car camping (13)
Travel (4)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (33), Casual/ recreational (19)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (47)

Reviewed by 56 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Apr

2010

(34 of 34 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

pilot user raves about the Opti on JMT

By Roleigh Martin, a JMT hiker from MN

from Albany, NY area

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Good filtration
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier:

I evaluated a pilot Opti unit for Steripen. It was used for 23 days on the John Muir Trail (JMT) last July/August, 2009. It worked just fine. It was less temperamental, by far, than the traditional Adventurer that I own. I did use the flashlight features a couple of times, but principally it was used for sterilizing water. It is also an improvement in visibility in the bright sun but still not as visible as I would like it, one has to create a shadow/shade setup to clearly see that the unit is operating while stirring if done in bright light.

We used for our sterilizing container the 1.9 oz ZipLock Twist 'n Loc® Quart Container. Steripen's support said such a container would work (they did express a caveat about durability in sunlight over time, as I posted their response elsewhere).

One of the other hikers had the Journey Steripen and we were somewhat jealous of the more affirming visual feedback of success, the one downside of the Adventurer or the Adventurer Opti, is that if you don't keep your eye on the unit and have artificial shade setup for watching it, you won't realize if it operated successfully - but with the more clearly visible smiley face symbol on the Journey, it's not so much a problem with it. It's too bad there can't be a separate LED light for "successful" and one for "failure" that stays lit for 10-20 seconds and doesn't require shade to see it.

I like the fact the Adventurer is slimmer and weighs 1 oz less than the Journey. It definitely is an improvement over the older Adventurer. The flashlight feature is nice in a pinch too.

Sep

2010

(25 of 26 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Far Surpassed High Expectations

By RivermanZach

from Saint Paul, MN

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Fast filtration
Good filtration
Lightweight
Low maintenance
Portable

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier:

We backpacked through Peru for three weeks with this most sensational and mind boggling device. We took water from taps in almost every part of the country and treated it with the steri pen. The 4 of us not once got sick. We even treated water from a well on Machu Pichu! The Steripen is extremely light, portable, easy to use, and simply cool. We got some funny looks as we treated the water in restaurants, but it was absolutely worth it as many of the locals dont even drink the tap water. The money saved on water alone paid for nearly half the device's cost.

I could not recommend this product any higher and will be using it/other of steripen's products as a result of this most impressive product.

Nov

2010

(17 of 18 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Wouldn't travel wihout it!

By 3rd World Travel Doc

from WA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

3rd World Travel
Backpacking

Comments about SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier:

This was my only way to treat water while working in remote regions of Africa. This is considerably easier then my previous water filtration system. It is small, lightweight, durable, works fast and is easy to use. It didn't alter the taste of the water but it made the water safe to drink. I drank lots of treated mountain stream water with no ill effects (some of my colleagues didn't fair so well). I wouldn't consider traveling to an underdeveloped region without this unit.

Jan

2011

(16 of 16 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great Proformance but bad button design

By sudapuff

from Saint Louis, MO

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Good filtration
Lightweight
Low maintenance
Small

Cons

Hard to turn on

Best Uses

Backpacking
Day trip
Hiking
Traveling

Comments about SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier:

This filter is Great and would of gotten 5 stars if the button to turn the pen on was easier to push. Turing this on with gloves is almost impossible.

Ive used this twice now, first in Mexico on there municipal water and second in the grand canyon on a 5 day trip on the escalante route. in Mexico i tried to get water from multiple sources because i figured if it could beat montezuma's revenge i knew it worked. 5 liters of water later i had no problems. In the grand canyon the performance was even better. when my friends with their Katadyn Hikers could not use their filters because it was below freezing the steripen worked flawlessly

Dec

2010

(13 of 20 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Activation button very stiff

By CfTiSiGuyO2

from Overland Park, KS

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier:

I've used the prior Adventure model for about 20 days of backcountry use. Its worked very well for me. I upgraded to the new Opti model based the improvements to battery drain while stored and the optical sensor. The activation button was so hard to press, I couldnt tell if I successfully clicked it once or twice, which makes a difference since this is how you set a half or full liter dosage. With the prior model, the click feel of the button was easy to notice. Had to return this, hopefully this will be addressed, but based on other reviews here others seem to have had the same experience. I'd give this five stars and would have kept it if not for the button issue.

Sep

2010

(9 of 15 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Activation switch is terrible

By Tradecraft

from Arizona

About Me Military/Law Enforcement

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Very difficult to turn on

Best Uses

Backpacking
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier:

This product would be great but it is extremely difficult to get the activation button to work. I took mine back to REI and had it replaced twice but the same problem occured. I contacted Steripen and they say it should not be so difficult to turn on but both of the ones I got were nearly impossible. It literally took squeezing with two hands to get it to turn on. In a survival situation this would not be a good product to have expecially if you are injured, weak or sick. I cannot recommend this product.

Dec

2010

(8 of 13 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Hard to turn on!

By DavidW47

from Switzerland

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier:

I have just received one which my son had bought for me on a recent visit to Boston but I could not get it to work. Luckily I re-read the reviews and came across the one refering about having to press so hard on the button. Having used both hands I got it to work! If I was being kind I could say perhaps it is a safeguard to prevent turning on accidently :-)

Nov

2010

(8 of 11 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

a year of rugged use and still going...

By thecoach

from NY, NY

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

3rd World Travel
Backpacking
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier:

carried this all around the world inside a 1 liter Camelback bottle, using it to purify tapwater, rather than buying bottled water.

Jan

2011

(7 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Passed my tests!

By Outdoor Drew

from Oakland, Ca

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier:

So far very pleased!
Tested at 6000' and room temperature - OK!
Tested at 9000' and 0 degrees F - OK! *
Yes the switch is a bit stiff but I expected that from reading the reviews and don't mind that at all.

* 0 F was device/air temp; the water was about 35 F. The instructions say the device should be above 32 F but apparently this thing has gone up Everest, so I don't really know what is okay - probably best to contact tech support to get the skinny on really cold weather ops if that is your thing.

I also read the previous reviews and my take is the previous issues with the water sensor and water resistance have been taked care of with the Adventurer Opti. Also, it's good to read the instructions - one reviewer said they had problems with the water not entering 'the chamber' - makes me suspect they tried to use it with the lamp cover on (!)

Mar

2010

(7 of 15 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

"great"

By roostin in las vegas

from las vegas

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Good filtration
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Filtered water doesn't taste good

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier:

Use this filter mostly in the eastern seirras the water up there tastes great out of any stream or lake if used in "dirty" water i pre filter to get all the chunks ad stuff out. Other than that overall a great system never had any problems unless you count the time i forgot the batteries!