Katadyn Steripen Ultra UV Water Purifier
When you're traveling or backpacking, put your trust in the rechargeable Katadyn Steripen Ultra UV water purifier to be your source for potable water.




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- Internal 2200 mAh li-ion polymer battery can be recharged from any USB power source; connect the included USB cable and start charging from a solar panel, laptop or car
- Low-power indicator lets you know when battery needs recharging; when fully charged you can treat up to 50 liters
- Ultraviolet (UV-C) light rays safely purify clear water by destroying 99.99% of protozoa (including Giardia and Cryptosporidia), bacteria and even viruses
- UV-C purification protects you from risks that cause botulism, cholera, dysentery and typhoid, just to name a few
- To purify your water, just click a button and gently agitate the water
- Purifies 16 fl.oz. (0.5L) of water (cold or warm) in less than a minute or treat 32 fl. oz. (1L) in 90 seconds
- Designed to fit perfectly into store-bought bottles of water: just insert the Steripen Ultra's lamp into the bottle and flip the bottle upside down to start treating the water
- Small size fits most containers—use it in cups, mugs, water bottles and canteens
- Steripen Ultra 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 grips provide secure handling in wet conditions
- Long used by municipal water districts and bottling companies, UV-C light treats water safely
- Use only on clear water, as cloudy, sediment-laden water hinders effectiveness; FitsAll prefilter (sold separately) clears particulates and debris from water
- Includes Katadyn Steripen Ultra water purifier, USB cable, carrying case and user instructions
Imported.
View all Katadyn Ultraviolet Water PurifiersBest Use | Backpacking |
---|---|
Filter Type | Ultraviolet |
Filter Medium | Ultraviolet light |
Removes/Destroys | Protozoa, Bacteria And Viruses |
Pump Force | Not applicable |
Pump Strokes per Liter | Not applicable |
Output | 32 fl. oz. per 90 sec. |
Housing Material | Not applicable |
BPA Free | Yes |
Field Cleanable | Yes |
Dimensions | 7.3 x 1.6 x 1.3 inches |
Rechargeability | Rechargeable |
Liters Treated Per Set of Batteries or Charge | 50L |
Weight | With integrated battery: 4.94 ounces |
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What? No charger included?
My friends convinced me that the Steripen ULTRA was the best model for me. They particularly appreciated the LED readout which was easy to read and interpret in all lighting conditions. As this model's major feature was USB charging rather than batteries, I was surprised that there was no acutal WALL CHARGER/AC Adapter in the box, and no mention in the manual about what sort of charger to use. I called my friend, and his Ultra, 2 years old, did come with the charger. I checked with STERIPEN, and they say that you can recharge using ANY cell phone USB charging unit, 5volts, 1amp. I find that satisfactory, but why not explain in the instructions?
Great for hiking, but not rough conditions
Used on the Colorado Trail for mountain bikepacking - bought new for the trip. Lamp quit on day 3 without getting half way through a battery charge. Ended up drinking unfiltered water for 2 more days before sourcing some chlorine drops to finish the trip. Biking the CT is an extremely rough event with lots of shock, bumps, and jolts. I think this was just too much for the fragile Ultra. A hiker would not subject the unit to so much vibration stress, so would be ideal for that type user. Just don't drop it or the lamp might fail. Customer service was quick to take the unit back and entirely replace, so kudos to Steripen for taking care of me.
It’s a disposable electronic
I bought the Steripen for my emergency bag. I tested it at first and all was fine. When I moved 3 years later and checked on it again, it was dead. SteriPEN support said the item is not fixable nor is the bulb replaceable and the warranty is only for 3 years. I’m very disappointed. In this day and age of enormous e-waste, SteriPEN needs to improve their products so that they go beyond disposable electronics. 3 years for trashing an electronic is absurd and unkind (to say the least) to younger generations.
Works much better than battery-operated device
I've had the SteriPen battery-operated "Adventurer" model for quite some time, and will say that the SteriPEN "Ultra" is a far superior device. The Adventurer model I have has always been unreliable as to when it would work and when it wouldn't, and it went through expensive batteries rampantly. This Ultra model seems to work every time. And since it's re-chargable there isn't the constant cost of new batteries. It might not be the better choice for long trek thru-hikers since it would be difficult or impossible to re-charge on-trail. But for multi-day backpack trips the Ultra model seems ideal. If I owned it longer I might be able to give it a 5-star rating. But it needs to stand the test of time first.
Failed Miserably!!
I bought this for the EBC Trek in the Himalayas. I used it once on a training hike stateside and it worked fine. The first time I used it in Nepal it worked. The 2nd time however, the bulb would not light up. It all went downhill from there and it never worked again. At one point , the bulb lit up briefly but was dimmed. After 20 or so attempts - I gave up and packed it away and began buying bottled water. I followed all the directions and it was fully charged. This was very expensive and a huge disappointment- I will be taking it back to REI in hopes of a refund. I do not recommend this product.
Best option for primary water purification
Bought this in 2019 and have taken it on a dozen or so long and short backpacking trips. Worked great the whole time. Just finished the 100 Mile Wilderness and during that trip the light didn't always come on right away. Lightly thwacking the unit and talking nicely to it worked to turn the light back on and I could always purify my water. Only used half of the battery life in eight days. There are no good options for purifying water. Filters clog, tablets take time to work. In decades of hiking and having tried everything I have found UV to the best option, with Aqua Mira as a backup. I am going to reach out to Katadyn to see what they have to say about the intermittent outages.
Easy to use and fast
I recently bought the Steripen Ultra for a multi-day backpacking trip in the Adirondacks. I love that it is lightweight, small and fast. I especially liked being able to fill bottles at the river and then bring them back to the campsite to purify the water instead of having to do it at the source. I put some pantyhose over a small 1L soft bottle for filtering purposes then poured the water into a wide mouth Nalgene to purify and it worked great! The steripen let me know right away if I didn't have the pen far enough into the water and I got the frowny face.
Failed out of the box
I was excited to get a Steripen Ultra because of it's light weight and fast in the backcountry. Unfortunately, after charging it up, the Ultra failed to work when I tested it before leaving for a trip. The UV bulb never came on. The troubleshooting manual said the bulb was defective. Argh!
Great product
The Steripen works great. just used it for the first time on a trip with lots of water crossings. I kept it on my belt the entire way stopping and getting clean water as needed. It allowed me to carry less water at a time, and without getting out the tubes and hassle of a normal water pump, I could fill the bottle up as I passed by a creek and purify as I walked. Just make sure the mouth of your water bottle allows for the size of the pen plus a little more for stering. All the doubt of the item went out the door once I used it.
USE THIS FOR TRAVEL TO ASIA!!
I used the Steri-pen EVERY DAY for a month in Nepal in July 2013. In Nepal, even bottled water is not safe to drink (as indicated by the WHO). I filtered through the 40 Micron Fits-All filter, first, then twist that filter out and put the Steri-pen in and shake gently for 90 seconds until smiley face pops up. The USB charge lasted the entire month! Also, since I home-stayed with poor families who normally have to boil water for their boarders, the Steri-pen eliminated the need for using costly cooking fuel.