Greetings Hikers,
SteriPEN has recently released a new version of their UV water filter called the “Ultra“, which is being claimed as “the most advanced UV water purifer in the world” – SteriPEN Ultra
I have to admit that I have been a fan, supporter, and user of the SteriPEN UV filters.
I know a fair amount of long distance hikers that have hated them. I also know a fair share of long distance hikers that have over 3000 miles of use with a SteriPEN and continue to love them. Inevitability articles about the SteriPEN turn into a whole bunch of hyperbole, so if we can keep those type of comments to a minimum, that would be awesome.
What I wanted to write about today was to present to all of the hikers that follow me the “new” and, oddly, heavier, new SteriPEN and to discuss the merits of this new UV Water filter by SteriPEN.
Now, by heavier, I do not just mean, ‘heavier’… I mean “heavier”… as in the second heaviest SteriPEN that they have ever made.
SteriPEN Specs:
| Product | Grams | Batteries | Treatments | MSRP |
| SteriPEN Freedom | 74 | Internal | 200 | $119.95 |
| SteriPEN Protector | 103 | CR123 | 100 | $149.95 |
| SteriPEN Traveler mini | 105 | CR123 | 100 | n/a |
| SteriPEN Adventurer | 108 | CR123 | 100 | $89.95 |
| SteriPEN Journey LCD | 128 | CR123 | 100 | $99.95 |
| SteriPEN Ultra | 140 | Internal | 100 | $99.95 |
| SteriPEN Traveler | 162 | AA | 200 | $49.95 |
| SteriPEN Classic | 162 | AA | 200 | $69.95 |
| SteriPEN Defender | 162 | AA | 200 | $129.95 |
| SteriPEN Emergency | 162 | AA | 200 | $49.95 |
treatment based on 16oz
Simplicity At The Penalty of Weight
Based on the specs above, it is clear that SteriPEN has decided to put “simplicity of use” ahead of weight, total treatments, and interchangeable batteries.
Regarding internal batteries. There use to be a time when having devices with internal batteries was a horrific idea, and for some hikers it still is – after all, if your batteries die and you are without a battery pack that has a charge and without a usb connector, you cannot just pull out the batteries and throw in some fresh batteries from any trail-town that you might encounter while on your long distance hike. This is an issue worth addressing, but not really the primary focus of this article.
Total treatments is a huge aspect for long distance hikers. If we can get more uses out of the same set of batteries/charge, that means less money we have to spend on batteries, or less times we have to charge batteries while in a trail town.
So it really all comes down to “simplicity of use”. Can we, as hikers, really justify an additional 66 grams (2.33 oz) so we can have a smilie face, or a sad face, on our UV water filter? If that is the case for you, reading my articles is probably not the best idea.
Lets just be honest here, as much as I like to have the ‘latest and greatest’ new gear that hits the market, the SteriPEN Ultra might be “new” but it is by far not the “greatest” based on the specs alone. It is heavier than the Freedom, offers 50% less treatments than the Freedom, and is oddly less expensive than the Freedom.
+John Abela
In accordance of USA Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255: I hereby declare that the products mentioned within the content of this article were not supplied to me free of charge, or in exchange for services. All product(s) mentioned within the content of this review is free of endorsement(s) between myself and the manufacturer(s) and meets all FTC 16 CFR.255 compliance requirements.
Feb 25, 2013 4pm – updated to remove word-play that nobody seemed to get — which is why I almost never try lol