Are water treatment methods what the manufacturers claim?

Interesting article about the claims made by water treatment manufacturers. It singles out Camelbak’s inline UV treatment (the AllClear), but it could also be applied to the SteriPen. Sawyer’s claims are also scrutinized. I’d been contemplating a Sawyer system, due to it being light and compact, but it hasn’t been readily available here, possibly due to it not being approved by Canadian regulatory agencies.

I’ve been meaning (for a very long time now) to replace the Steri-Pen I have with a self made gravity filter. I have some misgivings about the Steri-Pen, but it still works, and as such have continued to use it. I think Katadyn will likely get my money for a Hiker Pro replacement cartridge. I’ll use it to make the gravity filter system. A bit heavier and more expensive perhaps, but they seem more trustworthy. 

http://indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com/uv-water-purifiers-are-bullshit-and-so-are-some-filters-1704387492

SteriPen PreFilter Cartridge Pouch 2

After my first lacklustre attempt at a pouch, I gave it another shot. The results were better this time.

But first let me show some (slightly) better pictures of the actual pre-filter setup.

Not sure if you can make out the hacksaw marks where I cut away a threaded part. It was meant so that you could put the pre-filter (sans the cartridge) on the Nalgene, and then screw the lid back on. I didn’t want to do that, so I cut it off to make it smaller and lighter.

Different approach this time. Just used webbing, and sandwiched some neoprene between the body and then sandwiched some neoprene between a bit on the bottom and a bit on the top.

A bit snug, but it works fine.

These are the three components (SteriPen pouch and battery pouch) as they’ll work together, mounted on the outside of a Nalgene pouch I drew the pattern for last night. The part of the pre-filter that screws on to the bottle, will sit inside the pouch, either under or on top of the bottle. This way everything is together, and easy to get at.

SteriPen PreFilter Cartridge Pouch

I’ve got a SteriPen that I have some misgivings about, but willing to try out some more in the interest of fairness. One component of it that I really like and will continue to use even if I decide not to rely on the SteriPen at all anymore is the pre-filter, that screws onto the top of a Nalgene bottle. Even if I use another form of water purification, the pre-filter will save a lot of wear and tear by filtering out particulate matter that tends to clog up other purifiers. This thing is much easier to clean.

I want to have all the water stuff together. I’m making a pouch for a Nalgene bottle that will allow me to carry it all in one place. When I’m out hiking, especially in summer, it’s not uncommon for me to go through 6 to 12 liters of water a day. I’m stopping frequently to refill bottles and bladders. I want the tools required for procuring water to be easy to get at. I figure that having them attached to the outside of the Nalgene pouch is the way to go.

I’ve made a pouch for the SteriPen, and a pouch for the batteries that it takes. The pre-filter comes in two pieces - the base and the cartridge. The base (which I’ve cut the top threads off of - never going to use them, and it reduces size and weight) fits nicely over the top of the Nalgene bottle with a CapCap.

The cartridge however is a bit tricky. It’s something that I think requires a bit of protection. Not super fragile, but not exactly something I would want to bash around very vigorously either. My main concern is the mesh (which is actually kind of hard to see in this picture), which might get punctured if you’re not careful.

I opted to make a pouch with neoprene to offer a bit of padding.

I made this very quickly and to be honest, I’m not too happy with it at all. But that is all part of design - sometimes it doesn’t work. Sometimes it requires a few attempts and some failures before it clicks. That is part of the enjoyment and part of the frustration of designing stuff. I also think showing that process is worthwhile.

Since this is likely to be opened and closed numerous times in a day, I didn’t want to use Velcro as it will wear out too quickly. It’s fine on the battery pouch, since it will only be opened once in an infrequent while. But here Velcro was not a good option. Also, given the relatively small size, other closures proved too big. I decided to give this closure off an old Canadian army pouch a shot.

I put a piece of mesh on the bottom so that the water could drain out after use.

The tricky thing is always getting it the right size. I always opt for slightly bigger of course, but this time my calculations were off and it is just too big for my liking.

Just once I’d like to sew CLASP on and not have it look so shitty. I console myself with the knowledge it’s going to be unseen when mounted, but still...

Meh. Too large, too crappy. Back to the drawing board.

SteriPen Pouch

I’ve spoken on here before about the SteriPen Adventurer. Aspects of it I really like. The CR123 battery issue (there are different power levels in CR123’s and some are “lesser” quality. Hard to gauge what constitutes that.) was admittedly a bit of a piss off. Now as long as you buy “better” quality batteries, ie more expensive batteries, you’re ostensibly good to go.

I figure it still has a place in my gear arsenal (once my annoyance with the battery issue had subsided and I had bought a few “good” batteries).

The pouch that comes with it is like so many pouches and the like provided by the OEM, okay, but not great. Black neoprene with a velcro closure and a small belt loop.

What I wanted was to be able to keep the SteriPen with the water carrier. The pouch as it was couldn’t really be attached to any pouch.

I opted to modify what was there, rather than starting from scratch. The neoprene does help to pad it, so I just built over top of it.

Crappy pictures I know. But what do you expect with black.

The Velcro just before I removed it.

Some 420 D Cordura along the back and flap. Another pouch that I’m trying my Cord Lattice Attachment System Pattern on. (Still trying to find a way to get it all perfectly straight and orderly. It never is.)

It makes it all heavier, but since it’ll be on the outside, I wanted it to be better protected. And the buckle also adds weight, but I find myself opening and closing this several times a day as I replenish the aqua. Velcro I find just doesn’t stand up well to being endlessly opened and closed.

The sides of the pouch had mesh to allow water to drain out. I didn’t want to close this off, so I covered the body of the pouch with mesh.

Maxpedition 4x10

While I have some misgivings about the owner of this company, their products are well thought out and rock solid.

Got this Maxpedition 10x4 pouch a few years ago and it has proven to be a useful way to carry a mini kit. As much as water is a heavy pain in the ass to carry around, there is just no getting around it. Water is one of, if not the most essential things I need. I was looking for a way to carry both a 1 liter bottle, a cup that it could nestle in, the means to purify the water, and a way to boil water. Some other things in addition to that would be a bonus.

The pouch consists of a main compartment with a zippered top, a small pouch on the front with PALS webbing on the front, PALS on both sides and on the back also. The sides also feature D-rings to clip a strap into, and the back featured an H&K snap hook (which I saw no need for and removed).

Paracord fobs were immediately installed.

While this is what most people would attach to a pack or rig, it could conceivably also be attached by the sides if one was so inclined.

Drain hole on the bottom.

Top of the lid has a Velcro area for cool guy patches.

The pouch on the front is 6" x 3" x 1.5" and has a strip of 1" elastic along the back to help hold stuff in place.

The main pouch, which is...10" x 4", is padded and lined with 420D packcloth. Does a nice job of insulating the bottle - either keeping it hot or cold. Also serves as a barrier when the bottle is filled with boiling hot water.

The bottle is the Guyot Designs Standard stainless steel bottle with a HumanGear capCAP. Heavy, but the nice thing about it is that in a pinch you can boil water inside it. If someone could just come out with a titanium Nalgene bottle.

A shoulder strap that I have that I really like is the Kifaru one, but it has side release clips rather than a hook. No problem, just thread the female repair buckles through the loop that holds the D-ring.

I know a shoulder strap isn’t anything that ooh wow, but this one is pretty sweet. Kinda like everything Kifaru does.

Here it is attached to the side of a Kifaru Scout. The front pouch contains a SteriPen, as well as a Gram Weenie stove, a fuel bottle, wind screen and primer tray.

Another thing I carried in the 4x10 is a SteriPen pre-filter. The SP purifies but doesn’t filter. Any floaty bits, sediment etc. would end up in the bottle without it. This works very well. Quick and effective. It comes in two parts, the larger part that fits on the bottle and then the smaller cartridge that screws into that. In order to carry it all in the 4x10, I carried the large part in the main compartment atop the bottle, and the smaller cartridge in the front pocket with the SP and the stove set up.

With the bottle and all the other things in the main compartment, it interferes a bit with the lid zipping closed. Doable, but it does make it a bit of an issue.


I’ve also found that the pre-filter fits better on the threads of the plastic Nalgene than it does on the threads of the metal Nalgene. It does, but somehow it doesn’t screw on quite as well.

The primer tray and wind screen wrap nicely around the fuel bottle and the Gram Weenie stove fits on top of the fuel bottle spout.

Very light, very compact, very efficient.

The SteriPen in action.


I got this from Fenix Tactical and I have to say they were great to deal with. I ordered it and had it sent to my work. Shortly before ordering it, a gym and a mid level marketing company moved in on either side of where we were. All sorts of unknown people coming and going. One day I had to go take care of something at another site and my coworker was sick. After several weeks of waiting I contacted them to inquire where my package was. Fenix Tactical claimed that they had indeed sent it. I explained that I had never received it. I suspect that on the day the site was unattended the package was delivered, left at the front door, and some shitstain swiped it. They promptly sent another one, this time with a signature required. That to me is really fantastic, above and beyond customer service. They didn’t know me from Adam, I could have been a swindling lowlife, trying to score a free one, but they believed me and got it out to me. Thank you. I’ve bought several flashlights from them as well, and the service was always excellent. They deserve your business, especially if you’re in Canada.