We are off to Vietnam, Cambodia and Loas backpacking for a month and want to take our own water filtration system rather than buy bottled water, also we will be going to remote areas. We already have the MSR pump action system, but want something a bit lighter/faster - we've seen an MSR MIOX; Steripen classic, steripen sytem & pre filer and a steripen adventurer.
Anyone know the difference? Anyone any experiecne of either? Can you used either of these with Platypus?

I know there are in line filters that are sold that can be used with the platys. But not used them myself.
For an instant hit there are even filter straws, which I have used.
There are also sport drink bottle based filters as well. Which I've used as well. When I get home I'll post the make I use.

Off the top of my head:

The MIOX uses salts to produce a solution that you add to your water, which in turn kills nasty stuff in the water. The downside is that it takes quite a long while to do this. It weighs in at over 200g

All of the Steripens work by using UV light to kill nasty stuff (which if you google it, seems to be a long established and widely used method of treating water).

The Steripen Classic weighs something like 200g, with its 4AA batteries. It can treat a litre of water in around a minute and a half (all you have to do is swish the light around in the water for that time).

The Steripen kit contains the Classic Pen, but includes a pre-filter and a nalgene bottle. As the UV light can be less effective if there is sediment in the water the kit allows you to prefilter (if memory serves the prefilter is 0.4 micron - if that fact's correct then I really do carry far too much rubbish round in my head...).

The Steripen Adventurer is a small lightweight version of the classic weighing in at 100g with its two CR123A lithium batteries. It also works on 1 litre of water in around a minute and a half.

The obvious advantage (in my view) of all of these devices, versus a pump action filter is that they don't clog or need regular maintenance. The UV devices don't require anything else at all.

The UV pens can't be used with a standard Platty - they need to be inserted into the water and the opening of the platty is too small.

BTW, I've got the Steripen Adventurer, which I imported from the USA for £62.

Ive got a steripen classic with the pre filter and bottle, its nice and fast, light and easy to use.

the batteries last ages especially if you use rechargables.

not sure if it can be used in a platy but you can do it in the bottle then tip it in your platty.

Iodine? Works in anything, no batteries, no maintenance, cheap, kills everything.

Yeah, it makes the water taste yucky, although any other flavour (tea, coffee, squash etc) masks the iodine taste.

The bottles can be mucky to handle, and can break. The solid pills avoid these problems, but take longer to dissolve and work.

I have a Steripen Adventurer they are very quick(90 Seconds/Litre).But as Gayle mentions above you need a wide mouthed receptacle to use them properly.My brother and I used a cooking pot to collect and sterilize...then poured the sun tanned water into a hydration bladder.Problems;make sure you have ample battery capacity(like we didn't)or you go thirsty.Just take some kind of purification tablets as back up.Some kind person got mine for me in the States where they are much cheaper.

Thanks everyone for the sound advice once again, I'm more leaning towards the steripen now, just need to look at various prices. Gayle E Bird, who did you import from?
Prices so far range from £99 - £120 over here.

hehe just typed steripen into google and it came up with did you mean strippers ;-0 Just thought I'd share that with you all!

Annie - I got mine from the Wrightstuff Store on Ebay (note, they don't seem to offer them on the auctions, so you need to go to their shop page) - you'll find them
here

The shipping cost was really reasonable (the £62 included shipping) and they accidentally marked it as a gift too

Just to note that I have been to remote places in all those countries, and bottled water is available everywhere there are humans, for pennies. Therefore, don't go overboard.

I got a Steripen but doubt it will be anywhere near my prime tratment method...First of all, you have to get the water into the bottle...if you dip it...the threads are contaminated....carry a funnel?? plus you need a prefilter..if you drop it you're hosed...and batteries?? Hmmm a lot of hassle. I go with the .2 micron PUR filter pump ..


Steripen seems good for fixing tap water into a glass in a strange country hotel.

$79 on sale at REI.

Rick D
"One Best Hike: Yosemite’s Half Dome"
Wilderness Press
http://www.HikeHalfDome.com

Hi Jason,
there are several reasons to purify your own water whilst in far flung places. Firstly is the ecological impact of waste bottles - in all the developing world countries that I have visited, the common denominator is a massive problem of littering especially water bottles. It's nice not to be part of this problem. Secondly, if you have to buy water it means that you have to carry large quantities not knowing when you will next have access. Then of course you have to carry the empties until you can safely dispose of them.

I have used dual filter pumps extensively, but they are slow and hard work to get reasonable quantities of water. The recent arrival of MIOX and UV sterilisation is very welcome in my view though I have not yet tested either.

Rick,
for both MIOX and Steripen, it would be a good idea to use a Millbank water filter bag which would solve the particulate problem and to some extent make it easier to fill a bottle as the water drains out slowly.