Camelback UV Bottle

[Dietrich]

Apologies in advance if this has already made the rounds, but has anyone seen/handled/used one of these things yet?



I have a bottle, and I have a Steripen, (which works some of the time) but hey, why not consolidate? It looks like the cap is pretty big, so not sure it would fit into a standard carrier, but I don't use one anyway.

Article from February says they will be available "next month" which makes it "this month," but knowing how quick on the draw y'all are, someone might have obtained one already. Or one of the older models from 09.

Any thoughts?

[praharin]

For $99 (@REI) I'd look for alternatives. To me, it looks bulky. I think you would actually save space by using a steripen, but I don't have one. I still prefer pump filters, chemicals or boiling to purify water. Sometimes even all 3.

[AcidGambit]

Watee bottles get dropped...a lot.
One good hit and you have a 99$ waterbottle.

[Cookie_Monster]

I've had my CamelBak All Clear UV Filter + CamelBak All Clear Pre-Filter: for a few weeks now, and its pretty rugged. Haven't used it in the field yet. But the science behind the bottle's tech seems solid. It fits perfect in my County Comm / Maratac Hydrant pouch. I like the USB recharging feature also, works great with my Voltaic Fuse 4W Solar Charger.

1 full charge (5hrs) gets you 80 purification cycles, that's 80 bottles of water at 0.750L each.

[PackLemming]

Can the science behind the design be replicated in the field, without batteries?

[kaligaran]

From what I can tell it just zaps it, so anything still floating in the water goes into your mouth unless it's been filtered through something first (clothing, coffee filter, etc).

If you're looking for a filter/bottle combo have you ever looked at the combined ones like Katadyn MyBottle? The prices vary based on color (which is pretty rediculous I know) but you can get them around $40 if you shop around online.
No batteries and a 26 gallon capacity.

[Dietrich]

I wasn't thinking of a filter/ bottle combo exactly, there are lots of those. I have one of those MSR gravity filters and use the steripen as the last stage since filters don't work on virii and pathogens and such. The steripen is kind of finicky at times though. And Acidgambit, true, if I dropped a Camelback I'd just have a $99 water bottle, but if I dropped my steripen I wouldn't even have a bottle! Not sure how rugged those are either.

[kaligaran]

I see what you mean. Sounds like you have a good setup already.

I'm not a filter or water expert by an stretch and I'm most likely telling you something you already know, but just in case: Some filters treat up to 0.2 microns. Which means that the only pathogens that can get through are some virii that are smaller than .2microns. Pathogens such as bacteria and protozoans are larger than that are are stopped by 0.2 microns.
The steri-pens are only good to treat up to 1L at a time and if the water doesn't have a low turbidity then the UV will diffuse which will not properly disinfect.

I've never used a steri-pen and for the most part have only read good things about them. But my luck with batteries is never that good so I stick with filter/boiling.

[Doctorr Fabulous]

Can the science behind the design be replicated in the field, without batteries?

Yees. It's called SODIS (SOlar DISinfection), but it takes 3-6 hours of direct sunlight, clear-ish water, and a thin-walled clear plastic bottle. Steripen takes 2 minutes, requires clear-ish water.

Both require a filter-stage before use. SODIS is better suited to purifying large amounts of water at once (say, 100 bottlers at a time) and storing it.

[Cookie_Monster]

Yes, I have successfully replicated the results in the field without batteries. (By results I mean I have activated the purification UV light for a full 60sec count cycle) Though I'm sure I voided the warranty lol... Activation was achieved via use of a Faraday shake light as a power source. Their capacitors will store electricity for months. I've successfully powered all sorts of low voltage USB devices with them. Just solder a pair of alligator clips to the bulb socket (remove bulb first) + Positive & - negative contact points. (bulb socket base is usually positive & sides are usually ground) use a test light to verify. Purchase a 5v at 500ma standard USB output regulator, to control power flow to your devices. This system will charge & power most USB devices.