- The SteriPEN Sidewinder is a water purification system that uses a bulb that produces ultraviolet waves. The unit is powered by a hand crank. Yes, it is battery free. The ultraviolet lamp in the Sidewinder can purify 8000 L of water before it needs replacing.
- The package includes the main housing (with ultraviolet lamp, LED indicator lights, gear housing, and hand crank); an Eastman Tritan BPA free bottle (1L); a water tight bottle lid; and a pre-filter for particle removal. The bottle also can be used to measure liquids as it has gradients in ml ans oz.
- Measured weight for all items 1.5 lb
- Measured dimensions
- Height: 8 5/8 in
- Width: 5 1/2 in
- Depth: 3 3/4 in
- MSRP: $99.95 US only
- Shipping cost: $5.00
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Eastman Tritan BPA free bottle with gradients
pre filter assembly and bottle cap
main assemby with protective shield removed
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main assembly with protective shield in place
- Purification process
- The ultraviolet light produced disrupts the DNA of microbes in seconds. The microbes need functioning DNA in order to reproduce, thus making the water harmless to drink.
- Whenever water needs to be purified, the Sidewinder provides an excellent and speedy solution. A few times while at campgrounds, I have returned from a day of hiking to find that temporarily the water needed to be boiled before using. Unless I had a supply of water handy, I would have to boil water and wait for it to cool enough to be drinkable. Since the water testing at most campgrounds is not done daily, it was very likely that any water I had gotten in the morning was probably contaminated. Purifying water with the Sidewinder is quick and easy, as we will see in a later section. Occasionally at home, our public water supply needs to be boiled for a few days. Even when boiling the water is not a problem, the waiting for it to be cool enough for drinking purposes takes time. The inconvenience is even greater if we lack power during a water boil emergency. Nobody leaves their house for a hike with the intention of forgetting an important item. This is especially true if traveling 2-3 hours to reach the trail head. When the backpacking season starts, I will be adding the Sidewinder to my car so it will be handy in case it is needed. This way if someone in the group has forgotten water, we have a quick way to get safe water to drink.
- If the water has particles in it, then the pre-filter is used, otherwise the water to be purified is poured directly into the bottle provided. The bottle is screwed onto the main unit. The unit is positioned so that the base of the unit is on a stable surface. The crank is extended and cranking can begin. Once cranking starts it should be fast enough that the indicator LED’s are not blinking. The complete cycle is 90 seconds, at which time the LED’s flash green. If cranking becomes too tiresome, one can rest up to 7 seconds before resuming, without having to restart the process from the beginning.
- For my first try I filled the bottle with tap water. I screwed the bottle to the unit and then turned the bottle upside down so the base was resting on a small table. I then started cranking the unit. For the first few seconds, the LED’s were flashing slowly, as I reached speed the LED’s stopped flashing, the ultraviolet light was illuminated and occasionally the LED’s would flash once or twice. I was ready to take a rest when the ultraviolet went out and the LED’s started flashing green for several seconds and then stopped. I was expecting the cranking to be easier. The indication that the water has been purified is very clear. When the ultraviolet lamp goes out the cranking becomes very easy. The next time I do this, I will go for 45 seconds, rest less then 7 seconds and then crank until the ultraviolet light goes off and the LED’s start flashing green.
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assembly with cranking handle extended
simplified instructions on base of unit
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Sidwinder in action in the forest
Reciew by Arnie P
SteriPEN Sidewinder
The SteriPEN Sidewinder was provided by SteriPEN for review purposes.
Description
Where the Sidewinder could be used
How it works
Trying it out
Overall impression
The Sidewinder appears to be a well designed piece of equipment. I could not hear any abnormal noises while I was cranking the unit. The cranking did require more energy than I expected. I will probably get used to this as I get a more practice. Please check back in about a month when I will have more to say about the Sidewinder.
Update
4-11-2011
It has been a little over a month, the snow is mostly gone and there are places where it is not too muddy to hike. It was time to take the Sidewinder on a field trip. As you will see I had a few surprises, most of them unexpected. After they occurred, I could understand why they happened. Something like being a Monday morning quarterback.
It was in the low 40′s on a bright sunny day when we hiked in a Wilmington forest. After getting water to sterilize I looked for a place that I thought would be suitable for operating the Sidewinder. I found a log to sit on which I thought would be comfortable enough to do the necessary cranking. The first problem is in the bright sunlight the light from the LEDs are not as visible as indoors. I did try without sunglasses which was not much better. Unfortunately I need sunglasses in sunlight otherwise I get nasty headaches. From doing the cranking inside the house I found I could not crank efficiently with my left hand even though I am left handed. I put the base of the unit on my left leg and used my left hand to hold the bottle. I found that as I was cranking my left hand was applying pressure in a way to slowly unscrew the bottle. Once I was aware of this I quickly tightened the bottle and continued cranking. Because the surface was not as stable as the table in my house I found it a lot harder to do the cranking. I also found it difficult to hold the bottle in a way that it would not unscrew. At some point when my right hand got tired I did try switching hands and found quickly that this did not work very well. I had my watch positioned on my left wrist so I could see the seconds advance on my digital watch. At some point after cranking over 90 seconds there was no resistance to cranking and the LEDs did flash green, indicating the process was over. I then looked for a level rock to try it again. I did find a rock but the surface was not level enough to make the cranking operation smooth. I also would be stooping enough to be quite uncomfortable for the required amount of time. I concluded that unless I had a fairly stable surface like a table top I would have difficulty cranking. This may be a problem I have with coordination. It could also be that if I were stronger this may not be a problem. The Sidewinder did fit well in my day pack, especially now that it was warmer and I did not need some space for extra clothing.
Traveling
I did not think of a possible use in my last report. When my son had to travel to Mexico a few years ago on business, he found it difficult to get water that would not bother him. This would have been a solution for him. The power sources for recharging are not always compatible with our American system of connectors, voltage and sometimes frequency. The Sidewinder solves that by being independent of the electric grid.
During the next month I will be spending a week in New Hampshire and hope to find an outdoor location that is close to a picnic table. Check back in about a month when I will having more to say about the Steripen Sidewinder.
A final look
5-16-2011
- It has been slightly over a month and I have had 2 occasions to use the Steripen Sidewinder in New Hampshire. One the the things I have always liked about the forest and mountains of New Hampshire is the abundance of fast moving cold water that flows in the streams. When I first started visiting New Hampshire in 1958 with a group of college classmates, we were there to chill out after a tough year in engineering school. We knew there was a danger of drinking water that had been contaminated by bears and other animals, but we were all short of money and did not give a second thought about drinking the water. Over the years the animal population has increased and the problems of untreated water are well posted at most trail heads.
As mentioned in my last report I had difficulty using the Sidewinder on a non stable surface. I tried the Sidewinder on the shores of Echo lake. The water is extremely clear but is visited by bears on a regular basis. I have seen them close by in past years. I used the Sidewinder on a nearby picnic table. Now that I have a little more experience, I position myself comfortably and crank with my right hand and hold the unit with my left hand in a way I can monitor my watch while cranking. This gives me a very good idea of the time I have left to crank. I do prefer doing the 90 seconds all at once as opposed to splitting the task into 2 or 3 time periods.
on the shore of Echo Lake
- I then used the Sidewinder on a hike along a bicycle trail that ends in a parking lot for the trail head of the Skookumchuck trail. This is one of my favorite trails to summit Mt Lafayette (elevation 5278 ft). Along the bicycle trail there several streams that cross the trail and there also is a picnic table where I stopped to try the Sidewinder. Although I am finding the Sidewinder easy to use I would want sufficient rest between uses.
along bike trail
Summary
I think the Sidewinder makes an excellent water purifier for emergency uses when power is out or traveling in places where the water is unreliable. I think it would be good to have on car camping trips where weight and size are not as important. For me, the Sidewinder is too large and heavy to take on a backpacking trip. I can see taking it on some day hikes where the water available is excellent to drink but needs to be purified for safety reasons. My wish would be to have a crank operated battery charger that could be left at a base camp or campground that does not have electricity. I could then go on hikes or 2-4 day backpacks where I might need to purify 3-15 liters of water. I really like the concept used to purify water in that the taste of the water is not changed. Having liked the SteriPEN Sidewinder water purifier for the purpose it was designed, I am hoping to acquire a lighter weight Steripen product for my backpacking purposes.
I wish to thank 4alloutdoors and Steripen for the opportunity to do this review.
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