I picked up the steri pen because I knew I'd be traveling for a number of months in countries that didn't have clean tap water. I had been in a number of countries like this before, and it was a huge hassle to always lug around giant jugs of water, and constantly be in and out of the store picking up drinking water. Not to mention expensive -- you will rarely if ever find a bottle of water for less than $1. So if you plan on traveling in countries that don't have potable water for more than a month or two, this thing will pay for itself and start generating profits.
On top of that, a lot of the time stores are closed. If you run out of water in the evening, you're simply out of luck until the next morning when you can head to the store and pick up more. With the steri pen around, I always knew that I'd have water when I needed it.
Now this thing doesn't come without its drawbacks. It takes a while to sterilize water. It's about a minute and a half for a half liter, and you should be drinking at least 2 liters per day. It also needs a wide-mouthed container that is either a half a liter or a liter so that you can fit the steri pen in and stir it around. A standard water bottle isn't usually going to do the trick. But despite that, it's still an enormously useful and economic tool that I would say any serious traveler should have in their daypack at all times.
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