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Reviews > Water Treatment > Filters > ULA Equipment H2O Amigo Water Filter > Jodi Cornelius > Field ReportField Report: ULA H2O AmigoMy e-mail: bpskids@atlanticbb.net Product Information: Manufacturer: Ultralight Adventure Equipment Manufacturer URL: http://www.ula-equipment.com/ Year of Manufacture: 2004 Product: H20 Amigo Listed Weight: 7.5 oz/213 g for the filter OR 9.5 oz/269 g including stuff sack and flush bulb Filter Weight: 3.25 oz/92 g Water Bag and Hose Weight: 4.75 oz/135 g Stuff Sack: 1 oz/28.35 g Flush Bulb: 1 oz/28.35 g Total Packed Weight: 9 oz/255 g Total Packed Weight with Flush Bulb: 10 oz/283 g Listed Water Bag Volume: 1.25 US Gallons/4.73 Liters Capacity Actual Water Bag Volume: 1.25 US Gallons/4.73 Liters Capacity Listed Filtration Rate: 1.7 Liters/1.80 US Quarts per minute (based on a full water bag) Actual Filtration Rate: 1.9 Liters/2 US Quarts per minute (based on a full water bag) MSRP: $40 Standard Features: Durable, easy to fill water bag In-line on/off valve for flow control 100+ gallon filter life Silt settling chamber Easily backflushed in the backcountry No pumping required! Remove filter and use as a shower! Durable 1.9 oz ripstop bag Reinforced draw cord holes Stainless steel grommets will not rust Silicone hose will not deteriorate Filter cartridge easily replaced Storage sack included Technical Info: 2-micron filter pore size Activated coconut carbon core Media within filter deters growth of bacteria, prolonging filter life Filter removes microscopic pathogens, toxic chemicals and dissolved solids while also improving taste and appearance of water Features from the Website:The H20 Amigo is a 7.5 oz/213 g gravity feed water filtration system (and shower!). Inline filter effectively removes 99.8% of waterborne contaminants to assure quality drinking water. Reinforced drawcord handles allow for easy filling, carrying, and hanging of the water bag. In-line on/off valve controls water flow. Pre-filter captures large contaminants, extending filter life. (9.25 oz with stuffsack and flush bulb). Field Experience: Well, took the water filter on my next backpacking trip. What a beautiful piece of gear! However, I did discover some do's and don'ts. Filling the bag, I then hung my bag in the tree with little difficulty and went to filtering my water into a stand-up Platypus. While the water was filtering, I went about my business of setting up camp. After I got done, I went back over to where I had hung my bag. Bummer!!! The Platypus had bent over in the middle, dumping all my water out. I was NOT happy at all! I wanted a cup of coffee BAD! Anyway, I filled my bag again without falling in the creek and tried to fill the Platypus again. Again, it tried to fall over. So I held it up until the Platypus filled. After that, I switched to filling up my Nalgene bottle instead and dumping that into the Platypus. Gotta do some more testing with the Platypus to decide the best way to fill that bag. When I first tried filling the bag, I almost fell into the creek. Of course, that didn't have anything to do with the filter, only my lack of grace! Where I had decided to get water was level enough, but when I leaned over trying to get the bag in the water without putting my hands IN the water, I almost fell in! Guess since I'm not only blonde but getting older to boot, my sense of balance has left me. Not that I had that much to begin with. Anyway, I found that you can't just "drop" the bag into the water. You have to let go of one side of the bag, lay it flat in the water, then press it into the water so it is submerged (it wants to float which is a good thing I guess), then grab the other handle and pull it out of the water. It comes out full. Then I hung it and watched the water pour out before I was ready. Blonde moment. Quickly I turned the valve to off and then went about hooking the filter up and sticking it into my Platypus. After turning on the valve, I watched for a moment to make sure it was filtering ok and then went about my business. One thing I am going to have to figure out is how to fill the bag without getting my hand wet. In the winter the water will be too cold for my hands to be getting wet in order to filter it. One thing I have thought about is using my Neoprene fishing gloves for that if necessary but I would like to figure out how to use the filter without getting my hands wet. When packing the filter, I blow out the excess water and toss it into the bag. I have not had any problem with anything in my pack getting wet from the filter. The stuff sack that holds the filter does a good job of keeping any excess water from leaking into my pack. As the weather starts getting colder, I will be testing the filter with water that's going to be close to freezing if not having a layer of ice on the top. I will see if the colder water will cause any slow down of filtering. As the water moves slower, the sediment particles may be larger than what has been filtered to date. Things I like: You don't have to pump for water. Convenience. Lightweight. Things I dislike: Almost nothing regarding the filter except for getting my hands wet. Although I do have a problem with filtering water into my Platypus, which I hopefully will get figured out before the end of the test, that is a problem outside of the filter itself. Read more reviews of Ultralight Adventure Equipment gear Read more gear reviews by Jodi Cornelius Reviews > Water Treatment > Filters > ULA Equipment H2O Amigo Water Filter > Jodi Cornelius > Field Report | |||