Reviews > Water Treatment > Filters > ULA Equipment H2O Amigo Water Filter > Jodi Cornelius > Long Term Report

My e-mail: bpskids@atlanticbb.net
Name: Jodi Cornelius
Age: 42
Height: 5'4"/1.6 m
Weight: 198 lbs/90 kg
Gender: Female
City: Derrick City
State: PA
Country: USA
Date: January 26, 2005
My area of the country: Northwest Pennsylvania

My Background: I have been backpacking for 2 years now and before that I car camped quite a bit. I consider myself somewhat new to backpacking and am on my way towards becoming a lightweight packer. I tend to use a Hennessey Hammock since my only tent is a bivy tent. I prefer the hammock to a tent as the hammock leaves me swinging gently in the breeze with no hard spot from rocks on the ground. Nor do I need to dig troughs for my hips and shoulders (side sleeper) so I can practice LNT (Leave No Trace) much better.

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 US

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: I am going to touch on the issues I had previously (See my Field Report). After repeated tries with filling my Platypus I have come to the conclusion that it is either impossible to do, or I just don't get it. I could not filter water into the Platypus without holding it up. I tried bracing it between rocks, logs, anything I could get my hands on, but I couldn't get it to work. However, I love how it filters into my Nalgene bottles and have no problem pouring the filtered water into my Platypus for later drinking.

I also didn't figure out a way to get the bag filled without getting my hands wet. This is not really a problem except in colder weather when the water is very cold. To get past that problem, I carried a pair of Neoprene gloves with me. That worked well. As I continued to use the filter and return it to my pack, I noticed that the majority of the time it did not leak into my pack. The couple of times that the inside of my pack did get wet was due to my not making sure the filter was empty before storing it again.

As the weather got colder, I did notice a slow down in the speed of the filtering process. I do not know whether it is due to the filter being cold, or the sediments flowing slower therefore causing the larger particles to get into the bag, or what the situation is in that aspect. But I do know that it took anywhere from just a minute or two longer to as long as 5 minutes to filter 1.9 Liters/2 US Quarts of water.

The filter, hose, water collection bag, and stuff sack are showing very minimimal signs of wear. The water collection bag looks like it has been used, but there are no stains, scuff marks, or any signs of fraying. The loops that hold the string that cinches up the bag when full and ready to hang are still stitched as tightly as when I received the filter. The rubber grips of the handles are slightly dirtied from multiple handlings but the rubber is still in excellent shape. The filter works well other than when it is really cold and even then, it works as I expected it to. Overall, this is an excellently made gravity filter.

I have really enjoyed this new, to me, way of filtering water. I do not have to stand there and pump my water out. I can go get camp ready and when it's all set up, my water is filtered. Much nicer than having to pump and wait for camp.

I would like to thank Ultralight Adventure Equipment for allowing us to test this filter and for BackpackGearTest for choosing me to test this product.

Reviews > Water Treatment > Filters > ULA Equipment H2O Amigo Water Filter > Jodi Cornelius > Long Term Report