The SteriPEN Adventurer Opti and the H2O Amigo Pro are both innovative and effective means for treating water in the backcountry, but the two products otherwise share little in common.
SteriPEN's story has been one of overwhelming success and rapid adoption amongst backpackers. After selling its first unit in 1999, Hydro-Photon Inc, the makers of SteriPEN, now offer no fewer than ten versions of the SteriPEN and market not only to the backpacking community, but also to the military, emergency rescue agencies, and the general traveling public.
The success and attention surrounding SteriPEN lies in a breakthrough, and admittedly glitzy concept in water purification: the use of ultraviolet light from a handheld pen-shaped device to scramble the genetic material of water-borne pathogens, making them incapable of reproducing. This technology is a clean alternative to more traditional water treatment methods involving chemicals or filtration. The Adventurer Opti is the ultralight version of the SteriPEN and can be used with disposable or rechargeable CR123 Li-ion batteries. For those not keen on buying disposable batteries or relying on the power grid, SteriPEN makes a solar charging case exclusively for the Adventurer Opti.
The H2O Amigo occupies the more subdued realm of the gravity filter. Far from being on technology's cutting edge, the gravity filter's basic, but effective design uses a water-holding bag that contains a filter with a small tube at the bottom for water output. The bag is filled, hung, and water moves passively from thebag, through the filter, and out to another bag or a drinking bottle for consumption. It's essentially pump filtration without all the work required of pumping.
A quick-drying, lightweight SilNylon bag with durable drawstrings and a single open-ended output hose make the Amigo perhaps the most no-frills, elegantly designed gravity filter to date. Sadly, the Amigo is no longer in production by its manufacturer, Ultralight Adventure Equipment. MSR, Katadyn, Cascade Designs, and Sawyer Products sell their own gravity filters, but none matche the lightweight simplicity of the Amigo. Used Amigos can still occasionally be found online, but these tend to be few and far between. More importantly though, the Amigo's simple design and obtainable raw materials perhaps permit at-home construction. This subject has been discussed in great detail on BPL's own forums.
The aim of this study was to compare the solar-powered SteriPEN Adventurer Opti with the H2O Amigo Pro for use in long distance hiking. Both devices were used alternately along 800 miles of the Montana section of the Continental Divide Trail from July 19 toSeptember 28, 2010 to provide drinking water for a companion and myself. While one device was in use, we shipped the other ahead to a mail drop location. Once at the mail drop, we switched devices, shipping the other ahead to the next mail drop. Practical considerations for long distance hiking for each device were noted. These included observations and recorded data on each device's weight, cost, performance, maintenance requirements, durability, and ease of lightweight modification. Temperatures ranged from the mid 80s to the mid 20s F. The Amigo was outfitted with a new Katadyn Hiker filter.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- Introduction
- Results
- Overall Impressions
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Hi Tony
I have some Sawyer filters here about to go into test.
Cheers
Hi Beat
> some water seems not to have enough electrolyte content to be registered by the Steripen
Known, albeit rare, problem for the Adventurer. That's why the Adventurer Opti is a better choice.
> It would occasionally just not light up at all, and often light up briefly, to be followed
> by an error (red light
> increasingly difficult to turn on (it would turn on and immediately turn off),
That sounds like an inadequate battery to me. Happens all the time with cheaper batteries. What brand were you using?
Cheers
That looks like a really nice product
Cool packaging – clear case so you can see circuit board inside
Skimpy info on their web site
It says 12 treatments per charge – how many pints is one treatment? How long does it take to treat a pint
Then you can charge the internal battery from any battery with magnetic clips – cool
Is the On/off switch easy to turn on and off? My Adventurer is a real pain, especially when it gets cold.
They said it costs $49 but isn't currently available, check back in June 2010 for availability. Maybe they meant 2011?
They said this is their first product
This sounds like a new company so one might expect some complications ordering and receiving a product
Roger,
Great news to hear that you will be running test on the Sawyer filters.
Looking forward to seeing some real scientific testing on them.
Any idea of when that article might be out?
-Tony
Granted I'm not an expert, but I am a vet and have had some dealings with inland fish farming where water purification is a key part of the business. They use UV for purification but only AFTER serious filtration because UV does not work if the water contains particles that can provide shade for bacteria and virus (remember they are quit small). So from my knowledge there is no way that a device like stirpin can work in a trail situation. Do any of you guys have any explanation that would tell me how the system can work?
You're supposed to stir it and it requires more than a minute to treat
In that time, you'll be exposing all side of any particles
I'm not sure where you get your info Roger, but everything I've read indicates the chances of getting a virus from US water sources is basically nil. Of course they exist, water borne or otherwise, but that doesn't mean we need to be paranoid about treating for them.
Suppose it depends on standards and the goal is perhaps just to get under the infective dose of a pathogen, but in muddy water I doubt that it's possible with UV light. Furthermore particles are 3D and can hide microorganisms quit well.
Hi Mads,
One's supposed to pre-filter or settle turbid water before treatment. The Steripen literature has a maximum NTU value to stay within for it to be effective, as well as physical descriptions of what water looks like at that turbidity (since nobody carries a meter with them). Offhand I don't recall the value.
Also, double-treatment is recommended for poor water conditions. Luckily, a good proportion of high-country water is quite clear. Obviously that's not the case everywhere!
cheers,
Rick
If you use your bulk water container to store untreated water
Let it settle to get clearer water to treat
For water you're going to boil anyway for cooking, no need to treat it, if you just bring it to boil it will kill the bugs according to some link on a recent thread
Then you can save your batteries too
I also have the ULA Amigo.
I was less than impressed with it. I had it fail and had to get a new filter on my 3rd outing. I tried to filter the brown (tannin filled) water that is available on coastal hikes in Washington. But everyone else’s pump style filters also got clogged so I was not too dismayed. Then while hiking the Loowit trail (Mt. ST. Helens), it clogged again do to silt in water. The replacement filters were somewhat pricey back then and then the foam pre-filter in the silnylon came loose, so it has been retired.
I have since gone with Aqua Mira liquid. It is not as thorough as the filters (unless you wait 4hrs) but very convenient. I carry two sports bottles and let one "cook" with the chems as I hike using the other.
-Dale
I have a Steripen Adventurer. I took it on one 3 day hike. It worked fine as far as I can tell, but why anyone would want to sit around stirring for 90 seconds if they had a choice is beyond me. I went right back to my Sawyer and Charcoal filter combination. Two drops of chlorine per liter to kill viruses, Sawyer removes cellular organisms, charcoal removes chlorine and many contaminants. I connect the output of the filter directly to my hydration bladder so I don't have to worry about spilling. The best part is hang and forget. I snooze or snack or check my map while my filter does the work.
By the way, all the filters I've owned say freezing compromises them. You should check your instructions to see if the Amigo filter is safe after freezing. I always wrap my filter and water in my pack liner and sleep with them when freezing temperatures are expected. My filter never freezes and I always have water in the morning.
I use the Sawyer inline filter tied into my standard bladder drink tube. Just dip the bladder, put it back in my side pack pocket, and go. It's showing on my shoulder strap in the profile pic. No clean/dirty bladder setup; just the dirty one. My water stops are quick; sometimes reloaded and out before the mosquitos find me. I do have to draw maybe 20% harder on the bite valve than when the filter is not present, but that is about the only downside I've found. Weighs about 2 ounces; nothing to replace; micron protection is same or better than most pump filters; one-time purchase at about $56. I convert a lot of backpackers with it at my store based on my experiences and praise of it; hope BPL's future review concurs.
Interesting article!
However I do miss some lab tests of the treated water. Now you can not know if the filters are actually effective because:
a. the collected water could simply be not contaminated
b. the persons drinking the water could have built a resistance against the contaminants in the water
nm
Hi Chris
> everything I've read indicates the chances of getting a virus from US water sources is basically nil.
Ah, now if we transition from whether there are viruses in the water in America to whether you run much of a risk from the viruses which are present – that is a huge world of difference. In practice we can tolerate quite a lot of the more common sorts of virus (and bacteria). We would be dead very quickly if we couldn't.
In fact, we carry a huge load of bugs in our bodies anyhow, and are critically dependent on them for life. This is what most of the population does not seem to know, understand or believe. You are alive because of the microflora of your skin, body, gut etc. Without all those bugs you would die. So why the authorities allow some unscrupulous vendors to sell antibiotic wipes for the kitchen to the uneducated public beats me.
Cheers
> Any idea of when that article might be out?
At this stage, 2011 is as much as I can say. It's another wide survey, not just the Sawyers.
Cheers
Thanks Roger. We're on the same page here. I need to work on correctly wording my posts to relay my intentions a bit better.
Some of you may be interested to know that ULA recently made a deal with the inventor of the h2o amigo and we now have the rights to produce it again// No time table as to exactly when it will be available, as you can imagine the next 3 months are extremely busy for us and I can assure you it won't be before early summer that we're ready to go with it again/
"Buy the batteries online. Cheap."
Of course I mean you can buy the best batteries online cheaper than in the grocery store, etc..
Battery Junction sells Energizer and Duracell for less than $2 each.
Lower quality/output batteries are what I suspect cause a majority of dissatisfaction among unexperienced users.
I have had no issues in years of use.
inventor of the h2o amigo
Bill F. Getting credit?
I have used an Amigo Pro for several years and it works great. However, maybe I missed something, but why do a comparison using this product since it is unavailable? Maybe ULA will bring it back…
Isn't the Platypus Clean Stream system essentially the same as the Amigo and available now?
.
My daughter started with a steripen on her AT thruhike in '09. It broke about 1 month into the hike. She started using AquaMira and a bandana for a pre filter.
Steripen replaced the product and I have used it on several section hikes. It ceased working on my last section hike and I replaced it with a Platty system.
I will stick with the low tech solution.
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