How do you carry your BeFree

[Jason H]

I went on a hike this weekend with just the BeFree and no pack so I just had to hold it in my hands while I hiked. I was wondering if anybody uses a holder for it?

[Lester Moore]

Most LW backpacking folks seem to carry small hydration bladders or water bottles in either a side pocket of their backpack or in a pouch on their backpack’s shoulder strap. I carry mine in one of the side pockets, where I can retrieve it and replace it while hiking without taking my pack off.

[Patrick O’Neil]

I just bought a befree. The first time I use it I will bring a back up but I’m wondering why this can’t go in a pack? Is it that fragile? I was going to stash it in a pouch in the front of my pack along with a bunch of other stuff I use during the day.

[John Vance]

I carry mine in an outside side pocket. I use the 2L bladder with it and just roll it up with the filter still attached to the now empty bladder and put a rubber band around it.

[Jason H]

It can go in your pack which is where I keep it but because of the flimsiness of the bottle it is sometimes hard to get it into the side mesh.   It’s after I set up camp and take off my pack  I will often go for extended hikes without the pack and just bring the BeFree so I can fill up along the trails. I was just wondering if anyone has used some sort of attachment to attach it to a belt or a shoulder strap so I don’t have to carry it in my hand.

[Seth R]

Anything water related is always outside my pack. Mine currently resides in a suitcase ready to head to the Wind River range tomorrow. Then it will be in the mesh pocket of my Arc Haul.

[Ross Bleakney]

It depends. Most of the time I drip filter into a Platypus. In that case the filter sits inside a bag that also doubles as a water scoop (I forget the brand — Simblissity?). The bag also contains a Seeker water bladder and Tornado Tube (for connecting the Seeker bladder to the Platypus). There is also some cord tied around the Seeker bladder so I can tie it and drip.

Occasionally I will just fill up the Seeker and put it into my pack (e. g. if there are a lot of bugs around the water source). On other occasions I will drip filter and also fill up Seeker (if I am planning on spending a long time away from a water source). In both cases I carry my water in the hydration sleeve in my pack. That puts it as close to my body as possible, which is an efficient way to carry water. I don’t always carry water, but when I do, it is the single heaviest item in my pack, so I want to carry it as efficiently as possible, which is why the hydration sleeve is handy. It is also easy to get out (since it is in a separate compartment).

I don’t use the bladder that came with the filter. I suppose if I was only carrying the filter and using the bladder without a pack I would just put it in my pocket (for drinking water on the go). Once I get to the point where I am carrying water, I would just carry a pack.

 

[Alex H]

“Anything water related is always outside my pack. Mine currently resides in a suitcase ready to head to the Wind River range tomorrow. Then it will be in the mesh pocket of my Arc Haul.”

Because I do so much desert hiking where carrying water is a constant and the difference between life and death the only water bottle I carry on the outside of the pack is a hard sided gas station drink bottle.  Any soft sided bottles (platys and such) go in the pack and close to my back, including the BeFree, too many thorns or other pointy items around to poke holes in things including inflatable sleeping pads.  On the Appalachian Trail I might carry it in the side pocket but usually I will fill up my hard water bottle and then store the BeFree in the very top of my pack for easy access.

[Monty Montana]

Hi Jason.  When I first got my BeFree I used an aluminium circlip designed especially for carrying sport water bottles; the cap on the BeFree is the same one found on Smartwater bottles and many others.  The clip had a slot for webbing and was easily attached to my belt or outside a daypack.  Then the darn bladder started leaking at a bottom corner, so I upgraded to a 750 ml Hydrapack Stash bottle, which came equipped with its own webbing loop for attachment; I also picked up a 2 L Hydrapack Seeker for those times when I need to cross a long dry stretch.  Both are fully collapsible and are the only ones compatible with the BeFree filter.  Hope this helps.  Happy trails!

[Jason H]

Thank you. That is what I was looking for. So do you think that by hanging it from the clip caused the bottle to leak over time?

 

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