Katadyn befree aftermarket bottle question

Im subscribing to this thread! I would like a hardish bottle that fits in a bike bottle holder, that would save me all sorts of weight mountain biking.

Nick,

The Ultraspire ultraflask 550 works fine withy BeFree.

Took a photo but the image iDVD too large to upload here.

Will a Befree filter even work with a hard bottle?  You would have to give it a way for air to get in, which would also allow water out when you tip it up.

Ultraspire ultraflask 550 with the BeFree.

Cole,

The UltraSpire flasks aren’t real rigid but have a lot more structure than the Hydroflask style.

Funny, I had a blue ultraflask 550 that did not work with the threads on the befree. I’ll have to to try again with a green one – thanks Ed!

The UltraSpire flasks aren’t real rigid but have a lot more structure than the Hydroflask style.

When you stop squeezing, does it draw air back through the filter, or does it stay collapsed?  If it draws air back through, that certainly would be useful.

I was randomly searching for this today on Facebook and came across a post from someone who is using a Gatorade bottle. Do a search for Katadyn BeFree in the main search bar and should find it.

@tomw Any chance you could provide a link for that Gatorade bottle/BeFree FB post? I couldn’t seem to find it with a quick search. Likely I’m just incompetent…

From the new Outdoor Gear Lab review of the BeFree:

We tried a Gatorade bottle, which was close but did not mate fully and allowed untreated water to flow out when squeezed.

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/backpacking-water-filter/katadyn-befree

Aside: In my experience, OGL reviews should be read carefully. Their criteria and ranking scales rarely match mine, and sometimes their conclusions are WTF moments.

— Rex

When you stop squeezing, does it draw air back through the filter, or does it stay collapsed?  If it draws air back through, that certainly would be useful.

It will only draw air back if the filter is damaged:

Filter Integrity Test
If you suspect that your Katadyn BeFree™ may have been damaged in
some way, you can perform this quick and easy integrity test in the field.
1. Squeeze fresh water through the Katadyn BeFree™
: The integrity test only works with a wet EZ-Clean Membrane™.
2. Try to blow air – using your mouth – through the drink nozzle into the
Hydrapak® SoftFlask™.
-> cannot blow through filter = fiber ok
-> can blow through filter = fiber broken
Stop: DO NOT USE FILTER! Replace EZ-Clean Membrane™

Source: katadyn

if you want to let air back into the bottle you could try this USING A RIGID BOTTLE ON THE DIRTY SIDE OF A SAWYER SQUEEZE .

It will only draw air back if the filter is damaged:

That’s what I was getting at.  Which would seem to make a hard bottle a non-starter with a Befree filter….Until Link posted this:

if you want to let air back into the bottle you could try this USING A RIGID BOTTLE ON THE DIRTY SIDE OF A SAWYER SQUEEZE .

Which is brilliant.  The resourcefulness of some people is amazing.

A couple of years ago I tried installing a duckbill valve in a SmartWater bottle but couldn’t drill/cut a clean hole, the plastic of the bottle would fray, crack, or have uneven edges. Couldn’t get the valve to seal. If anyone has tips for how to drill or cut a clean circular hole in a water bottle I’d love to know.

I would/wiil try a soldering iron type tool with a pointed circular tip attachment, and melt the hole rather than cut it.

Searching for duckbill valves on Amazon.  Those showing are for breast milk pump valves.  Its very difficult to know how big they are.   Does anyone know where to get small onrs?

Anyone havimg anyone luck finding drink bottles on which the Befree will thread?

Derrick

“If anyone has tips for how to drill or cut a clean circular hole in a water bottle I’d love to know.”

Did you try putting a piece of duct tape (or Gorilla tape) on the bottle and drilling through that?

.JW FUSION CHECK VALVE ON AMAZON you can also get them at fish stores

Thanks Link.

If anyone has tips for how to drill or cut a clean circular hole in a water bottle I’d love to know.

The poster in the original thread said he used a unibit.  I think using tape would also help, as would a really sharp bit, low speed and light pressure.  It might also help to get something inside the bottle to support it.  Maybe sand?

Does anyone know where to get small onrs?

I picked up two at Walmart in the pet section last night. Now I just have to find a bottle that fits the filter.

You could even use an awl to get a small hole in there. Cover it with duct tape and put a slit in the tape. It will work like a valve and not lose alot of water when you hold it upside down.

Cutting a clean hole,  The back side would need to be supported.  Partially filling the bottle with water and freezing it may help, however the plastic would become brittle.  If you have a drill press, you can use a spade bit and grind down the center tang.  The outside edges should cut well, I do this to cut clean holes in thin aluminum and soft plastics.  Best wishes.

Not to derail the thread, but is there a particular reason why you guys are interested in a hard bottle vs. the one that comes with the filter?  The hard bottle is almost certainly much heavier.  If it is a failure concern, does anyone have reports on the bladders failing after the initial run last year?

Perhaps I’m missing something?

nm

Yes, as Link showed, what I got is called a check valve. Got a pack of 5 for about $2 on Amazon a couple of years ago. They come with each enclosed in a plastic housing designed to be fitted inline, I just broke the hard plastic away to free the valve itself.

Thanks for the suggestions on how to more successfully drill the hole. FYI I tried lighter and stronger pressure, slower and faster speeds, and I just ruined a lot of bottles. I came to the same conclusion as others that the bottle wall needs to be supported from within and tried filling it with water with the cap on and also tried freezing. Sand is an interesting idea but don’t know if it would generate different results. Tape over the drill spot also is a good idea, maybe I’ll try again. And maybe pick up a unibit. Don’t have a drill press.

After having given up a couple of years ago on trying to make this work I had just resigned myself to the need to loosen and tighten the Sawyer after squeezing the bottle to equalize pressure, ultimately not a big deal. But a friend once called my kit “a cornucopia of doodads”, so in that spirit I must try to install a check valve once again.

David, my interest in a rigid bottle would be for ease of retrieving and replacing it to/from my pack’s side pocket. I am assuming that a floppy bottle would work OK when full but as it empties it will flop over and sink down into the pocket and/or not slide back into the pocket easily, and possibly with the filter on top it would be top heavy and might even fall out of the pocket.