Katadyn befree aftermarket bottle question

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?

For me there are 3 reasons:

1. To carry in a mountain bike bottle cage
2. So I can set it down without it flopping over
3. Durability. Soft flasks are susceptible to punctures

Except for conforming to the body when carried in something like a running vest, I find rigid (or semi rigid) bottles superior to soft flasks for most applications. Others may feel differently though.

Has anyone else tried the filter with the Ultraspire 550ml Flask.  I note someone reports it working with the green color flask while another says that it does not fit the blue color flask.  I am dubious that the color of the flask would affect its compatibility.

Derrick

Here is the link to my original post with pics on how I used a Gatorade Bottle with my BeFree for use with a hydration tube as well as a gravity setup with a 3L seeker container.  Works great!

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/new-katadyn-befree-filter-bottle/page/4/#comments
    

I used a Gatorade Bottle with my BeFree for use with a hydration tube as well as a gravity setup

How do you get air back into the bottle so it doesn’t pull a vacuum?

I used this awesome product:  https://goo.gl/TYPlWg
which not only gives you the one-way valve to let the air in, but also allows you to use the BeFree filter directly with the Gatorade bottle if I want.

Or you can go the cheaper DIY way and just drill a hole in the Gatorade cap yourself and add a duckbill check valve which costs about $3 from an aquarium/pet supply store like Petco:  https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/100770/

Ok, now I see.  I didn’t realize there was a one way valve integral to the Convertube Kit.

David, I am wondering if I am interpreting your picture correctly.  Does the Sawyer adapter screw directly onto the BeFree filter?

Yes – the Sawyer adapter can screw directly onto the BeFree filter.  All I did was drill a hole in the top of the Gatorade bottle CAP allowing the top threaded part of the BeFree to fit through so I could then screw on the Sawyer adapter for a drinking tube or I can screw on a smart water bottle flip cap and drink directly from that – but note that if you do either of those configurations, you will need to add a duckbill check valve or somehow vent the bottle, and also keep the bottle inverted (upside down).  That’s one reason I’m using the Source Convertube Kit because it includes the valve and allows you to keep the bottle upright.  There’s lot’s of options on how you can configure this setup.

“That’s one reason I’m using the Source Convertube Kit because it includes the valve and allows you to keep the bottle upright.”

I feel like I am getting your meaning here confused slightly. Are you saying that you are using the Source Convertube WITH the BeFree filter at the same time? I ask because doesn’t that place the check valve on the Convertube after the filter, meaning no air can be drawn back into the bottle without first passing back through the filter. It was my understanding that air passing through the BeFree filter (for example a “blow” test) is the one tell tale sign that the BeFree filter is damaged. Perhaps I either have your meaning wrong, or the mechanics of the whole thing wrong.

Hey David, on the last post those last three pic where the befree is pushed through the gator aid cap do you have some sort of gasket? Is it water tight?

I’m using like this (see pics).  You can see the valve on the top of the blue cap adapter.

Thanks for all of the pictures and descriptions.  It looks like a great setup.  It is good that you emphasized that if you use a hard sided container you need a check valve to allow air into the container.  Thanks David for a great series of posts!

“Hey David, on the last post those last three pic where the befree is pushed through the gator aid cap do you have some sort of gasket? Is it water tight?”

Yes – there is a white foam/rubber gasket that comes with the Convertube kit and everything is completely water tight.

Ok, well it looks like we have a viable solution to the problem. Now I’ve just got to get a convertube kit, a bottle, and drill some holes.   David K, thanks for your help, your pictures and your patience.

No problem, happy to help.  :)

David any chance you could take one more picture showing how much room is between the filter and the threads of the gatorade cap when you have the two together. I have a bunch of those blue valves and was wondering if I could fit one in the Gatorade cap with the filter leaving enough room to screw it on the bottle.

There’s not much room on the cap with the BeFree attached.  But if the valve won’t fit on the cap, you could always just put the valve on the bottle itself.  Here’s some pics.  Hope this helps.

Thanks David, your right there is no room.

Thanks! Now I get what you are doing.

I am curious about this set-up … With the BeFree dangling inside the bottle, how low can the water level in the bottle fall realitive to the filter before you can no longer draw water?

Thanks again!

I’d say you can drink 99% of the water.  Maybe 1 oz or less of water remains that can’t be sucked up.  It works surprisingly well.  I got the idea from Sawyer’s bottle.

Still looking for a hard(ish) sided bottle that the BeFree works with!

Tried another (clear) UltraSpire Ultraflask 550 to no avail. Threads definitely don’t match up. Pretty odd, given that Ed says they work, but I’ve had multiple folks check my setup to make sure that I’m not completely crazy and they verified that the pairing of both my blue and clear Ultraflasks, in fact, do not seat properly. Different thread spacing with differing thread depths equals dirty water coming through when the bottle is squeezed. Sadness.

Hoping that someone has a simple solution! Katadyn, is anyone out there?

Edit – I’m currently using a DIY setup with a Sawyer mini, a Saywer squeeze top, a bike bottle, and some tubing that equates pretty much to what is pictured in the above post. Works well as a “dip and sip” solution but does not fill other containers as a similar BeFree setup would. One can only sip from it, with a fairly slow rate of flow and no way to filter into other containers from the original dip/sip bottle. A BeFree hard sided bottle/filter would be great for bike packing, ultra runners, backpackers and other folks looking for fast ways to filter on the go. Hope that this makes sense.

Mike N says(and shows) that he had luck with Amphipod Hydraform 16oz bottle in THIS post

@annapurna Thanks! I just posted in that thread looking for a follow up from him. Kind of dubious as he states:

“Threading is slightly imprecise, but a simple push adjustment, before screwing on the filter, then a tight screw, creates a proper seal.”

Has me wondering about cross threading…precise would be nice.

I also had ‘luck’ with the amphipod bottle. I could get a tight enough seal to preclude water from dripping out the sides. But the threads didn’t match exactly, and I was more concerned that repeatedly tightening the filter onto the bottle would eventually ruin the threads on one or the other, so I returned it.

As well, the filter took up most of the inside room of the top of the bottle, so it wasn’t exceptionally squeezable anyway.

Good to hear, Doug. Great feedback and although, not what I was hoping for, you saved me from some more hassle. I’ve now bought/returned/kept multiple bottles and have yet to succeed in my BeFree-handheld quest. The search continues!