Love my BeFree filter!

[Scott Kilcoyne]

The ‘clogging’ while stored is something good to bring up. I’m assuming its because the casing is exposed and it completely dries out unlike a Sawyer. But yeah, filling the bottle up and shaking it gets it going. I remember the second time I went out with it and used it on the trail and this happened and I had a minor freak out, but it happens every time and now I know that its all good.

[jscott]

I used Katadyn’s earlier iteration of the Befree for years. Just dunk and squeeze. Brilliant. Strangely,it was never popular here.  Now, I like a Steripen even more. At 3 ounces, it’s probably worth bringing a Befree along ‘just in case’. You could still use it as a water bottle.

[Ethan A.]

Rex and everyone who posted, thank you for sharing – looks like a very nice filter I’m looking forward to trying out. I wouldn’t mind replacing the filter cartridge at the usage life that’s been mentioned for such good flow. I put the question of cleaning/backflushing to Katadyn, will let you know how they respond.

I’ve heard and read good things about the Steripen, but I worry about relying on batteries and a bulb for clean drinking water.

[Ralph Wood]

Not sure if this is the same type of bottle that comes with the filter, but last year I bought a hydrapak 750 ML soft water bottle to use while trail running and day hiking, and was extremely disappointed to find that it had a very strong plastic taste. Even after multiple tries at rinsing and cleaning it, I cannot get rid of the taste. Maybe I’m being overly paranoid, but due to that reason I stopped using it for fear of toxicity. Besides that I found it disgusting. :(

[Cole B]

I’ve been using a Befree for about a year, mostly for trail running, and I love it.  I haven’t noticed any decrease in flow and I’ve done basically no maintenance on it.  The only concerns I have are that the flask seems somewhat fragile, so I don’t squeeze it too hard and try to avoid punctures from passing limbs and briars.

I also have the Seeker bladders in all three sizes and am very pleased.  The taste issue cleared up for me after one cleaning with dish detergent which included vigorously scrubbing the sides of the bladder together.  I just wish the 1L size was tall and narrow like the 3L.

[Pamhikes]

Any concerns with it not filtering viruses?

[Greg Mihalik]

^^^

Not for me –

https://thesummitregister.com/water-treatment-101-viruses-3-2/

[Tony Wong]

Pam,

Viruses are an issue depending on where you are in the world and potentially how much “human” contamination of the water has that might determine if viruses are an issue.

In the California Sierras, viruses are generally not an issue.

If viruses are a concern, then a Steripen might be your best option or using slow acting chemicals.

Sawyer does make a hollow fiber filter that removes viruses but the word is that it is heavy and requires a lot of pressure to push the water through the filter, so likely not a good backpacking option.

For viruses you might go with the BeFree to remove the physical particles from the water and then treating the filtered water with the Steripen to neutralize the viruses.

Tony

[Jerry Adams]

but that’s sort of like belt and suspenders

if you’re worried about viruses use just Steripen, it also treats bigger bugs

[Gumbo]

I used a BeFree with a 3L Seeker (dirty) bottle for 9 days in the Grand Canyon last month. It did most of the filtering for 6 people, so we probably put 200L through it. Most of the time it had a 3′ hose attached, in gravity mode.

Thoughts:

• At first, it ran amazingly fast.
• Colorado was running clear, and half our water came from clear side streams. Despite this, the rate at the end of the trip was a quarter what it was at the beginning. No amount of swishing helped.
• Carried a spare BeFree filter – at $25 and 2 oz, no reason not to. Didn’t use it, but came close to doing so…
• Bottle was very easy to fill, and hung upside down well. Gravity setup was very convenient, so long as we weren’t in a hurry.
• I’m sensitive to plastic taste – had to return a couple DromLites due to taste – and they were the new “better tasting” 2017 version. The Seeker bottles weren’t as bad, and the frozen lemon treatment helped. Perhaps not well enough to haul water, having it jiggle around in the bottle in the heat for hours on end, but I it worked fine for fill-and-filter.
• The Seeker bottles did change recently; I found both at different REI stores in March. New one is thicker and sturdier. Weighs 3.3 oz; apparently used to weigh 2.1.

Overall, I loved the setup, though disappointed in how quickly it clogged. It’s only rated to 1000L, so perhaps I was asking too much of it. At $25 a pop, the price is great. Will use this system again, even for solo trips.

[Pamhikes]

@valshar

@retiredjerry

@greg23

Thank you!  I use a squeeze rigged as a gravity filter and it has worked great so far.  I do worry about the viruses though… being in very popular areas on the JMT and this year on the AT which is high traffic as well.  Not everyone in the backcountry practices proper hygiene as I witnessed this on many occasions.   The befree sounds great and may look into including the  steripen but didn’t want to extra weight.  Maybe I’m over thinking this…

[Jim C]

REI lists a 1L BeFree bottle and filter for pre-order, which some might prefer over the 0.6L original.

[Scott Kilcoyne]

OoooOOOooOOoo. Emailed them (Katadyn) about the possibility of just purchasing the bottle. The 1L Seeker bottle is the dumbest shape.

[Lester Moore]

A 1.0 Liter version is coming out:
https://www.rei.com/product/116364/katadyn-befree-collapsible-water-filter-bottle-338-fl-oz

[Scott Kilcoyne]

So, as posted above, I emailed Katadyn about rather or not they are going to offer just the new 1L bottle on its own (because the 1L Seeker is a terrible shape). They responded saying that Hydrapak makes the bottle but they (Katadyn) or Hydrapak will not sell it on its own. womp womp

[Tony Wong]

Scott,

Appreciate the update….bummer that they won’t sell the 1 L bottle by itself.

Still, at least they came out with a 1 Liter bottle….the 0.6 L might be good for runners or day hikers but for those of us who are silly enough to hike all day, multiple days….we need more!

Tony

 

[Ken Thompson]

Bet they change their mind after a bit.

[Erica R]

I’m liking the BeFree as well. Worked flawlessly on a 5 night trip with 3 people this year down Salt Creek in Canyonlands. It’ll be my first choice filter for the mountains this summer. That said, it’ll be my backup filter for the Escalante River in Utah this week. Some of the Utah rivers can be very silty. We’ll take containers to settle out the particles, then pump off the top portion with the Katydyn Hiker Pro. This worked great on the Paria river last year.

I have the 3 L container, no taste, but I did rinse about 5 L of warm water through it before use. You have to keep the water below 140F.

[Erica R]

The BeFree is very light weight. Just the filter is 1.3 oz dry; I carry 2 of these little  gems. To me it’s worth the extra weight for a backup filter.

[Yoyo]

I called REI and they said that they should have the 1L version around May 26.  It’s available for pre-order online.

My two big concerns regard the bladder that it comes with: (i) is it reliable (someone mentioned that they had one last year and it fell apart), and (ii) does it leech chemicals?

Can someone who has purchased one recently comment on these two concerns?  The guy in this youtube video claims that they have come out with an updated version of the bladder after initial failures:

 

[Yoyo]

To answer my first question, I just got an email from Katadyn stating that the bladders have been updated.  So that should take care of the failures (hopefully).  I think I’m gonna give this a try.  REI now has the BeFree in 1 L in stock online.  And they have a 20% sale going on.  I’m kind of torn between the 0.6 L and the 1 L version.  Thoughts?

[Lester Moore]

If you carry your water in shoulder strap pouches, or if there are frequent water sources on the trail, the 0.6L version has some appeal (smaller, lighter, less volume). Otherwise, 1.0L is a pretty convenient and versatile volume IMHO.

[Cole B]

I’m kind of torn between the 0.6 L and the 1 L version.  Thoughts?

If the 1L will fit wherever you want to keep it, I would go with that.  I often wish my .6L hydrapak was bigger, but I don’t think the 1L will fit in my running vest shoulder pocket.

[Alex H]

Ethan A, did you ever hear back from Katadyn about backflushing?

” I put the question of cleaning/backflushing to Katadyn, will let you know how they respond.”

[Lester Moore]

Got to try out the 1.0 L version on a short one-nighter last weekend. The volume is ideal – would not want a smaller volume for general backpacking. The design of the bladder is wider at the bottom and this allows it to sit upright if you lean it against a tree or rock. The wide bottom also lowers the center of gravity when riding in the side pocket of a backpack. Light, simple, fast drying and immediate drinking – this filter will be replacing my Sawyer Mini on upcoming trips.

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