Love my BeFree filter!

[Shane S.]

If one is concerned about  viruses.  one could pre-treat the water with aquamira before running it through the filter to nab the bigger particulates

[Tony Wong]

Adding little information.

Went to REI this weekend and spoke to one of their sales associate.

He shed a little light on why the BeFree might be faster in filtering vs. the Sawyer.

The BeFree has bigger pores than what is found in the Sawyer.

The BeFree filters approximately, 99.999% where the Sawyer filters about 99.999999%

I recall that Sawyer said that their filters were using Dialysis technology….maybe that medical application requires a small pore size?

The REI rep said that the filter material is different than the Sawyer in that it was also a thicker material than the Sawyer.

I asked about back flushing and the REI said that it should have no problem handling the force of back flushing using a syringe.

The REI rep said that he was selling the BeFree filter with the 2L Seeker water bladder….which is why they were out of stock on the 2L Seekers.

Anyway, just some interesting information that I learned that I wanted to share.

Tony

[Jerry Adams]

befree and sawyer say 0.1 micron pore size, although what it says one place on the internet isn’t necessarily correct

pore size would determine what size bugs would get through

maybe they have more pores on the befree?  or more tubes?

[Yoyo]

@ Tony

Like Jerry states, I thought the BeFree was also 0.1 micron.  I’m still a bit puzzled as to why they list it as being good for 1000 L vs. Sawyer’s 1,000,000 gallon guarantee.

I just picked up the 1L version of the BeFree at REI yesterday (applied my 20% coupon).  It weighs 63 g dry including the bag. I hope to post a video review of this filter soon.  I’m tentatively planning to take it on my planned CT thru-hike this summer instead of my old Sawyer gravity setup.  The ability to quickly scoop and drink on trail where there is plenty of H2O (as in most of Colorado) is attractive.  Less water weight to pack.

[Tony Wong]

David,

Let me know how it works out…..20% discount sounds great.

They are not in stock at my local REI yet. :(

I am simply excited about the fact that the rate of flow is going to be sooo much better than my Sawyer Mini.

Will you pick up the 2L Seeker for water storage?

Tony

 

[Yoyo]

Tony,

I kept checking daily until it showed in stock online (downtown Manhattan store).  Then I had to pester 2-3 employees until they finally dragged it out of one of those storage cages for me.  They hadn’t even put it on the shelves yet!  I can’t wait to test this bad boy out!  Like you, I am excited about the flow rate based on the videos I’ve seen thus far.  To answer your question, I don’t plan to get the 2L Seeker bladders.  I just can’t get past the floppy design and the opaque, rubbery material….not to mention the weight which has apparently increased as of late.  My plan is to take the filter with the original 1L flask as my only dirty reservoir and a 2L Platy bag with hydration tubing to drink from as I normally do.  I may add an extra 2L Platy bag if there is a really long dry stretch.  A 2L Platy bag with cap weighs only around 1.27 oz on my scale.   I also picked up a Sawyer inline adapter kit from REI and I plan to use that to squeeze the clean water directly into my hydration tube (I prefer this method to minimize the possibility of contaminated water dripping down into my clean reservoir and also so that I can leave my hydration reservoir in my pack).

 

Now…I gotta admit, I’m kinda worried about the longevity and the backflushing issue.  The advice the REI rep gave you at the store seems to contract what Katadyn recommends (which is somewhat strange).

This is what Katadyn had to say in my last email exchange with them:

Me:  “Do you have any advice for backflushing the filter?  Would there be any harm in using something like a syringe, as comes with the Sawyer Squeeze, to push clean water through the clean end of the filter?   If so, why would it be harmful?  It seems that the Sawyer and the BeFree share the same hollow fiber technology (the difference being that the BeFree has only one narrow opening versus the Sawyer, which has one on each side).”

 

The response: “You don’t need to do that procedure, you fill it with some water and shake it to clean it.  Backflushing is not necessary.  You can just follow the Performance Tips section of the manual that I sent you earlier.

Sincerely,

Sarah

Now I think the true test of this filter will be on the major trails this year (PCT, CDT, AT).  Does anyone know if any thru-hikers are planning to replace their venerable Sawyer Squeeze with this filter?  I would like to trust it, but I don’t know if it will last for the 485 miles I would be hiking the CT.  Thoughts?

[Gumbo]

@dgposton: Bring a spare BeFree filter, just in case – it’s less than 2oz dry, and only $25.

[Chad “Stick” Poindexter]

David, just something to think about… You may have already addressed this… sorry if you did…

You say you are only carrying the single 1L bag to use as your dirty bag, and your other bags are Platys. What if you bust the dirty bag? Being that the BeFree filter has an odd and unique sized opening/attachment, the chance of happening upon a replacement on the trail is very slim to nonexistent. I guess though you could always put the filter in the water and drink straight from the source… may be a bit awkward, but an option?

As for the backflushing, I don’t see why you would need a syringe. If the filter clogs, its because debris is stuck to the outside of the filter. So in theory this should be easy to fix by swishing the filter in some water since the filter is exposed, not enclosed like on the Sawyers (which would not let the debris escape so easily). By swishing the filter, the collected debris on the outside of the actual filter should then easily be washed away.

Also, just thinking out loud here, but maybe the filter is given a short listed life span because the filter is actually exposed, which means it is more susceptible to damage. So maybe it’s not the actual filter that is limited as much as the actual housings ability to protect it? Just a thought…

[Ian Rae]

I agree about the Squeeze – we’ve been using the same one for a family of four for dozens of nights over the last 4 years or so with no problems. I’m guessing that the difference may be water quality.  We do most of our trips in the North Cascades, which tends to give us plenty of choices for nice clean water!

[BlackHatGuy]

Definitely read the pamphlet that comes with the befree filter. It tells you not to clean it by running water on it while holding it sideways or you can damage it, that’s important to know.

[Jane Baack]

I picked up the 1L bottle/BeFree filter today in the Berkeley REI store.  But it was NOT on the shelves.  I had phoned yesterday and an ee said they were on reserve in a storage area.  She put one on HOLD for me to pick up today.  So phone your local store to see if they have them in the back room somewhere.  They have limited availability at this time but you can use your 20% coupon through 5/29 if you can find one.  I’m taking mine to Switzerland where we’ll be hiking near the Eiger, Jungfrau and Monch.  Well, we’ll at least be looking at those peaks from trails below.

[Ethan A.]

Alex, I did, my apologies forgot to post after hearing back. From [email protected]:

“Thank you for your email.

There is no syringe for the BeFree.

You would actually vigorously shake it to clean it out per the instructions in the manual.

I have attached it for you for your perusal.

Sincerely,

Sarah”

[Jerry Adams]

when you use the filter, stuff that’s the same size as the pores will get stuck in the pore.  Swishing water around it won’t dislodge.

When you backflush, the tube expands slightly so the pores get slightly bigger so the stuff stuck in the pores will be freed.

Stuff that’s bigger than the pores will swish away easier.

If your dirty water has a lot of particles about the same size as the pores, it will clog the filter more.

[Jerry Adams]

I saw this, no idea hpw well it works

http://renovowater.com/viva-filter/renovo-viva.html

1.7 ounces dry, 1000 gallons stated capacity, 0.1 micron pore size

they also have a bunch of information.  They are more into third world uses than backpacking

[Tony Wong]

@David,

Given that you are using the inline adapter on the output side of the BeFree with tubing, you should be able to “blow back” clean water in your tube to do a little back flush of your BeFree filter each time you use it…just like I do on my Sawyer.

That might help with the longevity of your BeFree by not applying a lot of pressure in one shot…like a syringe does, but still allowing you to clear the filter a little bit each time.

Looking forward to hearing about your experience with this new puppy.

Just great to see a new innovation with this technology…..sure that it will spur Sawyer to make improvements of their own.

@Jane,

Thanks for the heads up on calling to ask REI to see if they can dig one out from the back storage in time to use the 20% off.

Tony

[BlackHatGuy]

FWIW, Katadyn suggests, as an integrity test, to wet the filter by filtering water, and then trying to blow through the drink nozzle. If you can blow through the filter, then it’s a bad filter and should be discarded. If you can’t blow through it, the filter should be okay.

[Yoyo]

Chad,

I share your concern as well regarding the integrity of the bags that come with the filter.  Now Katadyn is claiming that the newer production bags don’t have the problem that the older bags did (can we say Sawyer Squeeze circa 2012 all over again?).  But then again, if I am miles away from civilization on a thru-hike, it is somewhat discomforting to think that if the bag breaks, the filter is non-functional…On the other hand, I’ve never carried a backup dirty water bag in the past.  I’ve always carried one 2L Platy as my dirty bag and another as my clean bag.  Of course Platypus has a much better reputation than Hydraseek…speaking of which, it would be cool if Platypus actually designed a bag that fit this filter.

Now I finally got a chance to play around with this filter tonight in my kitchen.  My initial observations are…wow!  The thing is incredibly fast.  As others have mentioned, drinking is so easy you don’t even need/want to squeeze.  You can also just invert the thing and let gravity do its thing and the flow rate still beats any of the Sawyers.  If this filter actually lasts, it is a gamechanger for me.  The idea of being able to carry minimal water, assuming water sources are frequent, and just scoop and drink along the trail is hugely attractive.  I normally carry about 1-1.5 L where I hike (mostly in Colorado).  With this filter, I would probably only carry about 0.5 L in reserve in my hydration bladder in my pack and stop every 3-4 miles when I reach a stream.  With my old gravity setup, I had to haul out my dirty bladder, scoop and pour (I used my cookpot to save weight as as scoop), and then sit down for gravity to do its work.  Now arguably one might want to sit down and take a rest stop, but I like to keep moving unless I’m having lunch and just eat while I hike.  It was often a hassle, and I ended up filling up only about once or twice a day on the trail, even though I constantly passed water sources on trail.

As far as weights, go…The filter and bag are weighing in at 1 L dry.  I removed the blue rubber grip ring and the plastic safety ring (in true Mike Clelland fashion) from the filter.  After shaking out excess water, the wet weight of the filter with original cap and blue inline adapter is 79 g.  That’s 2.79 oz for a complete filtration system, lighter than the Sawyer Squeeze by itself (no dirty bag) and just a tad heavier than my standby Sawyer black water bottle filter.

As for backflushing, I briefly tried squeezing clean water backwards from my Platypus reservoir through the clean end of the filter and wasn’t able to get much, if any, water to pass through.  In brief, it didn’t appear to be backflushable as Sawyer filters are.  Anyway, I was hesitant to apply more force.  What’s strange/interesting about the BeFree is that it has a solid film covering the clean end of the hollow fibers (the ends?).  I’m uncertain if the Sawyer filters utilize this feature.  It’s a bit puzzling to me, given this solid film overlay, how the BeFree actually works.  What I do know, as others have mentioned, is that an integrity test of the BeFree involves blowing air through the clean end in an attempt to pass it through the hollow fibers (while wet).  But this is the same kind of force applied by backflushing….So if I backflush, will I compromise the filter?  I kinda worry about that…

[Tony Wong]

David,

Thanks for the photos and the mini review.

Yeah, the BeFree seems like a game changer.

Maybe time for you to consider retiring your gravity filter setup???

Especially appreciate your observations about trying to back flush the BeFree.

Maybe no back flushing equipment to bring along…..maybe a spare filter stripped down to save weight…..just the filter body, no cap, nothing???

If your “main” BeFree does clog and fail, you can swap the cap from the failed one to the spare???

Weight of spare stripped filter vs. weight of equipment needed to back flush that you would normally carried?

Tony

[Tony Wong]

@David,

Could you see if it is possible to attached the Sawyer in line adapter to the output of the BeFree with hydration tubing and see how easy it is to suck water through the bottle, filter, and tube?

Assuming that you have these parts as part of your setup.

I am interested in filling the BeFree with dirty water and filtering water on the go via this setup vs. squeezing/filtering the water into a clean bag, such as a Platypus and then attaching a hydration tube to the platypus bag.

Dip and go….filtering on the run for more miles in a day.

Tony

[two pints]

Tony,

The flip cap on the BeFree uses standard water bottle threading (same as sawyer, aquafina, smartwater, etc) so you can unscrew the flip cap off of the BeFree and replace with a smartwater flip cap if your befree flip cap starts to fail, or replace with a standard water bottle cap.

So all of the female sawyer adapters will work with the outlet side of the BeFree so it would be very easy to rig it up as a gravity filter with blue sawyer inline adapter.  Or you could use the fast fill adapter to fill your water bladder if that is your thing.

[Ken Larson]

EMAIL TO Katadyn (24MAY2017)

BeFree Water Filtration System Backflush.

What results did Katadyn observed when  Backflushing  AND then decided that “simply fill the flask with water, attach the cover and shake free the debris. Or, remove the filter from the flask and swish in any lake, river or stream”?

Bottom Line:    Will I damage the filter and its ability to filter as it was designed if I used the syringe?

REPLY:    

“This product should be forward flushed only or shaking/swishing. You risk breaking the media if backflushing in any way.

Regards,

Julie

 

[Yoyo]

Just posted a video review of the filter on my youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odogAvHwwoM&feature=youtu.be

Tony,

I’ll try setting the filter up as a hydration system and report back.  As Mike mentioned, the blue inline adapter from Sawyer fits the clean threading fine.  I plan to take along the blue inline adapter and then squeeze directly into my clean hose.   Stay tuned….

[Yoyo]

double post…sorry

[Yoyo]

Tony,

Sorry for the delay..l finally got a chance to play with the filter as a hydration system using a hose and bite valve.  With the stock bladder inverted in hydration system mode, I could not detect any difference between sucking water through the filter vs. how I normally use my hydration bladder.  In brief: I think the BeFree is a near perfect filter when used inline, unlike the Squeeze or Mini, where it kinda “sucked” to suck.  The flow rate is so fast that drinking inline is instantaneous.  I cannot emphasize this fact enough.  Here is a picture showing how I would rig up the system inline using the blue adapter from Sawyer:

My only remaining question, as I stated before, is whether the filter can stand up to the rigors of daily trail use for a thru-hike.  One thing surprises me is that no one in the thru-hiker community (to my knowledge) is discussing this filter.  From what I understand, it’s been on the market for already a year now.  Why is this?  As much as I hate to be a guinea pig, I think I will likely end up taking this on my CT thru-hike this summer, and perhaps mail myself a backup filter midway just in case…I just wish someone else would be the guinea pig instead…

[Matt Swider]

The picture above immediately made me think of the bottle attached to a shoulder strap, and having access to water as easy as pie.  Likely the 0.6l would work better in this capacity.  I am pretty sure air does not go back into the bottle, so you could mount the bottle hose up and sip away.

I have never been a fan of bite valves, as the ones I have tried are too hard to get water out of.  Maybe this sort of setup would lend itself to a higher flow rate bite valve?

[Author]

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