Katadyn BeFree 1.0L Water Filter, Fast Flow, 0.1 Micron EZ Clean Membrane for Endurance Sports, Camping and Backpacking, One Size, 8018006

Get rid of your Sawyer and be free! There is a huge opening on the lid which allows the bottle to be filled much faster than a sawyer squeeze pouch or smart My scoop needed to be placed on the shallowest part of the water source. A couple weeks ago, I tested this over a section hike on the Appalachian Trail. Y'all know I used to have a Sawyer squeeze set up for gravity feed along with a CNOC bladder (my old go-to To) and this Katadyn BeFree that I was contemplating. Because I knew that I would be at Mountain Crossing in a few days after starting at Amicalola, I left the Sawyer at home and brought only The worst that could happen is I would have to replace it at Neil's Gap. There is no sucking involved. With the BeFree, I could gather water from 99% of sources without scooping, and filter it directly into my smart water bottles. It is incredible how fast the flow is. By the time folks with Sawyeres are done filtering their first liter, I would have filtered 2 liters and cashed up on the third. You can drink directly from the BeFree if you prefer. Its flow rate is high enough to drink directly from it. The Sawyer filters have been my first choice in the past, but this method was not as satisfactory as I had hoped. Despite its small size, the mini has too little flow and, even when used internally, When using a bladder, the flow rate is terrible and it becomes increasingly difficult to get something to drink without syphoning hard on the bite valve. Squeeze is also difficult to drink from directly due to a couple of In order to get water into your mouth, you must squeeze the bottle hard, and the bottle crushes, leaving a low pressure inside the bottle that forces you to break the seal in order to restore pressure. Due to its collapsible design, the BeFree allows you to drink directly from it without suffering from the similar problem of pressure change. The water I bring with me when I hike is two 1L Filling 2 of these will take me no time at all. A third liter is also usually chugged at the water source or "camel up," and if I know that I will be dry camping that night, I will fill the BeFree 1L bladder with an extra liter so that I have water for cooking the next morning. Unless you carry an additional bladder, you will not be able to do that with a sawyer. The bottom line is that I could not recommend this product more highly. Sawyer was my former gear of choice, and I still have a spare gear box for them in case of an emergency, but I keep the BeFree in my pack whenever possible.

Amirah Doyle

| Feb 15, 2021

During the review, I discussed an observed dramatic slowdown in flow rate very early on in the filters life this slowdown was not remedied by cleaning. This is a very typical observation mentioned The fix for this problem "stumbled" into my hands It is suggested at the very end of the instruction sheet that air trapped in the loops of the filter filaments could reduce the flow rate. Simple solutions to the problem are described in the sheet, which largely involve using the bottle cap upwards when squeezing water out, since that is the opposite position of the filter during As it's located just under the suggestion to replace an old slow filter with a new one, at the very end of the sheet, it's an easy tip to overlook or forget. It's not clear to me if this slowdown is a result of trapped air, nor have I had the opportunity to continue using the filter in the field, so I'm not sure. However, I suspect a trapped air problem could explain the slowdown observe by many people. I performed the trapped air release and my filter was restored to 85% of its original condition, up from the 30% that I was observing before.

Landry Casey

| Feb 13, 2021

Filtering my photos using this system was high on my list of expectations. This made filling the bottle easier since the diameter of the opening was larger. When filtered with less than twenty liters of water, the system completely shut down. My experience with this filter is that I have only used it in clear, cold rocky mountain streams. I live in the Rockies. Following the cleaning directions after each use was very important for me. We then spent the second day of our eight-day trip exploring the city. When you are 25 miles from a trailhead, the filter just stops letting any water The plug is completely Nothing changed no matter how much I swirled and shook. There were times when the flow was great, but there were also times when We will never return to a filter that actually needs to be flushed!.

Lennon DOHERTY

| Nov 23, 2020

It is easy for plastic bags to leak through pinholes. My favorite Katadyn product is their old ceramic filter, and I own or use many of their old models. When I first saw this product, I fell in love. I was looking for something easy and calm after the Sawyer Squeeze on the PCT for 700 miles. In locations where water is readily available (Northern Ca, Or, Wa), I can just scoop up a bottle. It is only after two weeks that the flow rate has decreased to the point that I dislike using I am getting very irritated when I am sitting by the stream fighting a swarm of mosquitoes, because it takes so long to filter 1L of water. I found myself not drinking enough water because filtering was such a hassle, and boiling water was much easier. I found myself squeezing harder, and then I developed pinhole leaks in the bottle, which got my sleeping bag wet while filtering (avoiding mosquito bites). The Katadyne BeFree was a great idea, but it was poorly executed, or perhaps it was just a couple of bad batches (many others have had similar experiences). This version of the Katadyne BeFree doesn't have quite the same flow rate as the Sawyer Squeeze. However, it has a consistent level of flow and will provide far more filtration. My hope is that Katadyne sees this and reviews the engineering involved in this product in order to maintain.

Brylee Padilla

| Mar 11, 2021

My request for a replacement was denied. I received the package today, and it is in good shape. In the first one, something was wrong. An inner yellow spot was visible in the bottle. It seems that at least half of the original BeFree bottle is yellow even though I have not yet received a return label (I do not have a printer). My guess is that it's a kind of bacteria. Is anyone aware of how or what might happen? had hoped this would work since I kayak and fly fish, and the new one seems to work perfectly. It pays to give things The moment I made the decision, I was very happy.

Annalise Mora

| Mar 09, 2021

Currently, we have There are versions of the 6L and 1L. The mountain stream is very cold during this time of year, so we like to scoop and drink from it. The water bottle filler makes it easy to fill additional water bottles both for yourself and for others. There is more flow from the filter than you'd expect, and it fits into a pocket or into even the smallest bag. It is very easy.

Halle FIELD

| Sep 30, 2020