Katadyn BeFree 1.0L Ultralight Collapsible Water Filter Bottle for Hiking, Camping, Backpacking

I purchased this for a 3.5 day hike of the Timberline Trail in northern Oregon as a trial replacement of my Sawyer Squeeze.I tested it at home, worked amazingly well. Filtered water 5-10x faster than my Sawyer.First attempt at filtering water on the Timberline was a fail. Water trickled out. Very disappointing. But wait! I read the instructions on cleaning, conveniently printed on the bottle. I filled it again, gave it a shake, and wah chang! Back to filtering water through a jet-powered turbine!!!I like my Sawyer, but filtering water was such a long chore. The Katadyn makes filtering water very fast and almost fun. Almost.I cannot comment on long-term durability. It worked really well on my 3.5 day backpacking trip, filtering several gallons of water, some of it slightly silty from glacial melt. The collapsible, soft sided bottle made storage really easy. The downside is that it's kind of floppy if you want to keep water in it in your pack. I mainly just used it to filter into other bottles at water sources.My hiking mate was so impressed with the speed and efficiency that they immediately bought one upon return to civilization.This filter is a winner.

Great quality and fast filtering

Ditch your Sawyer and Be Free!. The large opening makes filling a breeze and MUCH better than filling a sawyer squeeze pouch or a smart water bottle. I only needed a scoop on the very shallowest of water sources. I tested this over a couple week section hike on the AT. I had a Sawyer squeeze set up for gravity feed with a CNOC bladder (My old go-to) and this Katadyn BeFree that I was deciding on. Since I was starting at Amicalola, I knew I would be at Mountain Crossing in a few days, so I left the Sawyer at home and just brought the BeFree. I figured I could replace it at Neil's Gap if it sucked. It does not suck. I could gather from 99% of water sources without scooping, and filter directly into my smart water bottles from the BeFree. The flow rate is incredible. I would be done filtering 2 liters and cameling up on the 3rd before folks with Sawyers were done filtering their first liter.The flow rate is high enough to drink directly from the BeFree if that's your style. I have tried this previously with the Sawyer filters and found it to be a less than satisfactory process. The mini has too little flow and, even when used in-line with a bladder, the flow rate is terrible and will leave you sy=ucking hard on your bite valve to just get something to drink. The Squeeze is also difficult to drink directly from for a couple reasons: You have to squeeze the bottle hard to get water into your mouth and the bottle crushes, leaving low pressure in the bottle forcing you to break the seal to allow the pressure to rebalance.Since the BeFree is collapsible, you don't have the same problem with the difference in pressure, should you choose to drink directly from it.I hike with 2 1L water bottles. I can fill 2 of these very quickly. I also usually will chug a 3rd liter at the water source AKA "Camel up", and if I knew I was going to be dry camping that night, I would fill the BeFree 1L bladder with an extra liter, so I would have extra water for cooking and in the AM. With a sawyer, you don't really have that option unless you carry an additional bladder.Bottom line: I could not recommend this more. I was a long time sawyer user, and still have them in my spare gear box for emergencies, but the BeFree, stays in my pack.

I used it on my 6 day hiking trip and it filtered running glacier water perfectly or good enough since I didn't get sick. Very compact and easy to use. Thank you for producing a good product.

I had a Kat. Pump water filter and I hated how complicated it was to use and clean. This is so dang simple and so much lighter to Carry. A great little hiking gadget especially for those who want to keep things light weight.

When you use this filter for the first time after a while, you will find the filter being painfully slow. The filter membrane has to fully soak which can take up to 30 minutes.When the membrane finally soaks, this filter is extremely fast. To avoid this, I highly reccomend "pre soaking", just put a little bit of tap water in the filter pouch, and it will be working at full speed by the time you need it! For most seasons, this is one of the best filters one can use!In the winter, this filter really struggles. Below freezing, the filter rate can be grueling, especially when starting dry. In some cases when the water begins to freeze in the bag, you cannot use this filter at all. The sawyer squeeze will outperform the katadyn in very cold temperatures.

I love this filter. I have two 10L filters and this one is more designed as an emergency water filter. The size and capacity is perfect for keeping with my first aid gear. If you have never used a Katadyn filter you’re missing out. They are fast and they work!

Love this filter! We are always looking for things that are light, easy to pack, don't take up a lot of room, and are great quality and this fits the bill! We do a decent amount of hiking and backpacking as a family and bringing a couple of these filters along helps us to not have to lug as much water.I love that you can just put the bladder in a source of water, screw the top on and drink! The water tastes great and is clean!!!I also love this tactical color!!!