Katadyn

BeFree Water Filtration System

Such a pain!

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

Large

Height:

6' 4"

Weight:

190

This product is honestly terrible and Katadyn should be ashamed to have even brought it to market. At first it seemed great, the bag was relatively easy to fill, it held a lot of water and it filtered easily. Unfortunately two days into the trip the filter slowed to a trickle and despite the 'easy clean' it's advertised to have the filter rate never improved. It seriously takes some vigorous swishing in sparkling clean water in order to keep this thing from stopping all together. Even when we brought it home, there was nothing we could do to get the filter back to where it was early on. The bag also sprung a leak after only a few uses, likely because we had to put so much pressure on it to get the water to filter at a reasonable rate. The only redeeming feature is that you can set it up as a gravity filter and leave it to slowly fill your water while doing other things (seriously, it's like an IV drip). Another small benefit is that it's slightly easier to fill than the comparable Sawyer pouches, the downside is that to fill it in still water requires a lot of swishing back and forth which tends to stir up muck causing the filter to drain even more slowly. Because of this, on one trip we actually ended up deciding to push on to a better water source despite being exhausted for fear that the filter would stop working entirely. This lead to a bad fall on tired legs and while, yes, the filter didn't literally push my partner off the trail, this just underlines why it's so important to have solid, functional gear in the backcountry because it can impact your decision making in important moments. Next to my Sawyer which has held up for 7 years filtering water from Minnesota to Madagascar to Washington, I'm not sure why anyone would spend the extra $10 on such a poorly designed flop of a filter. Unless you're wanting a single use filter for already clean water, don't buy this it's an incredible waste of time and money.

Water is LIFE

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

2

Height:

5' 2"

Weight:

120

Haven’t used it yet but Man... is this technology really cool and Healthy ! Thanks

Works in the short term, not long

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

I previously purchased this at REI for backpacking the Colorado Trail for 21 days, and it worked great at first, but after a few weeks of daily use, it slowed to a trickle. So I returned it, thinking I got a bust. However, the same thing occurred to my newer one, again used on the Colorado Trail, this time for 20 days. There's no way to backflush it; manufacturer instructions to clean it are to "swish" it around in water. That is not even close to the lifetime of the product. If I could return this again, then I would, and I'd just default to the standard Sawyer that while isn't speedy, at least it's reliable, clean-able, and not reduced to a trickle after a few weeks of usage.

The best!

Familiarity:

I returned this product before using it

Size Bought:

25mm

Weight:

170

I have two of these now and have been using them all summer on my long runs and hikes. They fit in the front pocket of my running vest and are super easy to fill up and clean. I love this product and it is seriously a game changer.

Yes Please

This thing is awesome! I used to use the MSR trail shot and would dread/avoid filling up on long runs and hikes because of how long it would take to fill up. This filter has changed every thing. If I'm drinking straight from the bottle it takes all but 5 seconds to fill. Fantastic Product!

So far so good...

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Recently purchased this filter for backpacking trips. This thing takes up practically no space in a pack and is very lightweight. It's very nice to have around so that I don't have to carry as much water in my pack. I love that I can use it on the go. Just fill the bag and you are good to go! My only concerns are durability with the lid and the bag. I haven't had any issues yet, but I question the longevity.