Like the BeFree above, the Squeeze can use to drink directly from a water bottle, squeezed into another bottle, or used as a gravity filter.īest of all, it has a lifetime warranty on the filter. This is another squeeze-style water filter that screws onto a water bottle or a soft pouch that comes with the filter. What We Like: Year after year, the Sawyer Squeeze appears at the top of the list for thru-hikers as a favorite filter. You just can’t beat its ease of use and weight! Then again, we’ve knocked ours around and have never sprung a leak.īottom Line: The Katadyn BeFree has been our go-to filter for the past few seasons for backpacking, hiking, and trail running. If that’s a concern, you can buy just the filter cap and purchase a more durable 42mm bottle to pair it with, like the Hydrapak Flux. While we haven’t personally had this issue, some online reviewers think the flask isn’t durable enough. Katadyn recommends cleaning the filter by shaking/stirring it in clear water after every 5 liters filtered for best performance. All filters have this issue, so it’s not unique to the BeFree, but it’s worth keeping in mind if it’s the main reason you’re considering this filter over others. However, the flow rate does decrease over time. Initially, the BeFree has one of the fastest flow rates of the water filters currently available. Cleaning the flask a few times before initial use will help, but it will take a couple of cycles for that slight off-taste to fully go away. What We Don’t Like: Personally, we found that it took a little while for the plasticy taste to go away from the included flask. No backflushing, no extra cleaning equipment, just swish the filter around in clean water and it’s good to go! We also love the super-simple cleaning process. We find that because of the great flow rate, it’s super easy to drink from the cap–it doesn’t feel like you need to put a lot of effort into sucking water through, and you don’t need to exert a ton of pressure on the flask to filter water into a cook pot or another water bottle. The BeFree has a super fast flow rate (although, like all filters, it decreases over time). What We Like: We really like the versatility of the Katadyn BeFree system, which allows you to drink from the included flask using the filter cap, squeeze water through into a clean water bottle, or rig it up as a gravity filter. Weight: 2.3 oz (with 1L flask, 1.2 oz filter only) And then we distilled all that info down, so you can make best decision relatively quickly. You get it, it’s a lot to sort through.īut, you’re in luck because we’ve done all the hard work for you! We’ve reviewed all the different models and methods, tested out the best products, and compared them against one another. Starting with: the different methods (physical, chemical, or UV), the different designs (gravity, squeeze, pump), flow rate, maintenance schedule. However, this also means it can take a lot of research to find the right system for your personal circumstances. Thankfully, there are a lot of water treatment options available so you can turn any water source into safe drinking water. Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and E.coli are no joke and have the potential to absolutely ruin your backpacking trip. While it might appear that the lakes and rivers you hike past are crystal clear, it’s important to properly treat ALL water before drinking it.Įven in the most pristine alpine stream has to potential to contain an array of microscopic pathogens that can make you seriously ill. Having access to clean water is critical for any backpacking trip or long hike.
We cover everything you need to know about backpacking water filters and water purifiers:how the different methods work, what features to consider, and which systems are best for different circumstances.
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