Katadyn Befree is the water filter that won the Backpacker Editors' Choice Award, Runner's World Gear of the Year Award and ISPO Gold Awards!
With the ultra-light Katadyn BeFree, going on an adventure is no problem, no matter how long you plan to be away. With Katadyn BeFree, you always have access to clean drinking water, no matter where you are. Fill the flexible, foldable container with water and voila - clean water. Thanks to a smart and flexible water filtration solution with a Hydrapak soft bottle and a Hollow Fiber water filter, you get water purification directly in the water bottle. This technology, i.e. small narrow long straws with small thin holes in them, provides a high flow rate.
The filter with the whole screw cap is available separately as a spare part and can also be combined with Hydrapak bottles.
The basic rule for all water treatment is to take water from as flowing a source as possible, avoiding as far as possible taking water from stagnant water bodies with clearly turbid content. If possible, choose water some distance from the shoreline and preferably not surface water.
The water purification system is available in two sizes, 0.6 liter and 1 liter.
Replacement filters for the bottle can be found here.
Water purification
Katadyn Befree purifies with 0.1 micron precision, reducing protozoa by 99.9% and bacteria by 99.9999%. The transparent bottle makes it easy to see how much water is in and also keep track of how much water you drink. The filter can handle about 1000 liters of water purification (more if you only purify clear water and less if you purify cloudy water).
If the filter is clogged by too much cloudy water, it is easily cleaned by putting water in the bottle and shaking it vigorously. Alternatively, unscrew the filter, dip it in water and pull it quickly from side to side in the water. This will loosen the debris and you can continue purifying the water again. Note that the filter should never be rinsed horizontally under a tap, as this can damage the filter.
Dimensions / weight - 0.6 liter version
Height: 70 mm
Length: 232 mm
Width: 70 mm
Weight: 65.00 g
1 review of Katadyn Befree bottle with water filter
Used for a week of hiking, never had any problems. However, on the last day of the trip I took the risk of drinking without the filter from a stream, didn't expect any problems as it was quite high up in the mountains, but got a stomach a few hours later, so I think it works as it should (as I had felt good throughout the week, as I also drank from the same water source, that time with the filter). The only negative aspects are that it can taste a bit plasticky if the water isn't cold, but that's to be expected I think, and it takes a while to empty the bottle, but that's only a problem for the time-pressed.