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The Katadyn BeFree is a competitive lightweight filter for when you're on the move. It features a small high-flow nozzle and a fibrous filtration unit that attaches to a soft bottle. All you need to do is scoop up water from any source, softly squeeze it, and start drinking. It filters out bacteria and protozoa, including Giardia and Cryptosporidium, but not viruses. The flow rate is sufficient, and its lightweight profile is hardly noticeable. Unfortunately, the bottles do leak and break. Thankfully, the filters are compatible with more durable bottles. Overall, this is a solid choice for trail running and other sports that require on-the-go hydration without the weight.
REASONS TO BUY
Easy to use
Competitive flow rate
Collapsible
Lightweight
REASONS TO AVOID
Lacks durability and reliability
Five years ago, when this was one of the first filter bottles to hit the market, it was our favorite. However, the first edition had a few major drawbacks: the bag easily sprouted pin holes that leaked, and the filter easily clogged. Several other manufacturers responded with their own collapsible filter bottles that did not exhibit these problems. They leap ahead of the BeFree in durability and ease of use.
Luckily, Katadyn has addressed the version 1 shortcoming with version 2, which has a more durable back and filter that is less easily clogged. That said, there is no stiff competition in the filter bottle world on both price and quality.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Katadyn BeFree has a soft, collapsible bottle, making it easy to pack away and store. The screw top filter is compatible with other stashable soft bottles. Notable amongst long-distance bike riders, trail runners, and the like, this is perfect for solo on-the-go filtration.
Eddy runs it out in early Fall up in the high country. Even though water sources are scarce, this lightweight filter kept us hydrated while on the move.
Credit: Amber King
Water Quality
The BeFree removes odd tastes and does a great job of producing fresh, clear water. It protects against bacteria and protozoa but does not remove viruses. That said, it should be adequate for most streams in the US and Canada. It features a hollow filter design with 0.1-micron pore size. The filter is short, with big open spaces and spindled tubes latticed over one another. This design makes for quick guzzling on the go. It does well for a range of water sources, whether turbid or clear.
The BeFree uses a unique filter that can “self swish” clean.
Credit: Kenji Mowrey
Durability and Maintenance
The filter and screw-top attachment on the BeFree are durable and last roughly 1000 liters before needing replacement.
The various components that comprise the cap of the BeFree.
Credit: Kenji Mowrey
In terms of maintenance, this filter is relatively easy to maintain. You can easily clean out the BeFree by running water through it and swishing it around. Despite our durability issues with the soft bottle, we really like this filter.
Treatment Time
The BeFree boasts a competitive flow rate for this type of filter. Just fill, sip, and move on — instant water on the trail.
Weight and Packability
As an extremely packable and lightweight filter, the BeFree is one of our favorite options for activities like trail running or mountain biking, where soft bottles are a huge plus. It weighs only 3.4 ounces, including the soft bottle and mini filter. For comparison, most smartphones weigh a lot more. The filter itself is fairly short, making it easy to fit inside a variety of compatible soft bottles. After you've quenched your thirst, you can simply collapse the bottle and tuck it into an area that fits into the palm of your hand. Not many other bottle filtration systems have a profile that is as short, which saves space in the bottle, allows you to fit more water, and effectively collapses the container. It fits comfortably inside the front pockets of a trail running vest. Again, if you have a bottle that you prefer, check to see if the top is compatible with your favorite soft bottle.
Scoop water. Screw cap. Drink.
Credit: Kenji Mowrey
Ease of Set Up
Out of the box, it's ready. Scoop up water and screw on the top, and you're good to go. While this is simple, you might have difficulty collecting water from super skimpy and shallow sources, as you have to scoop it into the bottle. However, it works in most cases. In general, we try to fill from a “mini waterfall” in a stream rather than a pool of water. This is usually the easiest way to avoid accidentally introducing sediment.
The BeFree is as simple as it is easy to use.
Credit: Kenji Mowrey
Ease of Filtration
The water filters through the hollow filter efficiently. Of all the “sucking” or “squeezing” designs, this is one of the easiest to use. Other filtration systems with a similar method can take lots of effort to suck through the filter. Drinking from the BeFree instead delivers a steady water flow and easy hydration. We even drank from this bottle around the house because it wasn't cumbersome or annoying to use.
This system is suitable for on-the-go travel. You can try to squeeze water through and put it into a larger storage bottle, but that takes a little more time and energy. Overall, this is one of our favorite on-the-go systems because of how naturally water flows through the body of the filter to your mouth.
When biking, we usually follow a three-step process: fill our bike water bottle, drink a big slug from the BeFree, and then fully refill the BeFree to have more water for the trail ahead.
We kept the BeFree clipped to the outside of our backpack for easy access.
Credit: Kenji Mowrey
Should You Buy the Katadyn BeFree?
The Katadyn BeFree offers excellent performance, particularly given its high flow rate, which effectively filters bacteria and protozoa, including Giardia and Cryptosporidium. That said, it now faces considerable competition in the soft bottle filter category. We recommend price shopping between all the different filter bottle options.
Run, hike, explore! This lightweight filtration bottle is perfect for long days on the trail.
Credit: Amber King
What Other Backpacking Water Filters Should You Consider?
Our favorite filter for personal use is the LifeStraw Peak Squeeze, which we've tested consistently over the last few years without any durability issues. And if you're willing to invest a little more for an even more durable collapsible bottle option, the Hydrapak Flux 1.5L surprised our testing team with its durable bottle and twist cap that never leaked while providing just enough water for two during demanding backcountry missions.
Credit: Kenji Mowrey
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Katadyn BeFree versus top competing products:
