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

I bought this for a hiking trip to Yosemite, but, to be honest, I never actually used it on the trail because I always packed enough water. However, I’ve used it a few times to purify and filter hotel sink water, and it works great. The bottle is made of malleable but fairly rugged rubber that rolls up and packs into a very small size that fits in my backpack. Therefore, I carry it everywhere with me, which makes it very practical. The ability to filter water in virtually any situation that life brings is comforting. Knowing that if my car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and I can find any body of water and be able to quench my thirst safely is sort of cool.

Love this water system. Works great and fast flow. Love the collapsable water container. And the filters are replaceable and’s not too expensive.

Another epic product that is very well worth the money! The ease of use on these is way above my expectations especially the amount of water flow you get when filtering the liter of water its capable of filtering.

Great lightweight easy to use water filter. I use this almost exclusively on hikes in the White Mountains and the AT thru Maine, NH, and Vt. Make sure you wet the filter before hiking. It filters slowly with the filter in a dry state.

The BeFree filter was recommended by a friend. I was a bit dubious based on its weight. I'm a long-time Katadyn Hiker Pro user and was interested in a lighter alternative. I decided to use it on a 7 day backpack in the Grand Canyon where the water sources would be relatively clear feeder streams to the Colorado River - which is heavily sedimented and presents special challenges to *any* filter. The BeFree worked well and it survived (as expected) its days in the Canyon.The good news:> it's light and folds easily into a small space in your pack;> it's easy to use - just dunk the 1L flexible plastic sack into the water source;> it seems easy to clean - just swish in the water source (I did not have to clean the filter as the water sources were relatively clear of sediment & 'gunk');> replacement cartridges are less expensive than the Hiker Pro cartridges (but I'm not sure how long the BeFree filter will last vs the Hiker Pro's)The not so good news:> the flexible plastic sack had a pinhole leak on its first use (apparently not uncommon) but did not affect performance;> since you submerge the plastic sack into the water source, shallow sources could slow the filling of the sack or preclude water collection entirely;> since you collect 1L at a time and then transfer it to a lager 'clean water' container (I use 2L Platypus plastic containers), it's a slower process with more actions than with the Hiker Pro.None of the 'not so good' items were deal-breakers and I would have given the BeFree 1L 5-stars had there not been a pin-hole leak. I'm not sending it back, it's an easy repair.This is a great piece of gear to add to my collection and to lighten my backpack for those longer adventures.

I bought this to use for some mountain hiking this summer. I haven't used it yet, but it looks very simple and easy to use. I don't want to chance running out of water with our family of 4, while out hiking. This gives me peace of mind. Good quality.

Works well! Filters fast compared to the gravity filter and easier to use than my Sawyer squeeze. Love it as a backup

Excellent ultra light water filtering system. Threads on bladder/cap are different than a Smart water bottle/Platypus, so if bladder breaks you're in trouble. We typically carry a second set up on longer sections (more than 5 days) as a back up. Great flow; way better than Sawyer. In silty water, it does seem to block quicker than a Sawyer but the increased flow and sticking to clear water (if possible) makes this the filter of our choice.