Katadyn BeFree AC 1L Water Filter

Product detailed description

The Katadyn BeFree AC is an improved version of the BeFree filter. The key innovation is the abbreviation AC = activated carbon, i.e., activated carbon. Behind the main hollow-fiber microfilter (0.1 microns) is now a secondary removable activated carbon filter that improves the taste of the water and eliminates odors! It should be noted that filtering through an additional filter reduces the flow rate, but the advantage is that if you’re not concerned about the taste, you don’t have to use the carbon filter at that moment.

Another major change is the hard plastic mouthpiece, which now features a sturdy hanging loop. 

Fortunately, nothing has changed in terms of the filter’s functionality and ease of use. Thanks to the wide mouth, the bottle is easy to fill even from hard-to-reach places. Although the weight has increased slightly, at 76 grams it is still a very lightweight filter.

Our Experience

"I tested the filter thoroughly during 97 days on the Appalachian Trail and it really works wonderfully—great flow—even after several weeks, it’s better than a new Sawyer SP129. The soft, surprisingly durable bottle is easy to fill with water, and the empty bottle takes up no space. This is a gem. BUT – cleaning/rinsing the filter is inefficient and must be done quite gently, otherwise you’ll damage the filter. To clean the filter, fill the bottle with clean water and “rinse” the filter by shaking it.

It sounds good and simple, but it doesn’t really work—only the largest impurities get rinsed out, and the ones that actually restrict the flow remain... And if you decide to shake the filter a little too vigorously, you’ll damage it like I did—the ceramic filter fibers are a bit loose in the filter’s “cage” and will probably break off. And if you damage the bottle, you’re completely screwed—unlike the Sawyer, which you can screw onto almost any PET bottle, this filter doesn’t fit any standard bottle... and that can be a real problem, especially on longer treks."

So, the filter works great, has excellent flow, and is easy to use. The dimensions and weight are excellent. Great for shorter, quick hikes. Thanks to its superb flow, it also works great as a gravity filter.  For a long trip, I’d prefer the Sawyer.

Filter test

With the Katadyn, it’s quite interesting and simple to test whether the filter is working properly (if it freezes, falls, or after cleaning)—if you can blow air through the wet filter, the filter is damaged. In practice, you do this by filling the bottle halfway with water, screwing on and tightening the filter securely, turning the filter upside down, and squeezing out the water. If the water runs out and you’re able to squeeze air out of the bottle, the filter is damaged. It’s simple physics—thanks to the surface tension of water, air bubbles have no chance of passing through the pores filled with water. If air passes through, there must be a much larger crack or leak somewhere.

The Katadyn BeFree is available in 0.6-liter, 1-liter, and 3-liter bottle sizes, but anyone who tries the filter will realize that the 0.6-liter size is pointless—fill the bottle with water, screw on the filter, wipe the bottle so the dirty water running down it doesn’t contaminate the clean water, squeeze out barely half a liter, unscrew the filter, go back down to the water to fill it again, screw on the filter, wipe the bottle... . if you need three liters, you’ll use up that 0.6-liter capacity in no time :-)

The 0.6-liter size could theoretically fit into a running vest...but it’s actually quite large for that. The filter can be used in various ways—you can either drink water directly from the filter, save the filled bottle for later, or filter the water right at the source into another bottle that’s easier to handle (it fits better in a backpack’s side pocket and can be pulled out and put back while walking).

We also offer a replacement carbon Katadyn filter.

Katadyn BeFree AC:

• 0.1-micron pore size – removes 99.9999% of protozoa and bacteria (according to EPA standards).
• Weight: 76 g (with bottle).
• Compact, durable, flexible, BPA-free bottle with a 42mm wide mouth Hydrapak® Softflask^TM
• Excellent flow rate of 2 L/min.
• Filter life up to 1,000 L depending on water quality.
• Carbon filter lifespan up to 200 L, depending on water quality.
• Sports cap for direct drinking.
• Option to flush the filter and test its functionality.
• Option to purchase a replacement filter cartridge and carbon post-filter.