Katadyn Gravity BeFree Water Filtration System – 3L Capacity, 0.1 Micron Filter, 2L/Min Flow Rate, Lightweight Design

Great product for everything from the house, travel trailer, or long backcountry trips. Light, durable. By far the best option I have found for backpacking or any other camping.

I took the Katadyn Gravity BeFree 3.0L Water Filter on my backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevadas, and it was phenomenal. The filter performed incredibly well, filling my Nalgene bottles in less than 20 seconds. It's hard to overstate how quick and efficient it was at providing clean water. The 3.0L capacity was a godsend for me – I was able to carry plenty of water back to camp for multiple people, and it was so nice to have fresh, clean water available without having to filter every time somebody needed a drink. I appreciated how lightweight and easy the system is to use. Even with the large capacity, it was easy to handle and set up – a consideration that's crucial when you're carrying everything on your back for a long hike. The EZ Clean membrane also made it easy to clean, and I had every confidence in the purity of the water I was drinking. Plus, the water tasted wonderful! Cool, clear, and refreshing, it was a welcome treat after a sweltering day on the trail. The only drawback I did notice was that the water bag itself could be somewhat prone to damage if you're not careful. You do have to be gentle with it so you don't puncture or rip it. So, just be aware of that when using it in rough conditions. Overall, I would suggest the Katadyn Gravity BeFree for any backpacking or camping trip. It's a sturdy, effective, and ultralight way to hydrate in the backcountry!

Obviously this is an amazing water filter. That’s been proven many times over by many people, is you’re looking for anything, just buy this, if you don’t need to filter viruses it’ll be great. The 3l bag is a huge help for collecting water at camp while backpacking. One issue I’ve ran into is the water tasting like nasty plastic after sitting for more than 30 minutes. So you need to clean it out with whatever method you use prior to holding water in it. And i never got those hose with my kit. But besides that I’ve used it on a dozen trips so far and the speed of filtering and ease of cleaning is awesome.

I thru-hiked the AT in 2021 and used three different water filtration systems on my hike. I used the BeFree for about half the hike. All three systems used the same filtration material; however, the BeFree is very different from the small cannister type systems that attach to a bottle or pouch. The flow rate on the BeFree using gravity was fast. Perhaps not quite as fast as squeezing water through a fresh cannister type, but fast enough to make the advantage of doing gravity feed a huge plus. The accessibility of the filter fibers makes consistent cleaning of the filter extremely fast and easy, and prolonged the flow rate of the filter substantially over the more sealed filter systems (even when I backflushed them on each use). The bag on the BeFree system is nice too. The bag's material flexibility and wide mouth allow for creative options to collect scarce water in drought conditions (it will also wedge onto a 1.5 inch PVC pipe with enough friction to remain their even under slight water pressure).

Bought this to use on a trip to the Boundary Waters. Was easily capable of providing enough water for all 4 of us. The flow rate was surprisingly fast. Filtered 3 liters of lake water in 3-5 minutes. After about 12 liters flow began to slow down, but a quick "swish" cleaning session returned filter to its original flow rate. Packs down fairly small, lightweight. The included strap for hanging is functional, albeit a little bulky. Only true complaint would be the fill method. Rather than the rear portion of the bag opening and allowing for scooping, it is only through the cap/filter end that the bag is filled. There is a nice loop attached to the bag that allows for pulling the bag through the water, but it still requires several scoops to get the bag full when drawing from a shallow water source. All of that could be avoided by making the other end an opening rather than sealed. Another nice touch is the quick connect cap, so that a hydration port tube can be attached allowing for drinking directly from the filter bag. Overall I am very happy with the system.

This is an amazing filter. I love to fill it up before sun down to have plenty of water to anything I might need at camp. The one thing I would change is the mouth size. Its kind of hard to fill up from standing water without the bag collapsing, between that and the smaller mouth size you have to keep dipping and dragging to fill it up, even then it won't be full.