Katadyn BeFree vs Sawyer Mini water filter

[The_John_Muir_Way]

Hey guys, I have both of these filters and I wanted to share some of my thoughts on them.

Similarities:
Both weight about 2 ounces
small and packable
great for day hikes

Differences:
The Sawyer Mini offers better filtration
The Sawyer can filter a lot more water over the course of it's life

BeFree's flow rate is really fast, 2 liters per minute
Can be packed as one cohesive piece, the filter sits inside the water bladder
I like the material they used for the water bladder, it's some type of silicone
Easy to clean

[The_John_Muir_Way]

I forget to add my conclusion.

I think the BeFree is good for day hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers who can trust the water is relatively clean and want filtered water quickly.

For hiking into the back-country, questionable water quality, and those who like the longer life- 100,000 gallons.

Hope that helps anyone who's looking at both models.

[TexasBob]

.......The Sawyer Mini offers better filtration.......

.......I think the BeFree is good for day hikers, trail runners, and mountain bikers who can trust the water is relatively clean........

They are both 0.1 micron filters and should do an equal job at removing bacteria and protozoa.

[Venchka]

BeFree and Hydrapak 2 liter reservoir.
A winning combination. No question.
Wayne


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[Venchka]

How many people will ever filter 100,000 gallons? How do we know this is true?
The housing of the Mini could fall apart long before the 100,000 gallons. Or a new filter technology arrives.
In the Sawyer scheme of things, the Squeeze is the preferred filter.
Or was before the BeFree arrived.
Wayne


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[saltysack]

How many people will ever filter 100,000 gallons? How do we know this is true?
The housing of the Mini could fall apart long before the 100,000 gallons. Or a new filter technology arrives.
In the Sawyer scheme of things, the Squeeze is the preferred filter.
Or was before the BeFree arrived.
Wayne


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My only gripe is the BeFree doesn't fit any water bottles for WHEN the bag blows out...I guess you'd have to carry a back up bag....mini is slow but I don't mind taking a longer break to filter every few hours....god knows I need a break! Also I'm cheap and just replaced my 2l evernew....maybe next time I'll give it a shot...


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[Maineiac64]

I carry the included bag and 2l hydrapak as venchka mentioned, built in backup. Works spectacularly.

[saltysack]

Sounds like a good plan...


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[Venchka]

I tend to be far enough back in the mountains that NOT filtering is a very viable option in case something goes wrong. Been doing it since before filters. I'm still alive and never sick.
Wayne


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[Venchka]

Earlier this month I was in the Wind River Range. Filtering for 2 at a stream crossing. A pleasant break. Pack off. 2 liters each through the BeFree. Maybe 15-20 minutes total? A nice break. Not work at all.
Wayne


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[Venchka]

This was the spot:

"Dan's feet are sore he's yearning for
Just one thing more than water, cool, water
Like me I guess he'd like to rest
Where there's no quest for water, cool, clear, water"
Sons of the Pioneers

Fish Creek. A most welcome sight after crossing Fish Creek Meadows on a hot afternoon.
A trail runs through it. A perfect water and rest stop before Dads Lake.

[ATTACH=full]57951[/ATTACH]
Wayne

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[jjozgrunt]

I'm a fan of the squeeze over the mini, better water flow in my opinion. If you have a bottle with a smart water bottle flip lid it fits perfectly over the squeeze to back wash it.

[Venchka]

Back flushing.
Sawyer - Of course.
BeFree - Not at all.
Wayne


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[SWODaddy]

Back flushing.
Sawyer - Of course.
BeFree - Not at all.
Wayne


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I've read / heard lots of reports of people having the flow rate on their befree slow way down, or even become unusable, after relatively little use.

I think it's partially due to not being able to back flush. I wonder if anyone has asked Katadyn whether it's advisable to rig it for backflush via a tornado tube (or similar) and an evernew bag (or similar)

[Venchka]

Not from me. Operator error? Filtering sludge?
To be fair, the gallons of water that I filtered didn't really need filtering.
I did the swish thing a couple times. I didn't notice any slow down.
I'm always skeptical of internet bashing which is 180 degrees out of sync with my experience and the company claims.
YMMV.
Wayne


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[Venchka]

First of all, a quick search failed to turn up "lots of reports" regarding slow or unusable flow rates.
Secondly, I found this at Backpackinglight:
"I went 4 months without using my BeFree filter. During that time, the filter sat on my gear table. When I tested the filter last week prior to leaving for a trip, the flow rate was extremely slow (practically unusable). Doing a shake and swish did not help. I put the filter in a glass of water and let it soak for 24 hours and the flow rate returned to normal. It worked great for my 4 day trip

Something similar happened to a friend’s Sawyer filter when he stored it for several months. And he fixed it by soaking it in water. Just a heads up to test your filter after storage."
As for the chemical taste of the Seeker bottle, a non-issue for me.
I think that we may have become a nation of germ-o-phobes and uber picky about far too many things.
Editorial comments over.
I filtered water with the BeFree for several people over a two week period. We're all still healthy and alive.
Wayne


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[SWODaddy]

Not from me. Operator error? Filtering sludge?
To be fair, the gallons of water that I filtered didn't really need filtering.
I did the swish thing a couple times. I didn't notice any slow down.
I'm always skeptical of internet bashing which is 180 degrees out of sync with my experience and the company claims.
YMMV.
Wayne


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Glad it's worked great for you using it for two weeks. That's one small data point.

My wife has one that's slowed down after three trips. That's another data point.

There's also reviews on BPL as you pointed out, and reddit. There's also a review on YouTube (can't find it at the moment) where someone does a side by side comparison of used and new Sawyer filters.

I'm always skeptical of internet white knighting by folks defending their latest piece of gear.

Like I said, my suspicion is that the "swish" cleaning is (or can be) inadequate.

[MuddyWaters]

I used a mini for 300 miles this yr.
I reckon I lost 1 hr per day of hiking to time spent filtering water. A full size sawyer could cut that to 20 min prob. A couple more mpd. Over a few weeks...it can amount to extra day on trail.

Aint all about ozs

[SWODaddy]

Here we go. Flow rate reduced to a third (and half as fast as the sawyer squeeze) after 100Ls filtered.



To be fair, he still likes it - but he bought a new filter for a longer trip.

[Venchka]

I do agree with the people who said that filling the HydraPak 2 liter bottle was easy in shallow water. Granted, I was filling from gently flowing streams, but they were only a few inches deep.
Theoretically, pushing water out of the HydraPak, through the filter and into a second container wasted time. I'll have to see if I can just drink straight from the filter on the HydraPak. One more skill to master.
Believe it or don't, I have no complaints about the BeFree + HydraPak combination. However, it's still early in the association.
Wayne


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