Sawyer Squeeze Vs Katadyn BeFree - Which Filter is BETTER? 

"Which would I choose? Both." Nailed it.

I have a hearing problem and really like that you are articulate when you are talking, much easier to follow. Greetings from Sweden 🙂

Not only would I use both, I would carry both. Even for an ultralight hiker, 2 ounces is a small price to pay for constant access to clean water, regardless of the source.

I have used the sawyer for several years now. To mitigate the fragility I use a thin high-density foam wrap secured with gorilla tape. This has the added advantage of insulating the filter as well. My current one has survived many a drop and never frozen despite winter camping in the UK. Not perfect but a major improvement.

Since they are so light and inexpensive I actually bring both. Each has its advantages and I ALWAYS want a backup for water filtration.

You can take off the drinking tip of the Be Free filter and put the blue ring from Sawyer on the thread to make a gravity filter into any normal size bottle or bag. I use a Cnoc 2 liter as my dirty water bag with the Be Free in it and a Platypus 2 liter as my filtered water bag. I also use the sawyer quick release adapter to send water straight into my pack water bladder without ever taking it out. You can buy the replacement Be Free filter without the bag for much cheaper and get the better Cnoc bag. 😉 When you think about the amount of litters they last, it really isn't an issue because they both last forever. I actually carry a Sawyer Mini as a backup since 2 ounces is worth the insurance.

Love How you have these three word endings to statements always said in a particular cadence. “In your pack”. “On the trail” are my favs.

Sawyer for me. It works great and I don't see any reason to buy something new. Very well done video Darwin, your experiences are very good for us to learn from.

I've used both, but I prefer the BeFree for alot of the same reasons that you mentioned. I've had mine for over a year now and it has slowed down, but I was able to clean it with a little vinegar and the flow rate is back. Thanks for your review.

My husband and I carry the Sawyer squeeze and use the sports cap hack to backflush and then backflush properly at home in between trips. We are weekend warrior types though. We also always carry a couple iodine tablets as backup just in case.

The small blue coupling collar is the greatest addition to the squeeze. it allows me to screw the filter onto the end of any Smartwater bottle so I don't spill any water when I'm filtering. When I'm done, I just flip the set up over and backflush ~50mL of water every time I use it, I haven't had it clog on me yet. I've never used a befree, but It looks like that is a standard threaded sports cap on the end so I could probably do the same thing as well. It's an extra step that some find cumbersome, but I prefer having two different dirty/clean water reservoirs while on the trail.

For me the Be Free is the one. I started trying it out early last year and have never looked back! I liked the Squeeze, but it is limited and the performance was never what I considered to be all that great due to clogging and stuff. The Be Free has some serious flow performance, and is super easy to clean the filaments when it starts slowing down. I have used the same one for nearly a full year now and it is still flowing stronger than the Squeeze ever did.

Another variable to consider for some people is sharability. For two people hiking together the sawyer is more sharable since you use it to fill your drinking bottle but you drink straight from befree. Awesome vid man, I love hearing your thoughts and experiences on gear. Hike on.

I also have both and use them for different times / places. The BeFree is perfect for backpacking and day hiking in the PNW! The Squeeze is amazing for thru-hiking and expeditions!

I used the Be free alone on a 50 mile ultra light trail running trip in Escalante. We traveled over sand and trails and plateaus and relied on this alone. It did excellent. However it got plugged up a bit from the nasty water we drank out of.

Hi Darwin, I'm pushing for 2021 thru hike of the AT You and Dixie have been major inspiration for me Several pieces of my gear are based on yours, so thank you for teaching me I hope to meet you some day I picked Sawyer sqeeeze for it's versatility

Hi Darwin! I like your channel, it is very inspiring. I started day hikes last year and plan some longer solo hikes this year(a week or two)). However, in my opinion, at 12:10 you give bad advice. You should shield from freezing all hallow fiber filters, if you only suspect that a wet filter might have been exposed to freezing temperatures, then this filter is not safe and should be disposed of. It is fine to expose a new dry filter to freezing temperatures, there is no water in it that might freeze, but if it had some water in it and then was frozen, irreversible and undetectable damage might have happened. If hiking in freezing temperatures, put the filter in a plastic bag(so your pocket remains dry) and keep it in a pocket close to your body, so you can be sure that the filter has never frozen. Quickly filter your water, and put the filter back in your pocket. After freezing that filter might look fine(no cracks in its body) and it will filter and make muddy water into clear water. It will filter most of the water that goes through it as before, but a percentage of the water with all bacteria in it might go through hallow fiber cracks that formed when the filter was frozen. And it will not filter out 99.99999% of bacteria, but depending on the damage this filter might filter only 99% or maybe 95% of water, but the remaining water will go through the cracks in the filter material unnoticed. You never know how much water along with all bacteria in it passes filter through fiber tube crakcs that are much larger than 0,1 micron. This filter might be somewhat usable if you boil the water, but you can not trust that water is bacteria-free and safe to drink with no additional treatment. Don't take my word for it, please research more about what can happen to these filters after they were exposed to freezing temperatures.

As someone who has used both, this is the best comparison video I have seen yet. Kudos.

Hey Darwin! Just wanted to leave a little comment of appreciation for your videos. I have been kept away from my active hobbies like backpacking and such for a year and a half due to multiple surgeries. Watching your videos lets me live vicariously through you and helps ease my trail withdrawal. I've spent a lot of time reworking my gear since I really couldn't do anything else, so I am very excited to get back out there this summer and get back to doing what I love. And I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your videos and how much they helped me through these last 20 months. You're awesome man!

You can filter the water first with the Sawyer Squeeze, into the Katadyn BeFree bladder then drink it from there so it's double-filtered!

I just bought the katadyne today after a lot of reading and thinking about the pros and cons. Katadyne won on beeing the easiest to clean and since it's gonna be a sort of backup option, I don't really need the millions and millions of liters. A 1000 liters are gonna last years for me. But is nice knowing you can get water without having to walk several kilometers back and forth. My main concern is to find good sources of water to filter, since I live in a highly agricultural country (Denmark). But thank you for a thorough video and confirming, that I probably made the right choice for me. Happy hiking from Denmark

I've used the BeFree on backpacking and bikepacking trips and absolutely love it! I did have issues puncturing the .6Liter bladder/bottle it came with, so after my 2nd one, I upgraded to the 2L aftermarket bladder, which is made from a thicker, more durable material.

I've actually heard from a few hikers the BeFree threading fits the larger PowerAid/GatorAid bottles, so in a pinch, you COULD potentially walk into a grocery store and figure something out if the bag breaks!

Its interesting you suggest the silty water is less of a problem in the P.N.W. It really depends on the area. I'm often higher up in the mountains, pulling from water that is direct runoff from glaciers. Glaciers tend to put a lot of silt from ground-up rock in to the water. I have to rinse my BeFree constantly because of that.

katadyn does make a 3L "bottle" and gravity system. it's even on sale on rei right now. I love my 1L normal befree. was always at least twice as fast at refilling than friends w/ a sawyer

Excellent review Darwin! Not as prolific a hiker as you, but feel you definitely hit the right points for 99% of the hikers out there. I am also happy that this day/weekend hiker/camper reached the same conclusions as you. After much research and other filters, I too have both and switch back and forth! Day trips, out fishing or riding my e-bike its Katadyn. Everything else its my squeeze system. Oh, and one last thing. You may have been a bit harsh on the durability and cleaning issues budroe. Drop the Katadyn on a rock and its plastic will also break. And unless you are gone for 2 weeks or more filtering very dirty water, you won't have to backflush your Sawyer Squeeze and the squeeze can last a lifetime.

Pretty cool seeing this video come up on my feed. I got hired by Sawyer right when the squeeze filter came out. They hired me to run their water department. I enjoyed designing the Manufacturing process for the squeeze and then years later the mini. I no longer work for them but still have their filters in my hurricane kit.

This debate is how I met my girlfriend. No really, we were both solo backpacking and filling up at the same stream. I was using the Befree and she used the squeeze and we started chatting about what we thought of them. After 2 years she now uses the Befree too

I respect your opinion as much as any other hiker on YT. You are very thorough and unbiased with your reviews. Thanks!!

I have both, and a geo press ( by grayl) the grayl is the beat filter I own. ( just know it's expensive and a pound) but like Darwin I adapt my plan to the plan never gotten sick from creek water. I get some crazy looks but I drink Alot of water from streams, springs, seeps, bogs, drain, rivers, ponds, and once a large puddle. Be safe and stay hydrated =)

From my research the Sawyer is better for overall if doing a thruhike as it doesn't clog up as much. Katadyn seems great if shorter trips and if your careful with water sources etc

I tried both on the PCT and the befree is a better solution overall, simple, fast, won’t go back to the squeeze.

Seemingly a very fair and comprehensive evaluation. Thanks. For me, my go to has been the Grayl Purifier Water Filter Cup that rides with me in an insulated case on my belt. Fill up the outside cup with the source water, insert the inside cup (with the filter on the bottom) and push down on the inner cup until all the water is forced through the filter into the inside cup (as fast as 8 seconds). Available with 3 different grades of filter depending on what part of the world you might be travelling in. In North America , the middle, green cartridge apparently is fine enough to filter out whatever we might encounter here. Certainly a little heavier / bulkier than the 2 systems described in this video, but very easy-to-use and dependable. Filter approved for 350 pushes, 250 liters. Very ideal for day hiking in particular. And certainly one should travel with some sort of dependable backup for such a crucial piece of gear, even if just water purification tablets.

Best backpacking channel on RU-vid. Thanks Darwin!

LOTS of value in this video. You gave us the Pro's and the Con's and then let us decide. I feel empowered to make a better decision. Thank You!

You wound up coming to the conclusion I did after using both a lot, but I'm just a bit more strict. The BeFree is my go-to for traveling and light day hikes. If I need to take a shelter with me, the BeFree stays at home and the Sawyer goes in my backpack. It's been tried and true for years now and I know no matter what I encounter, it will keep me in safe drinking water.

I hear you man. I think they are both solid options. Im in Florida mostly, so I carry a 1L Hydra, a 2L Vecto(both dirty), a 4L MSR reservoir(clean), and both filters. Water is too important in this enviro, and since im solo 90% of the time, not willing to risk having to cut a trip short because i stopped being able to process it. Definitely worth the extra weight/space, for what I do at least(and i definitely dont do what you do ;o) ). mmmmmmmmmm water Gotta say i do think the Sawyer claim of a M gallons is kinda nonsense. Im sure it is true in some incredibly specific context, but ive also had them slow to a painful trickle(even with proper maint) after

I have both. I love my squeeze! I also Loved my Be Free for the first 3 trips and then it failed on me. Not to mention the cap broke off right away. On a trip up Whitney, it just stopped working. I tried all the things and the flow rate was literally a drip. Luckily, I was able to summit with enough water after spending a long time filtering. My squeeze never let me down. I just back flush after every trip, sleep with it when it's cold and bring an extra plastic ring. I really wanted to love my Be Free. Maybe I'll try it one more time, but I've never had my squeeze fail me.

I like to use the sawyer with 2 cnoc bags and the coupler. If on the move, I can just use one bag and squeeze water through the filter. Or if I’m at camp I can use both bags and effortlessly filter a bunch of water using the sawyer as a gravity filter. It’s very versatile and has worked well for me.

Thanks for a very thorough review. I failed to find the Sawyer sp129 here in Sweden so I went for the 0,6 liter Befree and a HYDRAPAK Flux 1L bottle. Mainly out short trips visiting lakes. I just hope the Befree will cut it because we have loads of pine forests which cause many lakes to be full of humus. And many small creeks are dried out in the summer. And I believe cleaning out humus needs carbon filters which also fix color, odour and bad taste. Something the Hollow Fiber filters doesnt seem to fix like the Beefree and Sawyer. But I will give it a try.

That was the best comparison I’ve seen yet. I exclusively use the Sawyer mini. As a fly fisherman I am always in the river so leaning over and dipping the mini in the water has been a major selling point for me and as you mentioned it can also be used in line on a hydration bladder. I guess like other gear it’s pretty much mission specific.

Darwin - Wanted to give you a shout out from Arizona Trail Steward Passage 18b of the Arizona Trail for I noticed the quick shot inserted of Mud Spring within Reavis Canyon. So, I recently just switched over to squeeze about 8 months ago and compared to the msr hand pump by far quicker and gets you back on the trail faster. Also wanted to say appreciate what you been doing helping with various projects for the Arizona Trail Association.

I've been a Sawyer user for a couple of years & I've always felt they were the bee's knees, mainly because of the versatility (I usually use a gravity system). As I was watching your video, I started thinking, "Man, I like the looks of that Befree, but I think I'd like to use both." That's about the time you said you like using both. Great minds think alike, I guess, huh? :)

Have been using the BeFree for a few years, and I'm very pleased. Also have the Katadyn Hiker Pro for when the whole family goes out for a trip. Have several different HydraPak bottles that I pair with my BeFree depending on the need for each specific trip. Live in Norway, so for me, the BeFree is perfect!

Regardless of what filter you choose, it’s wise to have a backup. Any filter can fail. A small dropper bottle of bleach was my backup for years until I came to using bleach almost exclusively. 2-4 drops per liter and a wait of 20-40 minutes, depending on temperature, does the job. I last had giardia in 1973.

Great review Darwin. There's so many reviews of these two filters out there, but this is basically the best summary of all of them.

Thank you for explaining why! And the pros and cons. Great info!

BeFree and Hydrapak Flux is an excellent combination. The Flux are much more durable than the pouch that comes with the BeFree. You can buy the filter alone along with a Flux for the same price. I bought two Flux and take both along with the BeFree so if one does happen to bust, I have the second one that can fit the filter as well. So far it's worked great, and you can hand-squeeze water through them (no need for CNOC bag). So far it's worked great. I hike in the Sierra Nevada, though, so for murky desert water, not sure.

Getting clean, filtered water should be easy. The Platypus gravity water filter is the bomb. Easy, lots of water (4L), unattended filtering, easy peasy. However while hustling down the trail the BeFree is awesome. It’s quick, easy, light weight, simple. Done!

Excellent review, and very much appreciate the fact that different filters work better under different environments, I would not have thought about that! Thank you!

5 days with the befree and I'm done. Even with relatively clean water, it required a huge amount shaking to keep any water flowing through it at all. Back to the sawyer for me.

Get a 10 ml leur lock syringe and save on space, also good for aspirating wounds. You should be carrying one anyway in your med kit, a 10 or a 20. 50 ml is overkill unless you want to be able to perform suction and in field surgery.

The Sawyer has been great, but I agree the backflushing and water transfer can get tiresome. Still my go to because I have had literally no issues with purity or longevity!

I have used the Katadyn BeFree for the last 4 years or so on all my hikes and I love it, never had a problem (but I'm biased since the shop I work in sell the BeFree so I get it at a discounted price) EDIT: you can get a prefilter for the BeFree if you need to used it in an area where there is a lot of sediment in the water

I have the BeFree. When I started backpacking in 2018 there were not selling the sawyer squeeze in the stores where I live in Canada. So far I really like it 🙂

Both, the Katadyne BeFree and the Sawyer Squeeze are rated at 0.1-micron filtration. This membrane size is small enough to filter bacteria such as salmonella, leptospirosis, cholera and E.coli, cysts and protozoa (such as giardia and cryptosporidium). Both filters having the very same pore size, the only reason one would foul quicker than the other would be a difference in the membrane filtration “surface area”.

Thank you so much for this comparison! Very informative and easy to watch.

You can easily backflush the sayer with a smart water bottle and the adapter. I do it on the trail all the time. The only time I use the plunger is to clean it out at home with some vinegar.

Excellent review Darwin,,, Friendly Reminder, prefiltering water sediment with a clean cloth before using Filter, helps to prevent frequent clogs and Filter Water Flow will last longer,,, Cheers,,,

Well this was the best comparison video between the two I’ve ever seen!

Nice. Felt like this was a very thorough comparison "for your" needs as a hiker. I learned something about different environments and styles of hiking as well. "I have to say I'm not a seasoned thru hiker". "I'm always looking for a no nonsense view on gear". "This was a nice straight to the point upload". In which I like. Thanks Darwin for the insight and knowledge sharing. "Water is important". ✌️👍

I have both use them in WI, UP MI, and MN. I won't use K Be "free" any more, never handled long hauls

I've been using the Sawyer Mini with a 2 let Cnoc Vecto, it's been great for me!

I use the Be Free with the adapter that comes with the gravity kit to convert the filter to an inline filter. I clip a universal hose end 9not sure if that is what the hose end is called) onto the adapter and this has worked well until just recently when the adapter is for some reason not clicking as well and is keeping the water from flowing, even though the filter itself is flowing. I tried the Squeeze, but it clogged after very little use, even in Oregon where my water sources are relatively clean. Thank you for your videos and experience.

Interesting video. If you use a millbank bag to pre filter your water, you will not have to clean your filters as often and will have much better tasting water. Ray

Appreciate you sharing your experiences and breaking down the pros and cons. I have the Sawyer but have been hearing lots (recently) about the Be Free, so I was becoming curious but no one was really explaining the 'why'....

Excellent review. I actually just ordered the BeFree yesterday before I saw this but I think it confirms I made the right choice for what I want.

Probably useless information to your audience, but not being a long distance hiker myself, I use a pump style filter called the Survivor Filter. My legs don't work properly so I like to travel by boat. It has a pre filter that is about the same as the Sawyer mesh, a super fine 0.01 micron filter housed in the body and a carbon filter that helps with heavy metals and taste. Being a pump, it's very fast. I just throw it over the side, pump up what I need and I'm good to go. It's never let me down yet, but if it ever does I keep a sawyer squeeze for backup. Downsides to the Survivor filter are that there's a lot of parts and it requires the same backwash as the Sawyer, but for me the bulk and weight are not an issue and I love the convenience of not having to crawl around trying to scoop up water into a bottle or bag.

I have a Sawyer Mini Squeeze and I really like it. Never tried a Katadyn BeFree.

I bought the befree and it’s awesome. Can’t comment on the other brand. I’m sure it’s good to, but the befree is amazingly awesome and simple. I highly recommend based on personal experience.

My Squeeze stopped working after being put in storage for a few months. Yes it was back flushed with clean water before being put in storage. There are several videos out there of the squeeze stopping working.

Great video Darwin. Non biased and honest. Glad you are back making videos. 👍

This helped a lot in making a clear decision on what to buy for my first overnight hike a 14-day hike on the AT in the Shenandoah Mts. Nice job man! Thanks.

Definitely the Sawyer squeeze. Be free is nice. I do have the Katadyne hiker pro pump which I have never used on the trail, only car camping near a water source. The Sawyer squeeze has never failed me. It's no problem sleeping with it in my sleeping bag when it's cold. I agree, if you can afford, have both. If you can't, go Sawyer.

The Be Free filter failed in my first attempt to use it on a hike. The bladder failed at the seam. The irony was I found a 2 liter water bottle in a creek I could have used with my Sawyer. My Sawyer has never failed. Lesson learned, take a backup when testing new equipment.

I prefer the Katadyn because it’s easier to clean in the field. I can give a few hard shakes with water in the bladder after each use.

Great comparison review! Most focus on stats and leave it at that. So glad you focused on the real world nuances of using these tools in different scenarios. So helpful! Well done!

I don't know about the S Squeeze but the S Mini you can most definitely drink direction from. I use an Evernew water bladder (not cheap but well made) screw the Mini on and drink directly from it.

If you need to make a lot of purified water at once (before dry section of hike) then the Squeeze is best rigged as a gravity system. If there is water everywhere then the Be Free starts to shine and just carry a 2-3 liter bottle for camp. Use the 1L on the trail and refill as needed.

I always bring both just in case. Extra weight but water is THE most critical thing to have so I’m ok w it

I tried out the katadyn since it was very appealing to me, fast rate of flow and easy maintenance. However, on the very first trip I took it on the bag split from the harder plastic collar. It worked when I tested it at home and for the first stream crossing but that is it. It was not put under any stress or rough conditions. Like I said, very first trip with it. Luckily, I had a liter of water left and was only 6 miles from a pump treated with iodine which saved the trip. Some people get lucky and have this filter last and others have catastrophic failures like this. Going back to Sawyer for consistent reliability.

Hey Darwin - Several years back you introduced the Hydroblu filter as an alternative to the Sawyer. I tried one of those and found it has a better flow and is more durable than the Sawyer. Thank you! They are a bit harder to find, but I think if I break it on the trail then I can replace it easily with a Sawyer until I can get another one. Thank you for your videos, they are extremely informative.

Very helpful... Thank you... I'm not using it for hicking, but for my Europe trip... because water is soooo expensive

I used the PUR filters for years on the trail but upgraded to the Sawyer Mini a few years ago. I just love it but my husband wanted a larger capacity so we just bought a regular Sawyer for him. I haven't tried the Katadyn Be Free yet but will look at possibly adding that to our backpacking systems. Just spent my budget by adding the new NEMO Dragonfly Bikepack 2P Tent for Summer hikes since our Mountain Hardwear Trango II is better designed for the Pacific Northwest Fall & Winter weather (too heavy for Summer). Happy trails and thanks for the great comparison review!

This feels like a really good, unbiased, video.

For the Sawyer, I wonder if you and a few pals could just split the price of a 2" x 6ft poly pipe insulation tube and chop it up into several pieces. They come in 1/2" and 3/8" thicknesses. Bit of duct or gorilla tape and you have good drop protection. Single tubes are from $15 to $17 each. Super cheap in case lots. The sort you put over hot water pipes at home.

Hi darwin, nice video as always! never really saw the benefit of the befree before myself, but if there is lots of easily accessible water around I can definitely see the befree save a bunch of time. I do have one question: I'm not sure if this is what you meant to say in the video, but it seems to me like you're saying freezing is only an issue for the sawyer filter? I work in our country's version of the REI stores, and I can tell this is an issue for any hollow fiber filter. the problem is not so much the case cracking, like you often see in the sawyers, but the hollow fiber itself cracking due to the freezing water. it's a lot more visible in the sawyers, but just as much of problem for something like the befree.

8 oz. is worth the really easy setup - Carabineer, Orange Cnoc bag, Versa flow (or Sawyer Mini with an attachment) & a Blue Cnoc bag. I hang this while setting up camp and return to full bag to fill up my bottles with. If needed; I am able to carry 2 liter water bottles and two full bags. Back flushing is easy by always squeezing the clean blue bag water back through for a bit before I wrap it all up for the day. I would never carry a sawyer on top of a bottle as I have twice had bottles fly out of the pockets and roll down a cliff.

I actually used both of these filters on a recent trip along a river. I really liked the abilities of both, but I feel like for opposite reasons than Darwin! I used the sawyer squeeze on a smart water bottle for filling up during river crossings, then used the be free and Cnoc bladder for camp. There was two of us hiking so having two filters was great too!!

I actually use the Sawyer mini. The flow rate is slower, but the extra 3 minutes or so it takes me to filter a liter of water is literally nothing in the grand scheme of things, so I wouldn't switch to BeFree filter for flow rate. I did buy a BeFree at one point but never used it and eventually gave it away as I didn't feel it was better than what I was already using. I use the bottom of a cutoff plastic bottle that folds flat to scoop water into my filter bag, so the size of the bag mouth opening isn't important to me. If it were though, I would use a CNOC bag and not the BeFree. If I even think the weather will get close to freezing, I will put my Sawyer filter in my sleeping bag, so that's not an issue. I haven't had any issues with needing to backflush my Sawyer mini, but that's probably because in the PNW most of my water sources are pretty clean. Regardless, I carry multiple "clean" bags that I fill up when I stop to camp for the evening that I've put Smart Water bottle sports caps on, so if I ever need to back flush my filter I can. Another reason why I wouldn't use the BeFree is because I like to use trekking poles and reaching for a bottle in my side pouch (or wherever) would be a pain. What I do is use a Platypus 1L bag and their drinking tube kit (smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J2H8OA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I also recommend taking off their alligator clip and replacing it with this: smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007TJ5X8E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I've used it on many day and multi-night hikes with no problems. I run the drinking tube up the side of my pack, under the compression straps, over the shoulder, through a daisy chain, and finally to the magnetic clip. I only have to take the platy out of the side pocket when I need to refill it. It's also nice because I don't have to stop and fuss with a bottle while using trekking poles, I can just drink while I hike. I also take a couple of extra 1.5 liter bags with me to fill up at camp in the evening so I don't have to worry about getting water later that evening or the next morning.

The Sawyer is best for me because I already have a couple and I'm too effin' lazy to change. :)

I have all three and I actually prefer the katadyn hiker. I do all of my backpacking in the fall-winter. And squeezing a cold bladder sucks. Also it doesn’t get clogged as quickly. I’d say my second favorite is the befree then sawyer squeeze with cnoc bladder. I just prefer to pump my water, I’ve never had it clog while out in the backcountry. And I’m never in a rush, I like to enjoy nature and not pound out miles. I’ve been there done that.

I agree with your review. All valid points. Exactly the way I explain it to our Members here at REI SoHo. And yes, I do own them both myself 👍🏽

I think it is important to note that the Katadyn is susceptible to failure in freezing temperatures as well. The risk isn't just that the housing might fail but that the filter membrane itself can fail if it freezes. Both filters' manufacturers warn that the filter may fail if frozen. Just because water still passes through does not mean that water I safe if the filter tubes have been compromised.

I still keep both in my trucks for reasons you mentioned. I learn from other people's experience. LOL. Glad to know both are good. Mostly I keep the BeFree in my pack.

The befree filter will fit on core water bottles and bodyarmor water bottles and several other brands.

I used the regular Sawyer Squeeze on the AT in 2017 and was happy with it's performance. I went with the midsized version (Micro) on the CT this year and was not impressed. I actually saw a lot of folks using the BeFree and had some serious envy with the flow rate. The other thing that should be pointed out is that the newer Sawyer pouches are prone to failure at the connection between the pouch and nozzle. I had no issues with this on the AT with the older pouches, although I rotated out them out every 500 miles. I broke a couple on the CT.

Always love these comparison videos that ask, "Which one is best!?" and then at the end...Neither!! Lol

Last year three JMT SOBO hikers (myself included) all showed up with BeFree filters. By day three using only clean flowing Merced water the flow rate of all three dropped by 50%. By day four all three flow rates reduced to 30% of the original rate and all three BeFree bladders had developed pin hole leaks. Unable to use a smart water bottle as an option we were left trying to patch or otherwise deal with the growing number of leaks. After the hike I returned my failed BeFree to REI and switch to the much more reliable Sawyer Squeeze.

Great video, I really appreciate the time you spend making these videos the information is invaluable to figure out the difference between similar seeming gear, and providing real world feedback about their performance. I've got the platypus gravity works filter, it's good for 10,000 L, the filter body is made of this really soft material that you basically can't break. But you do need to bring a "dirty water bag" plus something to filter into. The flow rate, and cleaning have been really good, without issues; Except I do find I need to back flush with tap water every 20-50 liters depending on how silty the source water has been.