A photo of Dan Becker holding a Sawyer filter with a Cnoc bag.
A photo of Dan Becker holding a Sawyer filter with a Cnoc bag.

My Favorite Filter Just Got Upgraded

This is the Katadyn Befree water filter. It's small lightweight collapsible and easily fits in a pocket. It's a super popular water filter that many hikers actually love. I did at one point as well. I made several videos talking about it and why I loved it. My favorite part was that it has the attachable, collapsible water bladder and it can add up to an extra liter of water, carry in a pinch. Its flow rate is great. It's easy to clean. So, what's the problem? If you've been following the channel, you know I switched to the Sawyer squeeze filter mainly because the company is the most benevolent company I have ever worked with helping people around the world drink safe clean water. I'll spare you those details and if you want to see what they do to help people around the world in a deeper level watch the video I made about it in the description.

Katadyn is mainly great because of this collapsible bag. It's fantastic and I think that's why a lot of people actually switched. Although, some people experienced pinhole leaks in it from time to time, even I have. I think any bladder made out of TPU is prone to that. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've seen this the Cnoc Vecto. It's the original collapsible bag for your filter and it's amazing. It has this huge opening so you can easily fill it up in pretty much any water source.

Watch this video about the Cnoc and Sawyer collaboration by Dan Becker.

미디어 언급

Why use a plastic bag when you can simply screw on this end cap, specifically designed for Sawyer water filters?

조이 게이츠
Editor at Backpacker

미디어 언급

In future, I’ll use gravity when I can, and squeeze when I have to.

Richard, aka "LowRange
하이커

미디어 언급

For longer hikes, it’s convenient to carry a small backcountry water filter, such as a Sawyer Mini or Micro, which allows you to replenish your water from natural sources like streams or ponds.

필립 베르너
Author and Backpacker