I drink a lot of water when we hit the trail and I'm always looking for the easiest, fastest, and tastiest way to fill up from alpine lakes and streams.
Enter the Katadyn BeFree water filtration system. Lightweight and super easy to use, they consist of two parts: a bottle or "flask" and a filter that's built into the cap.
Remove the filter, fill the bag at your favorite lake or stream, pop the top back on and away you go. As an added bonus, the filter is super easy to clean. Just pop it off, swish it around in the water, then pop it back in. I have been using mine for several months now and it has saved us so much time on the trail!
The Pros:
- lightweight and very packable
- incredibly easy to use
- incredibly easy to clean
- comes in a variety of sizes
The Cons:
- bacterial filter only; check out some of their other products if you're traveling to an area with known viral contaminants
- not the best option for large groups
- not suitable for freezing weather
All things considered, this is a great option if you're hitting the trail in the Spring, Summer and Fall and you want to go fast and light. 10/10 would recommend!