My filter pump died on day 3 of a 10 day trip in the Smokies

I was hiking the Benton MacKaye Trail last month and my Katadyn BeFree completely clogged up on day 3 near the Fontana Dam section. Tried backflushing it three times but the flow dropped to a trickle and I had to boil all my water for the next week. Anyone else had a filter totally crap out on a long haul and what did you use to get through?

2 comments

2 Comments

james_singh71mo ago

Ditched my BeFree on the Cohutta loop last year after it gave out on day 2. Backflushing did nothing and I ended up just scooping from springs with a bandana and dropping iodine tabs in every liter. Tasted like a swimming pool but kept me moving without carrying a stove or fuel. That filter is great for day hikes but I learned the hard way it can't handle silty mountain streams for more than a day or two. Now I carry a Sawyer Squeeze for anything over a weekend and it's been solid through mud, leaves, and tannic water. Your mileage may vary but I swear by it now.

hayden_butler271mo ago

Oh man that's rough. I gotta ask @james_singh7 how bad was the silt where you were? I've heard BeFree's are touchy with that but never saw it go down that fast. Maybe the Cohutta streams are just extra nasty this time of year? I've been on the fence about picking one up for shorter trips but stories like yours make me think I'll just stick with my Sawyer and save the cash. The iodine taste is brutal but hey at least you didn't get giardia right?

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