OWNER REVIEW- Berkey Sport Bottle

Berkey Sport Bottle




Reviewer:


Name: Bak Pack Age:32 
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6" (1.6 Meters)
Weight: 170 Pounds (77 Kilograms)
Email address: bakpack215-/[email protected]       
City, State, Country: Boulder, CO, U.S.






BackpackingBackground: I’ve been backpacking for about 7 years now. I have experimentedwith a lot of different gear systems to find what works the best for me and myenvironment. I enjoy backpacking in all kinds of weather including 4-seasoncamping. I do some mountaineering as well, both summer and winter. I hike in moderateto steep mountain environments and do quite a bit of hiking above tree line aswell. I also do snowshoeing. Anytime I can get out and enjoy the mountains,even for a dayhike, I try to do it. I also have a youtube channel for gear reviews.




 
Product Information:


Berkey Sport Bottlehttp://www.berkeyfilters.com/


Weight: 5.8ounces (165 grams)


Length:11.5 inches (29.2 cm)


Diameter:3 inches (7.6 cm)


Capacity:About 22 ounces (.65 liters)




TheBerkey Sport Bottle is an all-in-one water filter bottle. It uses a carbon filterinside the bottle that water is sucked through as one drinks it. The bottle canalso be squeezed moderately to release filtered water from the spout. It iseasy to fill, easy to clean, easy to use, and easy to maintain from myexperience. One opens the lid which leaves the filter attached. One fills thebottle with water, then re-fastens the lid. Then it is ready to drink. Thefilter is claimed to filter Cryptosporidium, Giardia, E-coli, and 99.9% ofother bacteria. It has an easy flip open/flip close lid. The lid has a loop forvarious carrying/fastening options. Berkey claims 25-100 gallons of filter usedepending on cleanliness of the water source. 




Myexperience:


I haveused this filter bottle for over 5 years now. I have had to replace one filterdue to my own negligence of dropping it and breaking it. I have had to replaceone bottle due to the lid breaking from normal wear/use at the hinge location. Ihave used the filter capacity well beyond the manufacturer’s recommendationsand feel it still functions well. I find this product very useful as I havefiltered some very questionable water near large cattle areas and I have nevergotten sick with this filter bottle. It is easy and fast to use. All one has todo is unscrew the cap which leaves the filter and tube attached, then dip thebottle in a water source and re-fasten the lid. When using for the first time,the filter does have to be primed which involves filling the bottle, fasteningthe lid, and then squeezing about half the water out. The filter bottle is thenready to use. I have found that the oring on top will eventually wear andrequire more force to secure the lid over time to achieve a good seal. The sealmust be tight in order to make sure the water is sucked through the filter. Onedownside is that if water in an area is limited, this filter bottle haslimited capacity. I have to plan accordingly depending on where I am hiking. Asfar as maintenance goes, there is no back flushing. The manufacturer recommendsrunning clean tap water through it one more time once one arrives back home. Ihave always just rinsed everything out really good and let it air dry. Thesuction/flow isn’t as strong as I’d like it to be. Also, I have had the innertube freeze when temperatures drop into the low teens. For overnight use in thewinter, I have learned to drain the tube empty, then bury the entire bottlewith the filter under about 1 foot of snow, I haven’t had any issues since I’vedone it that way. I take this filter bottle on every trip. If I know water willbe sparse, I always carry extra water.




 
Pros:


Easy touse and maintain


Light tocarry


Lesswater and filter parts to carry compared to other products.


Lesstime at water sources




 
Cons:


Flow isn’theavy/strong


Limitedcapacity for sparse water sources on trail.