UKH

Has anyone experience of these. In particular does the water flow out into your mouth, or is it slow as it has to come through the filter.

You have to suck or squeeze to get the water out. If you just turn it upside down you just get a trickle. 

Thank you, is this mildly bothersome, or something you swiftly get used to.

Have a look at the products from Grayl. I have been using the UltraPress Water Purifier for the last two years, particularly on ML training and assessment courses. Easy to use and really effective and it doesn't have the same problem of other types of filter water bottles i.e. the water flows out easily. Plus it is quicker to use than most of the other handheld water filters. 

For about 1.5 x the cost of the UltraPress you can get a UV Steripen - no sucking or squeezing required.

I have a Katadyn BeFree. As Andypeak said, you do have to suck or squeeze but the flow rate is perfectly ok for either drinking or filling another water bottle.

With one important caveat: if the filter has dried out between trips, soak it before you use it. It hardly flows at all when it's completely dry.

Do they really work, seem to good to be true. I actually have one, had it for years, but have never trusted it, when it actually came down to it.

I've got a Sawyer Mini fitted inline in a hydration bladder - you can screw it directly onto many standard bottles or use it with a straw, though. As stated, you do need to be able to squeeze the bottle for best effect.

https://www.sawyer.com/products/mini-water-filtration-system

I've also got a Water To Go bottle, but the one I've got is not squeezy and is therefore terrible - think they've got better in the later ones, though.

Another vote for the Katadyn BeFree if you're using it for running or walking. 

I used one for a while but it ate expensive batteries at a ridiculous rate.

Worth noting they do quite different things. You still need to filter before treating with UV (allough only bigger bits).

I used one in Himachal Pradesh for a couple of weeks. Drank the mains water in the village, in which I dabbled the gadget. Followed the advice about food etc in the Asia thread. No problems whatsoever with food or drink.

As ebdon correctly says, you need to start with water that's reasonably clear and free from debris. If it's not clear the UV won't work properly.

Haven't used it since, as it's rare I'm in a situation where I not able to carry sufficient water for my needs, but I'd give it a go on possibly farmyard-infused streams etc.

I used a mate's one to filter our water in the Bugaboos. Had to squeeze the water through the filter, which I wouldn't want to do while drinking. I used it to filter water for my camelbak and just drunk from that.

Katadyn Be Free is a good one https://www.ukhillwalking.com/gear/camping/water_treatment+flasks+hydration...

An alternative is the Lifestraw bottles https://www.ukhillwalking.com/gear/camping/water_treatment+flasks+hydration...

I've been impressed with both these options, and the good thing about a filter bottle as opposed to a bottle-free filter is that you can carry the water with you and drink as you go. Less time/faff than stopping to fill a bottle via a separate filter.

But you do have to suck /squeeze pretty hard, it would be a pain to (for instance) fill a cup or a pan through the bottle.

And I did once find it is possible to get the filter so clogged that it becomes increasingly difficult if not impossible to drink through. If silty/peaty pools (full of tadpoles in my case) are all you have as a water source then you've got to be careful how you go; and then remember to flush the whole thing out well when you've got to some clearer-running water.

Agreed, I have one and it's pretty good. I also have a 3L bladder with the same size thread so can fill up with water at the overnight camp with just one walk to the stream/water source.

Good tip, this happened to me last trip. Wasn't aware this happened, got a bit of a shock, thought it was knackered!

Thank you for this reply.
What would be the downsides of using say an old sock over the top of a Nalgene bottle to remove large stuff, then use a Steri Pen?
Is there stuff an old sock would not remove, that the SteriPen would not kill?

That's a good question. I did have a steripen but - like another poster - could never really trust it somehow. I prefer a physical filter since you know it's doing >something<

That said, I only use a filter at all on busier hills or lower down in the glens 

I've been liking Pure Clear recently - seems good. 

That was me, too much like magic for me, but then in a lot of climbing huts they use uv water "filters"

Perhaps time I came into the 21st century, with the help of an old sock possibly 🤔