Hydration packs

L

LUW

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Nov 24, 2009
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Very soon I'll have to upgrade/trade my old backpack, and was thinking of getting one that accepts a hydration pack. And here's my doubt: doesn't the water get warm in the pouch behind your back :rolleyes:? Sorry if this sounds dumb, but I've used canteens my whole life, I never used a hydration pack, so I really don't know what to expect.
 
It will eventually warm but I think it stays cooler longer in a bladder. It's also a lot easier to add ice cubes into a bladder or you can partially freeze it.
 
BlackHills said:
It will eventually warm but I think it stays cooler longer in a bladder. It's also a lot easier to add ice cubes into a bladder or you can partially freeze it.
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Great info there, I always fill mine 1/2 way with water and then the rest with ice cubes or some form of ice. stays colder longer and the ice melts and well you know the rest.
 
The fluid in the tube can get warm - there is an insulation available.
The fluid in the tube can also freeze in cold weather - again use insulation and blow the fluid back into the bladder.
 
Most backpacks put some sort of foam insulation/padding between you and the bladder, more-or-less eliminating you heating up the water.

I don't mind luke-warm water, so I don't really notice it at all even if it does end up warm.
 
I got the Camelback Storm insulated insert for my TT 3 day pack. I have put two trays of ice cubes in it before a hot summer hike. By the end of a 8 hour slog, the water wat was still icy cool, though the cubes had melted.
 
BlackHills said:
It will eventually warm but I think it stays cooler longer in a bladder. It's also a lot easier to add ice cubes into a bladder or you can partially freeze it.
Click to expand...

Thats what I do. :thumbup:

Also, some guys do the sports drink thing in em, not me. PITA to clean. I use denture tablets in mine from time to time to clean it. Strictly water in my bladders. I have electrolyte gells, gums, etc, for those things.

I tell ya, that insulation tube they sell for the drinking tube is totally worth it. Not only does it keep the water cool in the tube, but it also keeps the sun from drying it out and cracking it. They are cheap to replace, but every little bit helps. Also a BIG fan of the bite valve cover. Keeps dust and dirt from sticking to it. I got a MULE recently, and the first thing I did was pitch the bladder it came with and put in my NBC Bladder, with insulated tube, shut off valve, and bite valve cover.. Waay better.

Another thing you can do to keep it from developing a funk in between uses is to dump the unused water(you shouldnt have any!!), and store the bladder in the freezer. The residual water freezes, and keeps it frsh when you refill it for the next outing.
 
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Just to add....You can also get ice cube trays that make long round tubes of ice. Those last longer than regular cubes. Sigg makes one.

j williams said:
Also, some guys do the sports drink thing in em, not me. PITA to clean. I use denture tablets in mine from time to time to clean it. Strictly water in my bladders. I have electrolyte gells, gums, etc, for those things.

I tell ya, that insulation tube they sell for the drinking tube is totally worth it. Not only does it keep the water cool in the tube, but it also keeps the sun from drying it out and cracking it. They are cheap to replace, but every little bit helps. Also a BIG fan of the bite valve cover. Keeps dust and dirt from sticking to it. I got a MULE recently, and the first thing I did was pitch the bladder it came with and put in my NBC Bladder, with insulated tube, shut off valve, and bite valve cover.. Waay better.

Another thing you can do to keep it from developing a funk in between uses is to dump the unused water(you shouldnt have any!!), and store the bladder in the freezer. The residual water freezes, and keeps it frsh when you refill it for the next outing.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with just about every bit of that. :thumbup:

I bought a Nalgene bladder a couple of years ago and it's my favorite so far. The tube has a quick detach at the bladder end and seems to me to be better made than the Camelbak ones, though I haven't dealt with any of their more current stuff.
 
G'day LUW

LUW said:
... And here's my doubt: doesn't the water get warm in the pouch behind your back
Click to expand...
I use a Camelbak unbottle 100 that comes with an insulated outer.

Camelbakunbottle1001.jpg


I have been impressed with its ability to keep the water inside it cold.

Before leaving for a recent fishing trip, I added a couple of large (plastic cup sized) ice blocks to it and filled it to the brim with cold water.

Despite being in my daypack and out in the sun all day (with temps reaching a maximum of 42 C, approx 105 F), the water inside the bladder stayed cold untill the last drop. Sure the residual water in the external part of the hose warmed up, but once that was drunk, the water comming out of the bladder was cold.




Kind regards
Mick
 
Whoa! I never thought it would keep water cool that way! I was certain that a canteen or water bottle would be more efficient for that. Since I live in a hot climate, warm water isn't very desirable, but if the CamelBack that SouthernCross posted can keep water cool in a 42º C heat, then it will work for me. The hottest it gets here in the summer is around 38-39ºC, and in the winter it gets around 5-10ºC, but the coldest weather I ever withstood in hiking was a bit over 10ºC.

So it looks like a backpack with a hydration bag will be a nice feature to have. Does that CamelBack fit in backpacks (that accepts a hydration system, like the Vulture II) or is a "stand alone" unit?
 
LUW said:
Whoa! I never thought it would keep water cool that way! I was certain that a canteen or water bottle would be more efficient for that. Since I live in a hot climate, warm water isn't very desirable, but if the CamelBack that SouthernCross posted can keep water cool in a 42º C heat, then it will work for me. The hottest it gets here in the summer is around 38-39ºC, and in the winter it gets around 5-10ºC, but the coldest weather I ever withstood in hiking was a bit over 10ºC.

So it looks like a backpack with a hydration bag will be a nice feature to have. Does that CamelBack fit in backpacks (that accepts a hydration system, like the Vulture II) or is a "stand alone" unit?
Click to expand...

Actually in my experience, bladders keep water cooler MUCH better than bottles or canteens. If you'll notice, now a days it's hard to even find a backpack that is hydration compatible.

Pretty much ANY water bladder will fit into a hydration equipped backpack.


I have a camelback HAWG that came with a bladder that I use for Mountain biking and day hikes, and I just take the bladder out and use it in my 65 liter Deuter backpack for backpacking.
 
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