Water bladders for carrying water....

kgd

kgd

Joined
Feb 28, 2007
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My maxpedition pack has the compartment in it for a water bladder/drinking hose/bite valve but it took well over a year to finally get myself a bladder (Playtpus basic one with 2.0 L capacity). I've always used a water bottle holder attached to the side of the bag and that seemed good enough. However, on my last trip in the heat I found myself needing and wanting to cart in 4L of water. So I'd lug 3L (1L nalgene in bottle holder + bladder) on my back and usually had a disposable water bottle in my hand.

Anyhow, this was the first time I tried hiking with the bladder and really took a shine to using it. Admittedly, the water did taste a bit plastic-like which I attribute more to the hose than the bladder itself but that seemed to go away after a couple of refills. Threading the bite valve through the D-ring on my pack keeps it in place and sometimes I gave myself a bit more slack and kept the end tucked under the sternum strap while walking. That worked at great for ready access to the bite valve on the go.

What I didn't realize is how effective you can draw the water in. The pressure on the bladder from being compressed against your back by the pack makes the water almost squirt into your mouth when you depress the bit valve. You can also pretty much suck out all the water up to the last ounce or so. Very impressive. I found during my hiking, I would drink more regularly and more often. I did go through water faster than I probably would with just my regular water bottles.

Some of the cons were that its hard to monitor how much water you have left since there seems very little indication when drinking the water until you hit the air-bubbles when its empty. There was also a couple of occasions where I transferred water from my bladder into my water bottle. Not that it was supremely difficult, but the valve wasn't very conducive to this and I ended spilling some of the precious stuff during the transfer.

Anyhow, I thought for a long time that the bladder system just wouldn't be for me. Now that I've used it, I think otherwise. I still like the versatility and flexibility of having a water bottle with me but incorporating both into my hydration system seems reasonable. Even if I don't need that much water, carrying an empty bladder in the designated compartment comes with almost no cost and I can effectively process and store a larger volume if I need to. Only wish my bladder came with a separate cap for the bladder apart from the hose/bite valve.

Anyhow, just some rambling thoughts by a skeptic on this piece of kit. They are well worth the $20 for a set-up! Kind of wish I went for the 3L model for its capacity in hindsight.
 
Nice write-up!
I used a camelbak for a few long runs,
As you describe,its hard to gauge how much water you have left.
I also didnt care for the cleaning aspect.
Its a pain in the rectum in my book...
You really have to pay attention to cleaning it,
especially if your going out in the wild with it.
Last thing you need it some stomach problems
from a dirty water carrier!

Do yourself a favor,and only use water in it,
put any electrolyte solutions in one of the handhelds...
It is really hard to clean that sugary stuff out of the bladder.

Just a tip for you,if you use it in winter,
blowing back after you take a drink will
help prevent water from freezing in the tube.

Thanks for your review!
 
fugawee said:
Nice write-up!
I used a camelbak for a few long runs,
As you describe,its hard to gauge how much water you have left.
I also didnt care for the cleaning aspect.
Its a pain in the rectum in my book...
You really have to pay attention to cleaning it,
especially if your going out in the wild with it.
Last thing you need it some stomach problems
from a dirty water carrier!

Do yourself a favor,and only use water in it,
put any electrolyte solutions in one of the handhelds...
It is really hard to clean that sugary stuff out of the bladder.

Just a tip for you,if you use it in winter,
blowing back after you take a drink will
help prevent water from freezing in the tube.

Thanks for your review!
Click to expand...

Good comments Fugawee. It seems to make sense to only put water in it. No need to encourage bacteria in there and I don't see much need for cleaning it if just using water, outside of perhaps disconnecting the hose and opening the bitevale to draining any fluid in there. Also don't see myself using this for winter. In that case, a bigger pot and two waterbottles are preferred. Not sure I'd want to put boiling water in the bladder. But that raises some additional limitations of the system. Again, I see the merits of bladder + water bottle more so than either alone. In winter, I'll probably stick with just the water bottles and a decent billy.
 
Sorry,
I failed to mention
When your done using the bladder,even if you dont
"clean" clean it,you HAVE to have that thing open
to air dry.
I was using mine like every Wednesday,then Saturday.
I found out that first Saturday that because I didnt
have the fill cap off,and bladder on a hanger,air circulating,that
the water I filled it with was nasty!
I guess bacteria grows quickly in that moist
plasticy environment.
When I got done running,I would just
toss it on the chair till I would use it next,
at which time I would just rinse it out and fill it with water...

I gave up on using mine perhaps too quickly,
but it just seemed like too much work for me.
 
Last edited:
kgd said:
I found during my hiking, I would drink more regularly and more often. I did go through water faster than I probably would with just my regular water bottles.
Click to expand...

I found this to be true as well, good thing IMO. My wife insisted on getting one for her backpack a couple of years ago, I pooh-poohed the idea for awhile and then tried it. I had to admit that it was pretty darn handy and found myself better hydrated while hiking :)

For trail running I can't imagine using anything else- completely hands free- no fussing w/ grabbing/opening a bottle.

I've got an insulated one (the tube & bite valve as well) that I use for snowshoeing day trips- between the warmth of my back and the insulated cover I've found it ice free down to around 0. I do use the tip that fugawee mentioned, blowing the water back though the tube.
 
for trail running (actually,all my running)
I carry one,sometimes 2 of these
IMG_0751.JPG


has a rubber valve you can just bite or suck through,or squeeze
the bottle.
These have an insulated sleeve on them.
When your hand gets tired,you can reverse the grip
and let the bottle kinda hang on the back of your hand.
(ultimate direction fastdraw extreme)
 
The Camelbak Elixir stuff is specifically made not to gum up bladders and bottles, so you can use those if you want to get electrolytes in there.

Regarding how much is left, Camelbak makes a flow meter. You can attach it in line on the hose and see exactly how much water has gone through, so you will know how much is left in the bladder.
 
Most of the Camelbak ones are treat with an antimicrobial substance so you really don't have to worry about bacteria growing. To clean I fill mine with water and toss in a few efferdent tablets and let them do the work. A few rinses and it's as good as new. If you're really concerned about how much water you have left Camelbak makes a Flow Meter to monitor water usage. It costs about $20, attaches to the hose and tells how much water you've drunk.

Chad
 
I go back and forth over these bladders(have a dislike for them that isn't really rational-not sure why), but there's no denying the convenience of them. My 3L Camelbak and 1L Platypus Hoser have been seeing some use in combination with a regular Platy or Nalgene. The Nalgene for use with my filter, nesting cup for cooking, and bladder for drinking on the go cover all my bases pretty well.
 
Here In Israel, the standard carry is 3 liter per day as the shade temperature is around 30 C
So all the backpacks have two side pockets that each take a 1 1/2 liter soda bottles
We also have bottle holders for soda bottles with a shoulder strap, which everyone carries when you go on an outing or picnic
And when hiking, you sling it over your shoulder and under your pack
There are little packs that are for two bottle, and that all the little kids carry when they hike
It is part of learning the importance of water when out and about
(Nalgene bottle and the like are absurdly expensive here)

I have recently started using a 3 liter bladder
It is much easier to drink and I am drinking small amounts more often
I find it much easier than stopping and drinking a large amounts from a bottle and getting bloated
 
I really like the water bladder idea. It makes the water always available to drink. I recently got a new Geigerrig pack and love it. Has lots of new ideas and features.
 
Unless they redesigned the bladder, most soda bottle caps should fit the Playtpus bottle, at least they do on mine.
 
Have used Camel Baks for the past 10 years. Would have to say that bladder vs. bottle, the bladder is much easier to deal with on hiking trips. Stopping to grab a bottle gets old quick as I found when building my 10x4 maxpedition kit.
 
The new camelbak bladders have a coating as was mentioned... doesn't grow bacteria as easily and it prevents rubbery taste.

I've been using mine daily all summer for work and washing it on weekends with no issues whatsoever. And it's certainly not hard to wash... I use hot water and dish soap, slosh it around then let it soak for a bit, then rinse it out and hang it up until Monday. It's not like rebuilding a carburetor or anything.
 
kgd said:
I did go through water faster than I probably would with just my regular water bottles.
Click to expand...

Ken - When water is readily available it's hard to not go for it. You need to regulate the volume. I usually carry a 1.5 L bladder and a 1.0 L Nalgene bottle. When I'm moving I drink frequent small amounts from the bladder, and when I'm stopped for a break I chug from the bottle.
 
I won't hike without a water bladder anymore. These days I use a 4L MSR Dromlite on my pack. When I hike, I put however much water in it that I think I'll need (usually 1 - 2 liters) and then attach the hydration kit. When I get to camp, I fill it up and then attach the spigot cap so I have on-demand clean water. MSR water filters screw right onto the Dromlite.

The only thing I don't like about the Dromlite is that the hydration cap is taller than a normal hydration pack, so it won't fit in the normal hydration sleeve on a pack. I had to get creative to make mine work for me on my backpack. This involved getting my wife to break out the sewing machine. It was a project. I'm still paying her back for that one.

As for cleaning, you can buy hydration bag hangers that keep the bag open so that it dries out. Another thing to try is to get an aquarium air pump, run the tube down inside the bag, then let that run for a few days so as to completely dry out the bag. Finally, a lot of people freeze their hydration bags if they're to be stored for long periods of time.
 
I always use a bladder on hikes, it's just a lot more convenient to drink while hiking. I have heard horror stories of them getting holes or otherwise failing but I haven't had any issues.
 
Here's a couple tricks: To get the last drop of water. When you have sucked up the last gulp blow into the tube to inflate bladder then you'll be able to retrieve an extra swallow or two. Also when operating in hot-weather the drinking tube water will be hot, blow that water into reservoir and then drink.
 
I love bladders, but like you Ken, I find that a mix of a bladder and nalgene bottle is what works best for me. The biggest challenge for me is where to place the bladder. If I stick it in most of the bladder sleeves, inside the pack and against the back wall, I find it takes room away from the main pack. Additionally, when it is stored there, it is not easy to take out to fill up or transfer around once you get to a base camp. About 6 months ago, I purchased 2 platypus bladders with quick coupling attachments and that made it much easier to remove from the pack since I didnt have to remove the drinking hose to dry the bladder.
Conceptually, I love the way the new USMC packs have the bladder sleeve external on the side of the pack but practically, I think it would mess with your balance of the pack.
 
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