Water bladders for carrying water....

[sasha]

i use the bladder all the time for long hikes. After the hike i store it in the freezer. Never had any problems what so ever and had it for a few years. Now in the summer i add one or two cups of water so now i got ice in there as well. They are much stronger then they seem. The best part on those real hot days and long hikes drinking a little at the time while hiking is much easier then stoping every time to pull the bottle out of the pack. Then toward the end of the day the pack has more room as the bladder shrinks.

Sasha

 

[kgd]

Unless they redesigned the bladder, most soda bottle caps should fit the Playtpus bottle, at least they do on mine.

Awesome - thanks, I'll try that and put a cap in the bag.

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.

Good to know, perhaps a bit gadgety for my fumbling, but cool to know that it has been addressed already.

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.

Good tip!

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.

Didn't know about the quick connects, but I can see the merit. I'll look around for them.

Thanks for your responses everybody. Haven't been following this thread as closely as it should but I enjoy hearing everybody's experiences. The insulated bladder/hose for winter is also intriguing.