Hydration pack or water bottle?

[strideredc]

one good thing is i can hang up my bag on a tree branch and use the tube like a tap to wash hads ect when wild camping

 

[The Cumbrian]

I've been using a Camelback for years now and I've had no problem with it. The plasticky taste disappeared after a couple of uses and I've never had a leak ( but I've tried lots of water bottles that have ). They do freeze up in the cold, but this can be avoided in all but the coldest UK conditions by the following actions: Use the insulation kit, keep the bladder against your back, run the tube under your arm, not over your shoulder and most importantly, empty the tube after you've taken a drink by blowing the water back into the bladder.

I keep mine fresh by storing it in the freezer between uses, and the occasional soaking with Milton's fluid.

Cheers, Michael.

 

[Ogden]

Why is it a problem, if you drink more? Imho it's a strong point for a Camelbak, Platypus ...
I replaced my 3l CB, and use a 6l now. While walking, I cling it to the shoulder belts and waist belt in front of my chest. That's a good way of moving 6kg from the back to the front, and keeping the weight more balanced.
When it's cold: same position, but under the outer layer of the clothes (the CB is held in position by shoulder belts and waist belt; the 6l works better than the 3l). I don't see another way of preventing a huge amount of water from freezing.
The taste of a new CB is horrible. But it gets better after 2 or three days. On a trip with a friend of mine a couple of weeks ago, he found the taste of CBs, water bags and plastic water bottles not acceptable. Personally I don't care. Maybe my nose is less educated by expensive wine. And I am used to it.

 

[Rabbitsmacker]

i had an Arktis Hump which is camelbak-esque and really liked the principle, but while out on one trek we got out of the vehicles at the start and i noticed a lot water leaking out of the rucksack, i opened it up and it was the hump, but the bladder hadn't burst, it was the tube, which is sited in the bottom of the pack had under the weight of the water been creased and had cracked p***ing the water out slowly.

never used the platypus or camel. designs but now wouldn't even try, i've been using the same 58' pattern canteen since 1996 i think, and its second hand issue 1990! no probs! have 3 of them and rate them the best you can get, closely followed by US canteen, but i do have one of those 2qt floppy american canteens, thats great, and strong. but had a copy of one of those which leaked also!
deffo canteen in any guise is better imho to a bladder. good disipline will keep you drinking the right amount with a canteen, and its also obvious how much is left.

 

[spiritwalker]

i bought a bladder pack which i thought was ace got back lobbed it in the ally way and forgot about it next time i went to use it it was lined with black film mould. My own fault i know but it was a bugger to clean so i jibbed it off and went back to siggs and more recently nato bottle. Its nice to stop pause and look about when having a slurp

 

[Breeze]

I don't see the point in bottles or cans. To me volume is as important as weight saving. A few collapsible large plastic bottles are the best and weigh and fold next to nothing. I bought three models from Source hydration and they all leaked. I have 2 x 2 litres plus a 1 litre from Mountan Hardware shop and they don't leak. Now for filtering water a large mouthed bottle or container is good for swooping in lots of water quickly. It's best to mod a makeshift fine mesh to the opening to make the filtration quicker and better and to extend the filter lifetime. You can get a spare cap and cut off most of the top and place the mesh underneath. The Nalgene collapsible widemouthed is the lightest and Ortlieb and MSR containers are tougher and are in larger sizes and can be used as showers with caps half opened none of which I have. I sometimes use a SeatoSimmit collapsible shower too which packs tiny but I had to improvise a way to stop their leaky heads. But I have a cheap widemouthed tubed bladder and the main benefit of the tube is to take off the bite valve and attach an inline filter. If there is plenty of water nearby then one could use the bitevalve and tube more and hang it high and have an orgy I guess otherwise I don't see other points unless one is in a marathon or some Japanese endurance game show. All collapsibles with or without tubes are good for storing wine as well as you can squeeze all the air out. As usual the equipment and the methods depend on the particular trip, location, water sources, aims, personal preferences etc. and there is no one way to do things. In my next visit to the shops I'll be getting the 10 litre Gelert roll up water carrier which has a removable tap that can be had for £5 to £8. Also the MSR do not make the Dromelite in 10 litres so instead of their 10L Dromedary I'm thinking of getting the light and cheap 10 litre Ortlieb too. If memory serves I read that MSRs have been tested by some with freezing, boiling, dropping from height, and even cars going over them and they do not burst according to the grapevine. Ortliebs are probably not far behind. In reality one could do with one or two empty 2 litre cola bottles which can be rolled up too.

 

[Tiley]

I have a foot in both camps. I use waterbottles when on the move because it means that you actually stop and have a break as well as know how much water you've drunk and how much you have left. They also avoid having the liquid in the tube freeze up - which is a right royal pain that can only be partially solved by neoprene tube covers and running the tube from your pack under your armpit.

When camping, I like to suspend my MSR bag thing with a spigot cap from a tree and use that.

Things with tubes are convenient, certainly, but having to clear the fungi from the tube, keeping the tube from icing up, the horrors of sucking on the mouthpiece when working hard and being out of breath makes the prospect of any Camelbak/Platypus set-up pretty unattractive. But then, I'm no adventure racer...

 

[Kerne]

I gave up on hydration systems (Platy) due to the taste, which I could never get rid of - and due to reading somewhere that to hydrate properly you need to drink lots at one go rather than sip all day long. I cannot quote the source (Sorry - long time ago) but it said something along the lines of: the sipping system wets your mouth and can convince you that you are taking on enough liquid when, in fact, you aren't. This may, of course, be b*****ks.

I now use one or two aluminium Sigg-a-likes (much cheaper!) depending on how often I think I can get fresh supplies. In the hills I rarely carry more than one litre as there are plenty of streams and I'd rather resupply than carry the extra weight. I have taken to carrying a Premac filter which weighs much less than a litre of water but allows you to use lowland sources as well.

I also like to stop and take in the view.

 

[SimonM]

I have a foot in each camp...

Have used Platypus for about 15 years, and only had 1 delaminate. In that time I've had several water bottles die on me.

I have 2 Platypus bladders, both are stored in the freezer when not in use and get an occassional clean in home brew steri fluid.

Choice of bladder or water bottle depends on which bag I take:

• Daysac / bergan = bladder
• Shoulder or waist bag = water bottle

Simon

 

[Native Nathan]

I Have a Camelback 2.5 ltr (Asda now sell an equivalent for about £8 I think)

And a 58 Patt waterbottle.

I use my Bladder while on the move and use the bottle when I stop and have a brew, I find I can go further on each leg before I have a break and have fewer breaks, which means on an over night hike I can get to my destination a lot earlier and have a bit more time to enjoy myself in my surroundings.

I Also carry a Webtex Bladder cleaning kit, to clean my tube.
You can also get water purification systems that fit on to the tube, if you want that....

 

[Les Marshall]

I do not like the camel back system because I have seen people go down with the trots after using the mouth piece whilst eating when walking. I know it is down to hygene, but it is one extra thing to have to do at the end of the day after setting up camp. I carry a U.S. army qrt canteen as well as two Brit army water bottles. Like one of the earlier replies, I like to take a rest every 1/2 hour to an hour, this makes me sit down and look around me at what is going on in my little bit of England I am trogging in,you'd be amazed at the sites i have seen, like deer coming out of cover about tweny yards ahead of me and grazing. Thats why I like the bottle/canteen system of carrying water.

 

[nige7whit]

i bought a bladder pack which i thought was ace got back lobbed it in the ally way and forgot about it next time i went to use it it was lined with black film mould. My own fault i know but it was a bugger to clean so i jibbed it off and went back to siggs and more recently nato bottle. Its nice to stop pause and look about when having a slurp

Agreed, I threw away one of my Camelbak liners due to it going very nasty whilst unused for a long period.

I appreceiate the benefits of both hydration packs, and bottles, and will often use both... Drinking from the bag while on the move, but having water in Nalgene bottles in my pack for cooking or refilling the hydration pack, if no other source of water immediately to hand.

In a long term bushcraft situation, I'd go for the bottle approach, as it's easier to keep on top of the cleanliness side of things (I know you can get fancy brushes and pull-throughs for Camelbacks, but a wide mouth Nalgene bottle takes about 30 seconds to wash and rinse).