hydration bladder vs bottles

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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby slparker » Tue 27 Jan, 2015 8:52 am

I always used army canteens on my hipbelt, never realising that I got an "AARN" efect years before aarn packs became popular.
I went to a hydration bladder when they became popular but stopped after I inadvertently rested my pack on my bite valve and lost most of my water in the dust one hot day. I even stopped using them when I was in the army because of their weight and unreliability (after losing an O-ring in my 3l camelbak out bush)
I still use them for MTB riding and kayaking but i find bottles much more convenient for walking, especially after returning to my 'canteens on hipbelt'.

keeping all your water in one bag that can leak or burst is asking for trouble although I admit that USUALLY the bladders are strong and reliable - and have 'off' switches on the bite valves these days.)
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby DanShell » Tue 27 Jan, 2015 9:09 am

I use a bladder for when I am walking for ease of use. I tend to drink 2-3l a day and then some if its hot.

I also use those flexible roll up bags that come with the sawyer filter system.

I am thinking of converting over to those roll up types and one plastic soda bottle because my bladder weighs quite a bit empty and its a pain removing it and refilling it on the trail.

Ive never seen the attraction to Nalgene bottles. I know they are tough and have a nice wide opening but they are heavy and don't pack down.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby horsecat » Tue 27 Jan, 2015 9:58 am

Just a couple of points off the top of my head:
• Nalgene plastic is very durable. Great value (they last for years)
• Nothing can break on Nalgene (i.e. mouthpiece on bladders / soft drink bottles can squish)
• Nalgene are easier to clean v bladders
• You can freeze your water in Nalgene prior to a walk thus having cold water on a hot walk
• You can put boiling water in Nalgene. Good for a hot water bottle in the night. Easier when overseas when boiled water is required due to health reasons
• Steri Pen is better in a Nalgene
• Easier to put hydration powders in Nalgene
• Water stays much cooler in Nalgene than soft drink bottles and bladders. I found bladders can warm up from back heat
• Easier and quicker to fill a Nalgene in a river than a bladder
• Nalgene deals with extreme cold much better than other options
• Nalgene aren’t heavy (c.170g? for a 1L)
• Nalgene aren’t that bulky – you carry them with water in them anyway so I’m not too sure about that point of view
• Nalgene are good when doing a short side trip when you only want to take a mini pack
• You don’t need a specialised pack for Nalgene v bladders
• Bottles are better in the night

No doubt some will disagree with some of these points but I'll always use Nalgene (I'm not into trail running etc)
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby DanShell » Tue 27 Jan, 2015 10:16 am

horsecat wrote:Just a couple of points off the top of my head:
• Nalgene plastic is very durable. Great value (they last for years)
• Nothing can break on Nalgene (i.e. mouthpiece on bladders / soft drink bottles can squish)
• Nalgene are easier to clean v bladders
• You can freeze your water in Nalgene prior to a walk thus having cold water on a hot walk
• You can put boiling water in Nalgene. Good for a hot water bottle in the night. Easier when overseas when boiled water is required due to health reasons
• Steri Pen is better in a Nalgene
• Easier to put hydration powders in Nalgene
• Water stays much cooler in Nalgene than soft drink bottles and bladders. I found bladders can warm up from back heat
• Easier and quicker to fill a Nalgene in a river than a bladder
• Nalgene deals with extreme cold much better than other options
• Nalgene aren’t heavy (c.170g? for a 1L)
• Nalgene aren’t that bulky – you carry them with water in them anyway so I’m not too sure about that point of view
• Nalgene are good when doing a short side trip when you only want to take a mini pack
• You don’t need a specialised pack for Nalgene v bladders
• Bottles are better in the night

No doubt some will disagree with some of these points but I'll always use Nalgene (I'm not into trail running etc)


Fair enough, I didn't mean to come across as though I was rubbishing the product, I am sure its a great product otherwise so many wouldn't use it and it wouldn't have such a great name. However for these reasons its not for me at this stage in time :)

Pet bottles are super strong and cheap
Ive never seen a pet bottle break
Pet bottle are easy to clean...recycle and grab another one
You can freeze a pet bottle
Never tried hot water in one, i suspect it would be ok providing it wasn't boiling
I don't use a steri pen, I use a sawyer
I don't use hydration powders
Ok water might not stay as cool in a pet bottle
I agree the wider mouth would be easier to refill but I get by with pet bottles
170g vs 50g ok not much in it but it all adds up ;)
I find solid bottles to be bulky compared to a pet bottle or flexible packet that I can roll up or squash down
Side trips is the perfect time for a collapsible drink container for me

Everyones different and they are the reasons Id go pet/collapsible bottle combination over nalgene :D
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby Picaro » Tue 27 Jan, 2015 10:51 am

Don't have any firm conclusions, but just this weekend I was thinking about all the water that heats up in my hydration tube between drinks. I realised most of the time I just rinse my mouth out with the hot stuff,so getting a bit of wastage.
I have a pair of Nalgenes, and a pair of Platypus collapsible, so I'll use this thread to get me switching around.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby blytonian » Tue 27 Jan, 2015 11:51 am

I have and use both. To the OP, which depends upon the activity and duration.

All of my back packs are hydration bladder 'friendly'.

Bushwalking: Day walks and half day walks, usually just a bladder unless I'm carrying the 32L pack and intending a brew when I might carry both. Overnighters and longer I carry both, with multiple Nalgenes + Steripen, one of which has the Steripen pre-filter fitted.

Cycling: on the roadie usually just bottles, although I have a dedicated slimpack hydration pack which I'll wear if water isn't available en-route on anything over 80km. MTB in the scrub I generally always carry both (narrower 750ml bike bottle), with the bottle/s cage mounted on the frame. Dualie only fits one because of the rear shock, hardtail acommodates two. Usually diluted Gatorade in the bottles and water only in the bladder.

Gliding (aka soaring): bladder/s, usually pre-frozen and containing a diluted (less than recommended dosage per litre) solution of Gatorade/Powerade. Pre-freezing the contents regularly does shorten their servicable life IME, outweighed by benefit and need for this purpose. One or two depending upon the intended duration. Dehydration is a significant issue within that glasshouse canopy.

Advantages of a bladder. Access, stowage & volume. They are easier to use -hands free- on the go which makes them especially vital in gliding and well suited to cycling & bushwalking if you follow a 'frequent sip on the move' preventative dehydration policy. Bushwalking in the particular, they extend water carrying capacity and facilitate instant access to it. With two packet side pocket mounted Nalgenes and a 3L bladder, I have 5 litres available, including the capability to filter and UV sterilise. I really wouldn't like to wear an additional three Nalgenes around my waist or have them hanging off my pack or bulging from bellows pockets. Hydration bladders have been around a long while now, so pretty much all of the different bite valve designs are bullet proof, and the bladder filler and closure designs have evolved to facilitate easy filling and cleaning.

I've used a few different brand bladders including the original Hydrapak brand which came with my Hydrapak hydration packs when they were once half the price of Camelbak product. But they've long since become a profile brand name in the US so that their pricing is the same or higher. They are also more difficult to source replacement bladders other than by mail order in AU making them even more expensive. Camelbak kit is good but you pay for the name and so overpriced IMV, but it is available everywhere. I now use BPA free Source bladders which have proven themselves every bit as good, are very well priced and readily available in AU. They offer two types of closure and multiple sizes.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby blytonian » Tue 27 Jan, 2015 1:43 pm

jjoz58 wrote:I think I have the best of both worlds I bought a couple of Nalgene Wide Mouth Cantene off amazon then got a Source Outdoors SNEP Convertube that has adaptors for most common bottles.


Nice that there's such an alternative, but -and this is just my own view- I can't really see the point for just a 1 litre container vs a 2 or 3 litre bladder, a personal preference for bottles notwithstanding.

On a MTB or roadie it could certainly be handy, but swapping out between bottles would be a impractical on the go. Having multiples would be an unsightly plumbing nightmare, and utter snag-trap on a MTB.

But curiosity begs the question. Bladders work well because the hose output is near to the bottom of a mid back height mounted bladder, and thus gravity fed. Plus the soft bladder material collapses easily to accommodate the pressure differential with reduced volume as the water is consumed. How well does this work with upright firm walled Nalgenes mounted at waist height/pack side pocket or thereabouts? Does the Source valve/cap design incorporate some sort of flow valve or vent to allow pressure equalisation as the liquid is consumed so its not increasingly hard to sip from the bite valve as the bottle empties?
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby JohnStrider » Tue 27 Jan, 2015 7:25 pm

blytonian wrote:I have and use both. To the OP, which depends upon the activity and duration.

All of my back packs are hydration bladder 'friendly'.

Bushwalking: Day walks and half day walks, usually just a bladder unless I'm carrying the 32L pack and intending a brew when I might carry both. Overnighters and longer I carry both, with multiple Nalgenes + Steripen, one of which has the Steripen pre-filter fitted.

Cycling: on the roadie usually just bottles, although I have a dedicated slimpack hydration pack which I'll wear if water isn't available en-route on anything over 80km. MTB in the scrub I generally always carry both (narrower 750ml bike bottle), with the bottle/s cage mounted on the frame. Dualie only fits one because of the rear shock, hardtail acommodates two. Usually diluted Gatorade in the bottles and water only in the bladder.

Gliding (aka soaring): bladder/s, usually pre-frozen and containing a diluted (less than recommended dosage per litre) solution of Gatorade/Powerade. Pre-freezing the contents regularly does shorten their servicable life IME, outweighed by benefit and need for this purpose. One or two depending upon the intended duration. Dehydration is a significant issue within that glasshouse canopy.

Advantages of a bladder. Access, stowage & volume. They are easier to use -hands free- on the go which makes them especially vital in gliding and well suited to cycling & bushwalking if you follow a 'frequent sip on the move' preventative dehydration policy. Bushwalking in the particular, they extend water carrying capacity and facilitate instant access to it. With two packet side pocket mounted Nalgenes and a 3L bladder, I have 5 litres available, including the capability to filter and UV sterilise. I really wouldn't like to wear an additional three Nalgenes around my waist or have them hanging off my pack or bulging from bellows pockets. Hydration bladders have been around a long while now, so pretty much all of the different bite valve designs are bullet proof, and the bladder filler and closure designs have evolved to facilitate easy filling and cleaning.

I've used a few different brand bladders including the original Hydrapak brand which came with my Hydrapak hydration packs when they were once half the price of Camelbak product. But they've long since become a profile brand name in the US so that their pricing is the same or higher. They are also more difficult to source replacement bladders other than by mail order in AU making them even more expensive. Camelbak kit is good but you pay for the name and so overpriced IMV, but it is available everywhere. I now use BPA free Source bladders which have proven themselves every bit as good, are very well priced and readily available in AU. They offer two types of closure and multiple sizes.


Blytonian, there appear to be a few sites that sell BPA free Source bladders. Which one have you used?

Thanks in advance.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby JohnStrider » Tue 27 Jan, 2015 7:34 pm

Wild Earth have a special on.

http://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/source- ... rvoi/WXP3L

The reason I am only considering the bladder is because my Denali backpack is brilliant, but I have had three issues since late December with the bladder and hose that came with it (the bite valve split twice and the connector from the bladder to the hose appears be missing something because it drips).
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby corvus » Tue 27 Jan, 2015 7:46 pm

Tried the bladder system and found it to be a pain in the A so went back to bottles easy to use /fill and clean.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby blytonian » Tue 27 Jan, 2015 10:02 pm

JohnStrider wrote:Blytonian, there appear to be a few sites that sell BPA free Source bladders. Which one have you used?


Am I allowed to post the store names here? Apols to the mods if not. Please blank out as required.

Most recently, Wild Earth. AUD$26.50 for the 2L, $29.50 for the 3L inc free shipping if you buy on eBay, or over $99 spend via their website. Those are the WXPs which have the Camelbak Antidote style quick fill screw cap. They also had Source Widepacs but they appear to be out of stock there at the moment. The most recent purchases supplement existing and replace end of life previous Source reservoir purchases over the years from Torpedo7, Wiggle (Source currently not available there) and others. The other bladders I have are predominantly standard Source Widepacs (no screw cap quick fill) which are still very easy to fill. I'm used to that style closure as its essentially the same Hydrapak have used for years which makes for easy internal access for cleaning.

On a side note, Torpedo7's prices, marketing style and a narrowing of targeted demographic have all undergone a noticeable radical change since the recent since the buy out and establishment of retail locations. Used to be great. Now in danger of becoming just another Rebel Sports styled chain although their service is still first rate. They currently have the 2L Widepacs for $27.50. They are pushing their Club buyer loyalty/committment program ATM which is a nonsense. No free shipping promos at the moment either, and with lessening frequency generally accompanied by increased shipping rates instead of flat rate shipping heavy or exceptionally large items excepted. e.g. bicycle, items excepted. In a nose dive to crash, die, burn. Wild Earth are great. Good prices, fast shipping , well packed. Two thumbs up.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby Stew63 » Wed 28 Jan, 2015 12:41 am

I'm an UltraRunner and Bushwalker. I personally really hate sucking on water bladder tubes at the best of times - I find it particularly difficult whilst trail running so I switched (albeit temporarily) to a 3litre (max) pressurised bladder system. On the Geigerrig pressurised system you just 'bite' the end of the tube and the pressurised water/liquid squirts into your mouth. During a hot, humid 100km Ultra across Borneo last year I found the limitatons and annoyances of the pressurised system - also any bladder system. The pressuirsed system is basically a water bladder positioned INSIDE a tough air bladder which is pressurissed using a hand bulb positioned on the shoulder harness of the running pack. Unfortunately when the water level reduces the water bladder starts to 'bounce' inside the air 'balloon' especially when running - very annoying!!! Additionally - and this applies to any water bladder system - during an Ultra continuously managing your pack weight and hydration is critical - particularly in very hot conditions. You don't want to run with a single gram over than what you need from A to B to C etc. From checkpoint to checkpoint you don't want too much water nor do you want too little - you also need to be able recalculate hydration needs as you go. If I only need to carry 1.3litres leaving one checkpoint to the next I don't want a full water bladder. The problem with water bladders is it's very difficult to gauge accurately how much you have inside and there's no system to purge water from the bladder to remove excess when required - ie. as you near a Checkpoint. Bladders are also fiddly to refill 'on the fly' compared to water bottles. I notice many of the elite International Ultra Runners (not all) tend to use smallish bottles (some disposable) rather than bladders and some moving to the squishy hand bottles. I have now ditched the pressurised bladder system and gone back to lightweight easy to fill (or purge) bottles.

On a different note and as previously mentioned in this topic Poweraide, Gatoraide or any of those sugary 'Sports' drinks only add bucketloads of sugar to make them palatable over the taste of the salts/electrolytes. I only drink water on my Ultras and take salt tablets. I've tried the fizzy flavoured electrolyte tablets too but after a while they are yuck. At halfway points I might down a Coke or 2 but that's all.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby ofuros » Wed 28 Jan, 2015 3:19 am

Picaro wrote:Don't have any firm conclusions, but just this weekend I was thinking about all the water that heats up in my hydration tube between drinks. I realised most of the time I just rinse my mouth out with the hot stuff,so getting a bit of wastage.


In between drinks, I normally blow the tube water back down the line into the bladder, so your first mouthful
isn't a warm mouthful of water. From memory I think you can buy insulated tubes too....
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby keithy » Wed 28 Jan, 2015 7:01 pm

I have both as well, but of late I tend to use bladders more. I have a bad habit of not drinking enough while walking, and bladders make it easier to remember to drink.

For long treks, I usually take my 2L bladder, and carry a 1L bottle for filtering/sterilizing. I use a steripen so prepping 1L at a time to fill up the bladder works for me.

But recently, for the prep bottle, I've gone from a Nalgene bottle to a folding bottle (Platypus style or Source Liquitainer style and a cheaper 700ml Vapur bottle) mainly for the weight and convenience of folding it down when travelling. I went with the http://www.vapuronline.co.uk/element-fire-7l Vapur 700ml as I couldn't find any where that sold the 1L, and found a sports store in Singapore on my travels that sold the 700ml.

The Vapur 700ml bottle has a wider mouth than the Platypus foldables, making it a bit easier to fill, and as a bonus has a flip top cap that makes it easier to drink from. The mouth is not wider than the standard Nalgene wide mouth obviously. The issue I have with the design of the Vapur flip top lid is that it can pop open accidentally and leak water in your bag. So I've made a DIY cap locking system from micro-paracord and some shock cord - see pic.
Vapur DIY lid closure.jpg
Vapur DIY lid closure.jpg (197.55 KiB) Viewed 31773 times


I've also rigged up an adapter from a silicone collapsible funnel so I can use the steripen pre-filter with it, as well as the steripen without many issues. Did this when I went hiking overseas last year, and it worked out ok so I'll probably leave the Nalgene bottle behind next time.
Steripen DIY filter adaptor.jpg
Steripen DIY filter adaptor.jpg (199.02 KiB) Viewed 31773 times


I like the Platypus stuff - I've even got one of their PlatyPreserve wine versions, http://www.amazon.com/Platypus-PlatyPre ... B001OGZ6EY, and it's served me well so far, its just I find using the slightly wider mouth of the Vapur bottle easier to fill.

I do like the look of the Nalgene flexible foldable bottle mentioned above - the Wide Mouth Cantene http://store.nalgene.com/category-s/42.htm . The 42 oz is keenly priced on Amazon at the moment, so I might get that to try out as well.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby Picaro » Wed 28 Jan, 2015 7:49 pm

ofuros wrote:
Picaro wrote:Don't have any firm conclusions, but just this weekend I was thinking about all the water that heats up in my hydration tube between drinks. I realised most of the time I just rinse my mouth out with the hot stuff,so getting a bit of wastage.


In between drinks, I normally blow the tube water back down the line into the bladder, so your first mouthful
isn't a warm mouthful of water. From memory I think you can buy insulated tubes too....


I tried the blow back method to avoid freezing at -15C, but it froze a couple of hours into a 10 hour ascent. I also had a pair of insulated Nalgenes slung at my hips, and only had to break through half inch of ice to get a drink.

I will try blowing for heat and see how it goes.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby saludos05 » Sun 01 Feb, 2015 9:19 pm

You can store the dried bladder in the freezer to prevent bacteria growing. Then it keeps the water cold for longer if you fill it just before leaving home.
I use both - I drink first from the bladder when I've not worked out for tooo long, and then it takes no space. i much prefer to gulp from a bottle when i've been walking for age, so save the bottles for the second half of the hike. True, you can't keep track of how much you've drunk with a bladder.

Another good thing about bladders is that you can hike up big boulders etc with both hands free, whereas with a bottle in my hand I am prone to not climbing carefully.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby JohnStrider » Fri 06 Feb, 2015 7:52 am

My new 3L Source WXP bladder came today :)
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby Pika » Fri 06 Feb, 2015 8:53 am

I use both.

I find my hydration suffers using only the bladder.

Forever taking sips on the move I am always shocked at how little I have actually consumed when I finish for the day.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby earthgrace » Fri 06 Feb, 2015 11:44 am

OP back again. Still following along. Thanks for the great advice, experiences, opinions. Sounds like a mix of personal preferences and logistics. I'm curious to try the bladders, but angling towards staying with bottles for now as it's what I have on hand, seems like there is the occasional issue with relying on some bladders, and suspect I'll want to continue to gulp rather than sip in the hot weather we have here.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby Bluegum Mic » Fri 06 Feb, 2015 12:07 pm

I'm a both candidate. I use the bladder whilst walking to just keep sipping (a 1.5 or a 2L one) and then I carry 2x 1L snowy mountain springs water bottles in my side pockets that I have a big drink from when stopped. I like the snowy mtn bottles as they are bpa free and you just chuck n replace when they've done their dash. Woolies sell them in the water aisle.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby JohnStrider » Sat 21 Feb, 2015 12:21 pm

Blytonian,

Cheers for the recommendation on the Source Bladder. Took it out yesterday and it worked brilliantly. Already much better than Denali.

Thanks again :)
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby Zone-5 » Mon 23 Feb, 2015 1:15 am

I use this 'Stoaway' insulated cover sleeve for my CamelBak bladder.

It allows me to put chilled water + ice cubes into it and it stays remarkably cool for a very long time (4-6 hours).

Image


It fits into my daypack and works well on hot days, and also stops water icing up (freezing) on sub zero alpine hikes.

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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby ofuros » Fri 27 Feb, 2015 1:54 pm

Still a foot in each camp....
Changed over recently to a wide sliding top bladder for ease of opening, filling & cleaning.
The plug & play hose joints are a great idea. Take the bladder out leave the hose in place or snap in a filter.

The ol' camelbak with the round threaded fill point is still being used at work, as the ice machine nozzle fits nicely into the opening.
It gets thrown around, dirty & abused at work but hasn't let me down over the last couple of years.

A re-used 500ml wide mouthed plastic bottle gets filled up before leaving a water source to be used for my cooking later in the day.

20150227_104314 (Small).jpg
20150227_104314 (Small).jpg (41.35 KiB) Viewed 31441 times


Bite valves are a personal thing...Osprey, Berghaus & Camelbak.

20150227_104729 (Medium).jpg


I'm sure you could also modify one of these with plug & play for a very quick rinse/shower at the end of the day..... :D
http://www.cascadedesigns.com/msr/water ... it/product

Accessories...
http://hydrapak.com/store-2/#!/ACCESSOR ... ort=normal
http://shop.camelbak.com/accessories/re ... 0?PageNo=0

Collapsible bottles...
http://hydrapak.com/store-2/#!/c/0/offset=0&sort=normal
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby Mark F » Fri 27 Feb, 2015 7:58 pm

Personally I don't like bladders, I am always happy to have any excuse to stop, take off the pack before having a drink. A bit like carrying a camera or fishing set up - a great excuse to have break.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby jp1337 » Fri 27 Feb, 2015 11:37 pm

Like a few of you, I like to carry both. It mainly stems from my time in the Army when I would have 2 canteens on the hip, 2 on the outside of my pack and the 2L camelbak inside. I got used to that system and like the convenience of both.

These days, I like to have a 3L Camelbak in my pack. I like the water being close to my back. For me, refilling is never an issue. I like to filter my water through a small pump filter (personal choice) and so I have a quick disconnect behind the bite valve, I disconnect the valve, connect the hose from my filter, pump the water straight in through the drinking hose. Can even do it while everything is on my back (not that there is any sense in that lol)
I like having the valve right there in front of me, I tend to sip on it more rather than getting out the bottles and I ration better. Like someone earlier said, with bottles I tend to gulp the water down.

I also carry (usually 2) 1L bottles, ideally at least one of them stored somewhere I can easily access one handed or without much effort, and another buried in my pack. These bottles I half fill with water and freeze beforehand, and top up with water right before leaving. Sometimes I fully freeze one of the bottles. There is no elixir more magical than ice cold water on a hot, long hike.

This is the system that I like. It works for me. I like being able to carry a large amount of water on my back, close to my centre of gravity, with a convenient hose to drink from and refill with (considering I use my filter religiously after that one time I, you know, didn't particularly enjoy my trip) But I also love the utility and function of rigid bottles. Both fill different needs with my particular style.

Given the condition of my back, I really should be looking at going towards ultralight walking, but I like to have a few luxuries and comforts. I rarely ever go for day hikes, I love camping so if I'm walking somewhere, I wanna set up camp and have a nice night or two out before walking back. While I try to keep weight down as much as practical, I make compromises on weight-saving for personal enjoyment. For example, my filter pump is not super light, if I wanted to I could just use the water purification tabs or steripen or something. But I like being able to pump water from a stream too shallow to scoop water into a bottle from. Wow, that was a really long winded way to make that point, sorry.

I think I went off on a bit of a tangent.

tl;dr I like having both.
jp1337
Nothofagus cunninghamii
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby rollingk » Sat 28 Feb, 2015 9:20 pm

I just recently started using a bladder. I can really tell you that it is very very useful, especially if you drink a lot of water on a hot day. Sometimes water bottles are hard to reach when you have a pack on your back. You can carry a lot with a bladder as well and best of all it is light weight!

Cleaning is easy enough using your normal dish washing liquid and hang them dry for storage. One you have one you wont go back to using a bottle.
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Nothofagus gunnii
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby Burnsy » Sat 28 Feb, 2015 11:40 pm

Stew63 wrote:At halfway points I might down a Coke or 2 but that's all.

Interesting that you do that, I would have thought that the caffeine in coke and the sudden sugar rush would be a problem when doing something as grueling as what you do.

Personally I love my 2L widepack from source and am fitting the rest of the family out with them at the moment. I use to have a camel back but found it always had a bad taste, might have been a dodgy batch or something. The widepacks are great for cleaning out. I also carry a nalgene 96 oz collapsible cantene which we use for cooking water.

Pika wrote:I find my hydration suffers using only the bladder.
Forever taking sips on the move I am always shocked at how little I have actually consumed when I finish for the day.

I have also noticed this and make a point of drinking more regularly and for a longer time to compensate for it.
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Atherosperma moschatum
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby Muttl3y » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 12:42 pm

I will usually carry both, mainly so the bottle can carry electrolytes (carry tablets in my pack always), I've found it a good mix.
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby dnaylor » Sun 15 Mar, 2015 12:17 am

JohnStrider wrote:I'm in the process of deciding whether I really need a water bladder. I bought a Denali Hydro Ridge 3L from Anaconda in early Jan.


you could buy an osprey bladder like the one i have (or other brand) and simply replace the one you have?
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Re: hydration bladder vs bottles

Postby cams » Tue 17 Mar, 2015 10:49 am

I love the usability of bladders and have tried various brands over the years, but they just keep breaking or being destroyed. I'm probably too rough on my gear these days but I've punctured 3 different bladders/soft water bottles in the last year. Then the ones that do survive I'll leave out one night and the cat will finish it off. They love chewing silicone.
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