how do you carry your water

“I have been switching back and fourth between water bottles and water bags. I can't decide which one I would stick to if I had only one choice. Does anybody have any solid reasons to go one way or another??”

“I personaly have the bags and like them better. My reasoning might not affect you though. Im not the best at packing yet so the bags make it easier to pack them before and during the trip. If I use one of my bags and the next day when I go to pack my tent and everything up I dont have to worry about being as precision to pack it because I have the much more room availible. Plus I like my bags cause the easily fit on the outside compartments so if I am using those it solves alot of that anyway. I just feel for the amount of water I can hold in the bag for the size it is makes it a plus tto me over bottles.

If you take mulitple bags or bottles with you then next time you go try taking half of one type and half of the other. Example if you are taking 2, make 1 a bag and 1 a bottle and see if either one seeems to have a plus for you over the other one.

Good luck”

“Water bladder. Lightest possible way to carry the heaviest possible object. And it makes it easy to stay hydrated on the trail - drink while on the move.”

“Yeah what Trek just said also reminds me that I actualy have a water blater/hose system that I use for drinking and then I use the water bags for my cooking needs.”

“bladder for me. always carry a nalgene with me too though for various reasons. To filter my water (easier), to make sure I have water in case my water in my bladder runs empty too soon....lots of other reasons.”

“Bottles for me...I've seen people with too many leaks/dripping hoses and such. I will use a bag and bottles for desert hiking...when I have to carry a ton of water.”

“Hi DDX, I mean glup. : p”

“DDX?”

“personally, I've found that the dehydrated water is by far the best.

superlightweight and rehydrates amazingly fast.”

“Water bladder in spring, summer, and fall, water bottles in winter. I stay better hydrated with the bladder, but carry bottles in winter because the hose on the bladder tend to freeze.”

“LOL
DDX = glup
figures”

“Nalgene fits the MSR Filter, Camelbak for hydration on the move...”

“I carry my water like this http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/30310,5.php”

“. . .by the ears.”

“I can't be gulp. I'm solidly in the water bladder camp myself. MSR Dromelite with hydration kit to be exact.”

“Both.

The only reason I use a cell is because I drink more often while hiking with a cell.
I mix and measure stuff with a nalgene plus the nalgene can handle more abuse than a cell.”

“I carry a water bladder and 2 Nalgenes... I drink a lot of water.

The bladder is for drinking on the go and I'll usually empty it in a day. The Nalgenes are for cooking and drinking around camp. Also for filtering.”

“Not as well as I used to.
I find I need to void my bladder more often than when I was younger.”

“after reading all your posts and thinking about it some more i came to the conclusion that bags re probably the best solution in most cases... I'd like to add that the fact that you can keep the air out of the bag probably makes for a longer lasting water quality.”

“longer lasting water quality? Like you're gonna be keeping the water in there for a couple weeks or what?”

“who knows? in a warm enough environment doesn't take more than a day or so for those little bacteria to thrive...”

“hmmm, little bacteria? How do you cook them. Maybe i can cut the weight down from my food bag.”

“bacteria in your water bag? are you sure thats water? try useing drops or possibly boiling or maybe water from a clean source, that tends to cut down on bacteria, as well as bad taste.”

“If you use Aqua Mira or iodine, you won't get bacteria for many months if its kept in a cool, dark place. Emergency preparedness groups tell you to do just that. Even if you have the water in a warm environment you won't get growth for weeks. So no worry about the water in your pack.”

“There is only two reasons to worry about algea growth in water in bladder bags-if you use well water, or if you use the tubing to your bladder and blow air back in, so it doesn't leak out.
Otherwise, in a clean bladder the water is fine - but it can go flat tasting. If that is the issue, shake the water up.
City water though can taste bad after awhile due to the water purification they do-it never hurts to put water in a bladder then leave open for 24 hours for the odors to go away.
Personally...I almost always fill my bladders at home with bottled water that is spring water. No growth that way.
And do scrub those bladders out bi-weekly, it doesn't hurt to keep them clean.”

“The new camelback bladders have some sorta bacteria inhibitive material.”

“I like the bladders--it makes the water easy to carry and very convenient (unless it is freezing outside, then the hoses are susceptible to freezing. :-(

The water also seems to stay cooler vs. in a bottle. :-)

Thinkbubelz & I haven't tried filtering into a bag or bottle yet, so I'll have to see how I like that, but for the hikes where we can fill up at home, the bags are great! :-)


Err... I'm talking about the bladder bags (i.e. the platypus type.)
last edited: 5/10/05 10:27:23 AM”

“Dromedary, the black one. I wash it out when I get home and sometime use just a little bleach in the water. then dry it out”

“I hold my water very well in my bladder. 4 iodide tabs and ascorbic acid tabs make the water taste great. I also filter the water if I'm hiking a high traffic area where giardia is likely”

“dlawson120, giardia is not only likely, it's almost a certainty, regardless of where you hike or what the traffic is like. The EPA's Office of Water reports that all surface water is contaminated with giardia. They say that even high quality water sources with no municipal wastewater discharges contain giardia.

What was once referred to as Beaver Fever is now present in birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fishes.”

“Which is why I now use Aqua Mira instead of iodine.”

“NALGENE”