Hydration Systems

“Anyone use these? My pack is equipped for one but not sure if I want to use it or not or just use bottles. How about some advice?”

“I'm sure there's plenty here that do, but not me. I'm happy with bottles. I'll re-fill soda bottles with whatever & always know how much I have left.

With the hydration system, I tend to drink more but you don't know how much is left until you suck it dry.

I've had them freeze up in winter until I bought insulation for the tubing. THe bite valves leak & freeze.

Maybe for technical climbs.”

“I love my camelback mule!!! I already know how much I drink on a regular basis, 1.5 litres daily. I know I will drink more hiking and even more backpacking, (the effort of carrying weight), and plan accordingly, also giving thought to terrain/weather etc. I've never run out of water where I didn't already have my backup, either a filled nalgene or standing right there at my water cache while I greedily drink the last ounces. I never have to reach behind me and unclip and drag out a bottle, so I tend to sip more frequently and thus avoid dehydration problems like headaches etc.
last edited: 3/13/07 6:22:34 PM”

“Hmm, a dehydration headache - Can you give me a description of it. Maybe I've experienced some while blaming something else for them.”

“I've had both and prefer the camelback. So much easier to stay hydrated since you can drink on the run. I've never used it in winter, so don't know about the tubing freezeup. S'pose you could mix vodka half and half.”

“I love my hydration system for cycling... but my pack is not equipped for it and would be a pain in the tush to retro-fit. I have belt bags I use for my bottles. As a matter of course I carry two liters and when the dog was along she carried one for her and a spare.”

“hydro-system! (camelback)

Why slow down to take a sip of h2o?”

“My pack is fitted for a hydration bladder and I use it every time I backpack. Like others have said, you don't have to slow down or reach behind you to grab a drink, and it is really fairly easy to gauge about how much you have left in there if you are conservative in your drinks. Even in hot Texas summer heat I have hiked for several miles and still had a surprising amount of water left in my bladder.

Of course, I don't rely only on it, and therefore do carry some extra bottles just in case. If I don't use them up on an overnight then I use the leftovers to fill my bladder up again and then you have a readily available water supply all the way back as well.

In summary, hydration bladders are great.”

“you know nowslimmer i'm not certain that it feels a whole lot different than a normal headache. it can lead to migraine you know. but if you take the time to drink a bottle of water, possibly more depending on need, and the headache goes away inside of the hour, i'd say that was your answer.

the average 140 person needs 9 cups of water from what i am gathering. makes my 1.5 litres seem puny.

Do you know that the 5 litres I carried this weekend weekend weighed 11lbs! And I refilled on Saturday night!!!
last edited: 3/13/07 7:26:02 PM”

“Love the hydration system, would not want to go back to the bottle. Not having to fight to get my water bottle in and out of a side pocket is nice.”

“i like the hose system way better. Drinking on the move is better for me.”

“I love my Platypus hydration bladder! It is so convenient to take a sip of water while hiking.

I've found that over time, you learn how much water you drink. If I'm on a long day hike, I take my water filter along so I can refill if needed. Same for backpack trips. When you stop to rest, check the water level in the hydration bladder and refill if needed.

As for the tubing and bite valve freezing up in winter, here's what you do: after taking a drink, blow the water in the tubing back into the bladder. Won't freeze that way. Just be careful of backwash :-)”

“Rev, neither of Brian's packs are fitted for hydration, he fills the camelback, (he also has one with a fabric cover, NOT a daypack like you are thinking), and places it on top of his packed things just under the cover.”

“I heard about those symptoms a few years ago and I've had fewer headaches since I've been paying more attention to hydration... just day to day. Anecdotal, I know, but it seems to help ---”

“Thanks, Pamela.”

“The insulating kits for the tube work well.”

“I use a two liter Platypus Big Zip.
I fill that baby up in the morning after breakfast and I'm good for the day.
I also carry a .5 liter bottle for mixing Crystal Light in at lunch.”

“Like SS said. I use a 2L Platypus in my backpack's hydration sleeve plus a 1/2L nalgene for Gatorade. I carry another 1/2L nalgene for optional use. I like having two 1/2L nalgenes...comes in handy.

Note that I now refill my nalgene through the drinking tube right back into the bladder without taking it out...saves time.”

“Note that I now refill my nalgene through the drinking tube right back into the bladder without taking it out...saves time.”
Phil
11:45:49 PM
3/13/07

Hey Phil, How the heck do you do that? I soooo wanna know!!! Oh, wait, fill the nalgene.

Never mind, I thought you were filling the camelback through the hose from your nalgene bottles without taking the camelback out of your backpack, now THAT would be handy.”

“i carry two Platypus 1l bags. i used to carry soda bottles but they don't collapse as you drink the water. the only benefit i saw to the soda bottles was that they were free and light. the Platypus bottles aren't free but they last forever (like the soda bottles) so the cost really is not relevant. soda bottles are easier to fill than Platypus bottles.

anyway, i have an drinking tube attachment for the Platypus bottles that works well but in the end i decided it was just extra weight and i chucked it. instead i focused on making sure my backpack had pockets that i could easily access for my water and practiced getting the Platypus bottle out while hiking.

btw, the Platypus mouth is the same as a 2l soda bottle so one could use the drinking tube setup/cap on either interchangeably. that said, again the soda bottles don't collapse to the drinking tube would not work well (negative pressure would build up inside the bottle making it hard to draw water from)... not that anyone would want to do this.

when i used soda bottles i used tonic water bottles... 1l each. knowing me i'll go back to this for a while when i get on my "free, light, homemade gear" kick... but for now my two Platypus show no sign of stopping.”

“How many of you guys carry a spare bladder? I keep a rolled up 1L in my pack, just in case.”

“As usual, I copied off of Jim. Used to carry the Nalgene bottles but I saw him with the bags on one trip and I switched.
last edited: 3/14/07 10:48:12 AM”

“add 1 person to your count sassafras.

Not until your tip. Thanks! Great idea. Haven't had any breaj, but friends have, so better safe...”

“I'm a Platy bag w/tube convert. Once I switched, I was able to use trekking poles more conveniently, and I now drink more while on the go. Once in camp, I take the hose off of the one I use and fill that and the spare with filtered water to use as needed for cooking and drinking around camp.”

“Pamela, if you use a Katadyn Hiker or Hiker Pro filter, there's an attachment you can use to fill your Camelbak through the hose, without having to remove it from your pack. The Hiker Pro kit comes with the attachment, or you can buy the quick-connect upgrade for a Hiker filter. I found this while researching which water filter to buy:

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Water%20Treatment/Filters/Katadyn%20Hiker%20Pro/Ken%20Bigelow/Field%20Report/

http://www.shopatron.com/product/product_id=KTD8014399/304.0.8434.8433.0.0.0

The quick-fill adapter doesn't fit my current hydration bladder (an older Cabela's 3-liter), but I'm planning to try it with my 3L Camelbak as soon as I fix it (the Camelbak's valve is broken).

I love having a hydration bladder. If I have to get out a bottle, I tend not to drink enough and end up getting a headache. The biggest drawback to me with the bladders is cleaning them & drying them out properly - you can't just toss them in the dishwasher with the Nalgenes.”

“I only drink out of Sigg bottles, I'm afraid plastic hydration bags will poison me. Also they make the water taste like poo. Although they are much more convenient than getting a water bottle out every time you want a drink!”

“Are you sure you're using the right bag, lyra??!! :-0”

“LOL, eewwww!”

“I used bladders for a couple of years. They always wore out and got holes in them and I ended up buying another one, and another one, etc. Now I just use Lexan bottles with a screw cap. Never break. Never punture. Can pour boiling water in them. I understand the convenience of the tube systems but I find them too unreliable. I can drink out of a bottle on the move and if not, am always looking for a reason to stop and soak in the scenery anyway.”

“on cleaning my camelback. i empty when i come home. rinse it out with clean water. fill it up, put in a few drops of bleach, swish it around. let it sit a few hours. swish it around some more. empty it out. run water through the whole thing several times. place a bended clean white hanger on the inside and hang it upside down to drain and dry. that's it.

it's ready to fill for the next time.

i have had my son leave one half full for several weeks. did the cleaning routine mentioned above. no problems encountered.

only once did i ever have one with a bad taste, it was brand new, i returned it for a new one.”

“Platypus now has their "wide mouth" hydrator bags. Think extra durable zip lock bag top. Very easy to open wide and fill or clean. Their "Hiker Hydrator" is very packable, weighs 10oz and consists of a 1.8 liter reservoir contained in a protective case. The case has pull out shoulder straps so you can wear it as a separate unit on day hikes. I usually use the hydrator for water and a liter nalgene for electrolyte mixes. Gives me the best of both worlds and, like Bowlderman, makes it easy to stay hydrated on the go.”

“I dropped off my rented tent at A16 this evening, and they showed me a platypus soft water bottle, folds up.”

“My camelback is the toughest water bag I've had. I'll have to get one of those adapters for a hiker filter.

I've drunk mine dry plenty of times. Given the choice, I'd rather drink out of a wide-mouth Nalgene bottle - no skinny hose to slow down the flow. The bag is where I carry the other half gallon.”

“Bladders are better. My MSR filter attaches right to my water bladder. Makes filtering a lot easier. When it gets warm it is much easier to stay hydrated with a bladder. Waiting until you get thirsty is too late to stay properly hydrated. Smaller sips more often will improve stamina when it is hot.”

“I still like & use soda bottle. Easy to get & cheap to replace. I carry 1 bottle in a belt holster (very easy access) & 2 more in bottle holders on my pack. The bladders are a pain to clean & you're never sure it is. I used to rinse it with diluted bleach. I've had water just continually drip out the valve. Maybe for a jog or walk in the park, but long term woodsing, I'll take plastic bottles. Bottles are lighter too.”