Carrying water

“Can anyone recommend a daypack that will be (relatively) comfortable to wear while carrying 15-20 lbs. of water plus 10 essentials? Thanks.”

“Personally-I'd grab my external.”

“Maybe one of the smaller full blown packs, like the Mountainsmith Ghost?”

“I just got a TNF Hot Shot for $45.00 from Northern Mountain Supply. It could carry that much. I sort of wish I had gotten the Big Shot which is bigger for $55.00.

Big Shot

Hot Shot”

“yeah-but how about all that dead weight.

Saw someone from a YMCA camp playing support for a group. She was bringing up water. Used an external stripped down with a milk carton attached. she was carrying 4 gallons though.

Seems that I would want the weight on my hips instead of my shoulders.

What's your total weight???”

“Those TNF daypacks have hip belts. They are not very substantial, but neither is 20 pounds.”

“Wow - that's alot of water! Have you looked into a purifier?”

“That is about two gallons which is not uncommon in the Summer when water is scarce. It is however one of the reasons I don't hike much in the Summer. It was 96 today with a heat index in the 100's.”

“Get a pack with a good strong frame and hipbelt. Something that can retrofitted with a 6 or 10 liter bladder is a good idea. Personally I'd just grab my external, it's comfortable up to about 50 lbs.”

“Strong Frame? Externals? Is twenty pounds that much? What do the 10 essentials weigh? Five Pounds? So we are talking 20 to 25 pounds?”

“My Jansport Dart Frog daypack has a bladder sleeve that will take up to a 4-liter bladder in addition to other equipment. I've carried it with 25 lbs aboard, including the water (8 lbs. per gallon), and it carried well.

The problem I see is that if the water is just in containers, such as bottles, the weight will not be distributed well over the design of the typical day pack. I see so many day packs sagging in a big lump. A freighter style frame (external) or an internal frame pack with compartments and compression would seem to carry the load more evenly if the water is the primary cargo.”

“yeah-not so much the weight. But dead weight . . . . yuck

With an external you can load up the top with the water - 2 1 gallon containers plus a bladder would fit nicely. Then put the lighter stuff on the bottom compartment.”

“unless it is alive and assisting, all weight in your pack is dead weight. some is just more dense and harder to distribute evenly.”

“15-20 pounds of water? If 1 gallon weighs 8 pounds, we're talking 2 to 2.5 gallons, right? Personally, I would use one of my internal packs, a couple of 4 liter MSR Dromedary bags and maybe a Nalgene canteen. MSR Dromedary bags come in 4, 6 and 10 liter sizes.”

“I'd use whatever pack you already have and cinch it up tight so your load doesn't shift. It is going to get much lighter pretty fast so the weight of the pack does not matter much.”