Waterbottle VS Hydration Bladders

[zzmlucas]

Just wondering about how many people are using bladders or bottles. Any reason why would be good to.

[fiddlehead]

water bottle! (1 litre pepsi bottle is cheapest and very durable)
and easiest to get water out of a slight trickle (usually)

Bladders leak when it gets really cold.

[Passionphish]

I use both. A 3L bladder in my pack provides the largest amount of fresh water. I carry a cheap aquafina bottle to mix energy drinks in for electrolytes. I use a 2L collapsible bottle for "in camp" water and then dump the 2L into the pack bladder in the morning. I fill the 2L back up just before camp the next night.
I have filled my 2L and used it for a pillow before. Comfy... Real comfy...

[Pedaling Fool]

Use both, plus a 210 oz "Water Tank" for when I get to camp.

[Passionphish]

Dang it...

[Lyle]

I now carry a platypus with the hydration tube. I also carry an extra platy for in camp. These are much lighter than a nalgene and collapse very small when not in use.

Many hikers use an empty gaterade bottle or similar. These are also light and CHEAP, but they don't collapse. This is very much a personal preference.

One thing if you go with the platy or other reservoir, they can be tough to fill from a shallow pool, easy to fill from running water. An extra ziplock bag works well for dipping and filling if needed.

[Appalachian Tater]

I also used both, but have replaced my bottles with smaller Platypuses because they don't have that annoying tendency to inch their way out of the pockets on my pack and they are flat when empty and don't make that awful crunching noise.

[Just Jeff]

I use Nalgene soft-sided canteens (bladders) b/c they compress when you don't need them and b/c they're comfortable pillows, especially when it's cold outside and I put hot water in them. I have the drinking tube attachment so it's convenient, too...I take that off in favor of the regular cap when I sleep with it.

I usually carry at least one regular old 16-20oz water/soda bottle with me b/c I don't like drinking from a tube during dinner. I use the bottle for mixing drinks and stuff, too.

[Panzer1]

have and use both

panzer

[Montego]

I have 2 x 1 ltr Platys and 2 x 1 Ltr Gatorade bottles. Right now I'm looking for the conversion cap and hose for one of my Platys to use as a small bladder. The wider mouth Gatorade bottles are easier to fill from a low water source and also give me something to mix up a drinks like Crystal Light or Kool-Aid.

[Footslogger]

Just wondering about how many people are using bladders or bottles. Any reason why would be good to.

===================================

I used em both on my thru. Carried a 1.8 Liter Platy horizonally across the top of my pack under the lid and a 20 oz Gatorade bottle strapped to my shoulder strap with shock cord. Started off in the morning with the bladder full of water and the Gatorade bottle filled with Tang or some other flavored beverage. Drank the flavored beverage first and refilled it with water along the way.

'Slogger

[Blissful]

I used both. A 3 liter platypus drink tube set up and a coke bottle.

I liked the idea of a bottle to make up drinks from those single serving packets and take a nice cool drink on my lunch break and when I get to camp. They don't recommend you mix drinks in a platypus set up.

[warraghiyagey]

have and use both

panzer

Ditto. . .

[ScottP]

water bottles

[Blissful]

Bladders leak when it gets really cold.

Really? That never happened to us and we used a playtpus and a camelback. They have a lifetime guarantee. Now one gal on the trail did have a problem with her MSR bladder.

Also, we took a Nalgene container with us too to get water from the springs. It did develop a slight tear on the top. I told Nalgene about it, sent it to them for inspection, and they sent us two free replacements.

[ScottP]

Platypuses will leak eventually.

[Matteroo]

used nalegenes, plastic 1litre pepsi/mnt. dew bottles, and a bladder. only thing that made sense by the end was the cheap 1litre soda bottles. get a collapsible bucket. my girlfriend Bucket had one and hence the name-weighed about 6oz and carried 4gallons - cats pajamas imo!

[rafe]

Both. 3 Liter Platy in pack, a water bottle (say, 20 oz.) in an outside pocket, as backup and/or "mixed" drinks.

[Bearpaw]

Platy with hydration tube in all but freezing weather. It's much easier for me to stay hydrated with the tube readily available.

In freezing weather, I prefer wider mouth bottles. The tubes freeze over way too easily in this environment.

[Lellers]

I use both, and gear hog that I am, I also bought the Katadyn Hiker Pro dealio that allows me to clip my filter right into my drinking tube. I snap off the drink tube end, connects the tube right to the filter, and I can pump water right into the bladder as I filter. So far so good. On short trips, I don't bother with the bottle. Even at home, I don't really drink anything but water, so I tend to have to force down things like gatorade. I really hate the stuff.

[warraghiyagey]

Platy with hydration tube in all but freezing weather. It's much easier for me to stay hydrated with the tube readily available.

In freezing weather, I prefer wider mouth bottles. The tubes freeze over way too easily in this environment.
Maybe you should hike where it's warm.:p

[desdemona]

I use Nalgene, mostly hate the taste of anything in soft plastic, but they have a problem as they are heavy (Of course water itself is heavy). I sometimes carry my dog's water in soft plastic (she can start carrying her own).

--des

[Hooch]

I carry a 2.5 liter MSR Cloudliner and a 500 ml or 1liter blastic water bottle like Dasani or something to mix drinks in like Propel or Gatorade. I also carry a 3 liter Nalgene collapsible cantene for in camp use. To keep my Cloudliner fresh and clean, I hang it to dry a couple days, then roll it up and put it in the freezer. That way, bacteria can't grow on it. :D

[fiddlehead]

Really? That never happened to us and we used a playtpus and a camelback. They have a lifetime guarantee. Now one gal on the trail did have a problem with her MSR bladder.


Yep. goin up Tharong La pass in the Himalaya with my good friends: SLo Ride and "Shake & Bake" and Rainman in '2004.

Noticed water all over slo's pack. Sure enough, his bladder valve froze up and then leaked all over his clothes. No fun at 17,000 feet to find out your clothes are wet. The rest of us had pepsi or gatoraid bottles. No problems.

Don't know what brand he had. But he didn't use it again.

[88BlueGT]

^^ That sounds far from fun......... hope he had a spare set of clothes!

[pure_mahem]

I use 2 1litre powerade bottles. Have the fear of a leaky bladder so I've never used one. I like the Power Ade bottle because they seem to be more cubish not round like the 1 litre gatorade bottles. just personal preference on that I guess. Power Ade bottles weigh 52 grams if you take off the wrapping and the ring under the cap, just so you know.

[gungho]

I use Nalgene soft-sided canteens (bladders) b/c they compress when you don't need them and b/c they're comfortable pillows, especially when it's cold outside and I put hot water in them. I have the drinking tube attachment so it's convenient, too...I take that off in favor of the regular cap when I sleep with it.

I usually carry at least one regular old 16-20oz water/soda bottle with me b/c I don't like drinking from a tube during dinner. I use the bottle for mixing drinks and stuff, too.
I love using the collapsable nalgenes with a drink tube,for easy access while hiking,I also carry a 3L platypus for use around camp.

[Grampie]

I started my hike with just water bottles. They worked fine until the weather got warmer and I found that I was not drinking enough water. I switched to a 1.8 ltr. Platypus w/drinking tube. That worked very well with the exception of that you don't know when you are running out of water. I would also carry a 16 oz. Nalgene bottle for back-up.

[Johnny Swank]

I used a hydration system for most of my thru-hike, but have switched back to using soda bottles over the past couple of years. Just easier to deal with overall for me with the gearskin knockoff, and I'm probably actually drinking more without carrying more overall because I know exactly how much I have at any time instead of starting off with 3 liters first thing in the morning. YMMV of course.

[JDCool1]

Like the rest of the gang on this topic, I like to carry both. The bottle provides freedom to get away from the pack during breaks, etc. You can walk around and explore the immediate area while drinking your favorite drink. The bladder remains in the pack and is the main reservoir.