View Full Version : What kind of water container to bring?
imaginateer
12-05-2011, 16:20
What kind of water container? I want a 3 to 4 liter container, something light. What has worked for you? Water bladder? Plastic container? Brand suggestions? How do you clean or scrub the containers? Do they get gross?
Starbucks box of coffee to go, rip the cardboard off and there you have it. 4 liter water resevoir. my sister works there so i got mine for free. Dunkin donuts has one of the carriers too.
Mike2012
12-05-2011, 16:41
They sell beverages in handy plastic containers which you can reuse and jettison/recycle when you next go into town for a replacement.
bigcranky
12-05-2011, 17:15
Platypus Big Zip, 4 or 6 liter. Useful for collecting water from the spring and treating it with Aqua Mira. If the spring is far away downhill (and many of them are), this is a lot easier than carrying several water bottles.
For carrying water during the day, a pair of 1-liter soda bottles work well. They are cheap and easily replaced at any gas station.
Creek Dancer
12-05-2011, 17:21
What kind of water container? I want a 3 to 4 liter container, something light. What has worked for you? Water bladder? Plastic container? Brand suggestions? How do you clean or scrub the containers? Do they get gross?
This is what I use for gathering water from a water source once I get to camp. Basically, I fill this up and take it back to camp and treat. I don't clean the container during the trip because I never drink directly from it. (I rinse it with bleach water later.) This holds enough to last the evening for dinner, breakfast the next morning, and a bottle or two to start the next day. Oh, and if freezing temps are expected overnight, be sure to empty before you go to sleep or you will be carrying ice the next morning. Learned that one the hard way.
http://www.rei.com/product/626195/nalgene-wide-mouth-cantene-96-fl-oz?preferredSku=6261950015?cm_mmc&mr:trackingCode=1CF47CEA-9AD4-DF11-B41F-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA
I use a 4L platy bag with the zip lock and a cap at the top. Very nice at camp, I filter right into the bag and have all the water you need for that night, next morning and some for the trail as well. Light and durable. I usually just rinse and run bleach through when I clean my pump once home. Never gotten funky.
On the AT and the PCT I used a Cantene 96oz wide-mouth plastic container. It worked well for me and I didn't have any problems with leakage like I did with other water carrying containers that I'd experimented with (the desert on the PCT destroyed the other couple of models of water carrying containers).
Datto
why do you want one big cumbersome container? I carry two gatoraid bottles (or one nalgene bottle and one gatoraid bottle in winter) -- I also use a little fabric water bucket sometimes to scoop water -- kind of like a dog bowl -- if though, you need a large multi-liter container for some reason (out with a big group?), I'd suggest a MSR Dromedary Bag
I'll fess up to going heavier on this item. I bought a 40 oz. Kleen Canteen a couple of years for a winter trip, figuring I could boil water right in it for hot drinks and freeze-dried food. It makes a great hot water bottle when I let the boiled water cool a bit and put it back into its insulated holder. I've found since then that it doesn't get the "lip B.O." that Nalgenes tend to get. I guess the metal holds a small electrical charge which keeps bacterial growth down. After a few months I decided to wash it and boil it out just in case, but I've been using it every day (I carry filtered tap water everywhere I go) for at least three months since then without washing it, and there's no funk going on. I would not have believed it if I didn't witness it myself.
It's a good idea to carry a bulk water container, as others have stated, if you're going to do the entire AT in one trip, since you often don't know how far the next viable water source is (they dry up in the summer, sometimes), or how far down the mountain you may have to go to find a seep below where the actual spring is supposed to be. When you finally get there the last thing you'll want to do is make the trip again after breakfast. Fill your water container so you won't need to come back.
hambone5126
12-06-2011, 01:17
get a platy bottle. its two liters, it weighs 1.3 oz dry and rolls up or stores flat so it doesnt take up room in your pack when empty. if i wanted to carry more water, id buy one of these. i bought two 1L versions and they rock pretty hard. as for durability, i use one every day. getting tossed around in a truck or a pack hasnt resulted in any damage yet
that nalgene creek dancer posted looks pretty sweet too. it would be cheaper and a little lighter to buy that one container instead of two 2L, if indeed you feel the need to cary that much water.
Creek Dancer
12-06-2011, 07:23
why do you want one big cumbersome container? I carry two gatoraid bottles (or one nalgene bottle and one gatoraid bottle in winter) -- I also use a little fabric water bucket sometimes to scoop water -- kind of like a dog bowl -- if though, you need a large multi-liter container for some reason (out with a big group?), I'd suggest a MSR Dromedary Bag
The 96oz. Nalgene canteen is not cumbersome. When empty, it folds down flat and easily fits in my pack. If I only carried two gatoraid bottles, I would have to go back to the water source in the morning and that would be a pain if it's far away.
daddytwosticks
12-06-2011, 07:52
I do what bigcranky does. Another plus for using a Platy big zip (or any other type bulk container) - the silt and dirt tends to settle out in this bulk container. I carefully pour the water into recycled plastic drink bottles and treat w/Aqua Mira. For the floaties, I filter thru an old (but clean) piece of doubled-up no-see-um fabric. :)
I carry two 20 ounce Powerade bottles (or 1-liter bottles for dry stretches) and a 4 liter MSR dromlite water carrier for camp (lightweight and folds up very small). Fill the bottles in the AM and alternate refill/treatment as I hike, and then i fill the MSR dromlite at night which is usally enough for dinner, breakfast, water during night, and my AM bottle refill. Wash the dromlite with soap and water in town, hang it to dry, and it never gets icky. I'm still using the same one that I used on my 2009 thru, and I haven't had any problems with it.
Hikes in Rain
12-06-2011, 21:08
This is what I use for gathering water from a water source once I get to camp. Basically, I fill this up and take it back to camp and treat. I don't clean the container during the trip because I never drink directly from it. (I rinse it with bleach water later.) This holds enough to last the evening for dinner, breakfast the next morning, and a bottle or two to start the next day. Oh, and if freezing temps are expected overnight, be sure to empty before you go to sleep or you will be carrying ice the next morning. Learned that one the hard way.
http://www.rei.com/product/626195/nalgene-wide-mouth-cantene-96-fl-oz?preferredSku=6261950015?cm_mmc&mr:trackingCode=1CF47CEA-9AD4-DF11-B41F-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA
Ooh. I'm getting one of those for Christmas (I'm not supposed to know!), to go with my one-liter Platypus. It sounded like the ideal solution to carry water back to camp, wherever it might be. Good to know the choice was, well, good.
why do you want one big cumbersome container? I carry two gatoraid bottles (or one nalgene bottle and one gatoraid bottle in winter) -- I also use a little fabric water bucket sometimes to scoop water -- kind of like a dog bowl -- if though, you need a large multi-liter container for some reason (out with a big group?), I'd suggest a MSR Dromedary Bag
1+ on what Papa D says. I use a squishy bowl to scoop water and a 2L Platy with a bite valve inside my pack. Fill it half way during day and full in camp. No need to carry more than 2L of water while hiking.
Blissful
12-06-2011, 21:54
To gather my camp water I took a 3 liter playtpus.
I also have a soft sided nalgene "water bag" for use in camp. It holds enough for cooking, cleaning, and filling my camelback in the morning. I also use it as a treatment container with aqua mira when I fill up during the day. Any sediment in the water will settle to the bottom during the 30 min chemical treatment. Since I only use the top 2L I can dump the sediment out with the extra water. Helps keep my camelback clean without prefiltering.
Staying in one place for half an hour during the day isn't as hard as it sounds. I start the treatment first, then find a good tree, wash my hands, wash my feet, have a snack, check my guidebook, and by the time all that's done I'm good to go.
fireneck
12-07-2011, 01:58
Staying in one place for half an hour during the day isn't as hard as it sounds. I start the treatment first, then find a good tree, wash my hands, wash my feet, have a snack, check my guidebook, and by the time all that's done I'm good to go.
That never crossed my mind... you might have some me on chem. treatment!
I would go with a 3L camelpack. Its more then enough water for me and I dont think id want to carry anymore because of the weight. I also prefer camelpack over platy because of the wide mouth opening that is much easier for me to get water in at streams and small springs (also treatment chemicals). Cant go wrong with camelpack. Also I bought a osprey bladder once and it leaked all over just fyi.
why do you want one big cumbersome container? I carry two gatoraid bottles (or one nalgene bottle and one gatoraid bottle in winter) -- I also use a little fabric water bucket sometimes to scoop water -- kind of like a dog bowl -- if though, you need a large multi-liter container for some reason (out with a big group?), I'd suggest a MSR Dromedary Bag
I carry something similar.
When it's warm and dry, I carry two 2L gatorade bottle, plus the bladder for my filter, giving me a capacity of 5-6 liters. I do use it all, even when I camel up, even if I do 20 by 2 PM.
When less water is needed, I carry two 1L gatorade bottles and bring the smaller bladder for my filter, but I keep that bladder empty.
As you might have guessed, I carry one bottle in each side pocket for better weight distribution. I don't trust the bladder my filter uses to be durable enough to store it outside my pack, so it stays inside, although I might replace it with a more durable Platypus.
I am considering replacing the gatorade bottles with small platy bottles and adding one of those coffee box bladders for extra capacity. It'd mean opening my pack more often, but it'd also allow my pack to become smaller when there's no water. At times I swear those two 2L gatorade bottles are half the size of the rest of my pack...all the time.
Northern Lights
12-10-2011, 01:42
I absolutely hate pumping water. So I have a MSR dromedary bag 3L and two gatorade bottles. I just ordered an Osprey 3L bag because I saw one on the trail and liked it. I don't mind the extra weight of the water if it means I can keep walking longer before I have to refill. To each his/her own :)
I prefer the Geigerrig which can be used with or without the inline filter. What sets it apart in my opinion is the bags ability to be pressurized which allows the water to come out in a very forceful stream simply by pinching the end of the tube. That makes it great for sharing, filling up pots and showering (especially showering) as you don't have to bite on the valve to release water. As they say ..."it doesn't suck".
i looked up the geigerrrig and it seems cool but I cant find a picture of the opening to fill it. Is it small like platy or more like camel pack?
Platypus, only weighs a few ounces.
If you find that the water supply is a long way from camp you can use a stuffsack (especially if it's a true dry bag or a silnylon bag that's had the seams thoroughly sealed).
If you don't want to get your stuffsack wet and have empty ziplock bags you can fill them and carry them in your stuffsack after you've turned it inside out to keep the inside dry.
The above suggestions are just in case you don't have a water bag, or it springs a leak.
MuddyWaters
12-11-2011, 14:54
One 0.77 oz 1L water bottle and a 2L platy, 1.26oz, that actually holds 2.5L. 2oz wt carries 3.5 L .
MissMagnolia
12-11-2011, 16:04
i looked up the geigerrrig and it seems cool but I cant find a picture of the opening to fill it. Is it small like platy or more like camel pack?
I found this link. It looks very interesting.
http://www.geigerrig.com/but-now/reservoir-bladders-bite-valves-backpacks.html
Odd Man Out
12-11-2011, 16:38
i looked up the geigerrrig and it seems cool but I cant find a picture of the opening to fill it. Is it small like platy or more like camel pack?
When I saw this, I though one thing. I could fill it with home brew. Pack Keg!
Odd Man Out
12-11-2011, 16:41
When I saw this, I though one thing. I could fill it with home brew. Pack Keg!
OK, I thought two things.
1. Pack Keg
2. I wonder if it could be fitted with a Sawyer in-line filter with its million gallon rating, instead of the Geigerrrig filter's 50 gallon rating.
Sir-Packs-Alot
12-11-2011, 16:42
As mentioned above - carrying a 3L Camelback & a soft sided water bucket work well for me. I like 3L of water in my pack ... so - I fill up going to water source end of day before dinner. At same source I will fill up the 2 gal bucket halfway (bucket itself is 2.8 oz.-"Sea to Summit") then cart them both back to shelter / camp. I will hang bucket in tree / side of shelter and put water filter intake into it - then wrap it around a bit to hang filter there. This way I have a running water "faucet" for night / plenty to cook and drink from for both dinner and breakfast next morn / can pack bladder into pack for next day and not touch it that night. In the morning after breakfast I just shake out any bucket remnants - put filter in / roll it up - and off I go.