See I like that Buckeye Bill. If it works FOR YOU, and it sure sounds like you gave it a bit o thought, DO IT.
See I like that Buckeye Bill. If it works FOR YOU, and it sure sounds like you gave it a bit o thought, DO IT.
I do more hiking in arid country and I cannot afford to loose water. Bladders are not rugged enough for my use. I have tried them. I've had too many leaks and failures, including setting the pack down on the bite valve, setting the pack down on some white thorn acacia and getting a puncture right through the pack, pulling a bite valve off on a bush, getting a small bit of debris in the bite valve--too many problems for the benefit.
Gatorade bottles and the like are better than free--you get to take something out of the waste stream. And you can usually get more bottles at any road crossing or trailhead.
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
Another vote for both!! Instead of gatorade bottles though I used two smartwater bottles and a 2L platy bag. I find the smartwater bottles easier and more streamline to fit into and take out of pockets. Also the caps to the smartwater bottle fit on the 2L platy so you can haul water if you are dry camping for the night.
I do the 3L bladder, and keep a 1 L Nalgene bottle in the pack. I usually do long day hikes, and I sometimes need to resupply the bladder by cleaning water on the trail- and I prefer to do that with the bottle and tablets. I do not like the fact that I cant see how much water is left in the bladder, I do ok at estimating, at the same time, I recall too well that sensation of sucking the last ml out of the thing with miles to get to the car, and no water source- not good. On the other hand, one of my goals is to get back to the car with no extra water or food- keepin it light as possible. Finally, the ease of the bladder is the best, and I would never go back to any other way. I hit the thing as walking, keeps me hydrated very well.
This time of year on the AT, I carry a 20oz and 32oz gatorade bottles. If water is somewhat less available, I add a 3rd gatorade bottle. For camp, I carry a collapsable 96 oz nalgene canteen. This gives me a lot of flexibility. I like the convenience of bladders, but never know if I am drinking enough or how much water I have left. Not to mention, the inconvenience when refilling the bladder.
I attach a 1 Lt bottle to each shoulder harness, on the front, because it helps balance the pack weight and I can see how much water I have. I carry two 1.5 Lt Evernew Water Bladders rolled up inside the pack for use at camp. Also, I can carry the filled Evernew Water Bladders in the side pockets if necessary.
DeerPath
LIFE'S JOURNEY IS NOT TO ARRIVE AT THE GRAVE SAFELY
IN A WELL PRESERVED BODY,
BUT RATHER SKID IN SIDEWAYS, TOTALLY WORN OUT,
SHOUTING "HOLY CRAP....WHAT A RIDE!"
...look at my avatar! I used to carry a small bladder for in-camp use, but have found that I never need to carry more than the 1 1/2 liters that fit in the gatorade bottles, so that's all I bring with me now. the comment made by a later poster is right on, I think, -- it is nice to put some weight on the straps instead of in the pack to balance things a bit. I am particularly fond of knowing exactly how much water I have by just looking down.
Lazarus
That's what I'm saying. I'm set up like you Lazarus, a bottle on each shoulder strap but since I don't always hike where water resources are so abundant and well documented as on the AT I also roll with a bladder. Sometimes, like on the AT, I can roll with just one 1 L bottle on one shoulder strap. That one 1 L bottle gets me through the day because water sources are typically so abundant on the AT.
Anyone want to chime in about durability comparisons between the Evernew(2 L, 1.5 oz), Sawyer(JUST THE BLADDER!, 2013 version!, 2 L size! the ones MLD has for sale, 1.4 oz each, 2 @ $15), and Platypus(2 L size!, 1.3 oz, NOT the Hoser system) bladders?
On my new Osprey Atmos 65 pack it has a trekking pole stow bunggies, the upper bungie on the pack strap allows for a water bottle to be lashed...and works quite well, this I tried after seeing at your Avatar and have plans to do the same on the other side, much more convenient than reaching back in the side pockets, at least for me.
Deer Path, Lazarus, and anyone else who carries water bottles on their shoulder straps, ever get people saying things to you like: from a distance I thought you had grenades or oxygen tanks attached to your pack?
I don't like bladders carried inside my pack because I'm never quite sure how much water is left.
I love the bladder for being able to sip on the go. That said, I cannot imagine carrying it on a thru-hike, given the effort required just to keep it reasonably sanitary, and the hassle of filling it. That's not really an issue on a weekend trip.
I've never used a bladder, mostly because of all of the brown and furry mouthpieces I've seen.
WARNING I goggled Jetflow and a misdirect was stopped by Trend FIREWALL was a malicious page. TYPE www.jetflow.com to get there safely
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
I carry three 20oz Gatorade bottles. Two are in pockets connected to my shoulder straps. One is a pee bottle in the bottom of the pack. Once in town I buy a new Gatorade, throw out the pee bottle, and demote one of the other bottles. This way I'm reducing the supposed hazards of reusing these bottles for too long.
I can also treat the water next to my shoulder straps with my Steripen Opti without removing them from their pouch.
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.