To bladder or not to bladder... that is the question!

[Busky2]

I have for many many years filtered and stored water in gater-aid bottles and nalgeens. Just this year I tried a bladder for the first time while going through the dry northern PA area (Lehigh area). I used a 100 oz Camelback and I have to admit I was really happy with it, how happy well it will always be in my pack from now on. I felt better hydrated, it was there where and when wanted, and could not be easier to drink from. To think I used to cut the hydration sleeves out of my packs, oh well I lived and I learned from those kids and there newfangled ideas.

[Cedar1974]

Another thing, Sawyer has a set up to fill your hydration bladder without havign to remove it from the pack, though I think it only works with the squeeze and not the mini.

https://www.sawyersafetravel2.com/pr...roducts_id=122

[Another Kevin]

I'm another one that mixes it up. I carry one Nalgene with a Reflectix wrapper because it's my coffee pot and thermos. I carry my 2 litre Camelbak any time that I don't worry about the hose freezing. If I am out in weather where the hose might freeze, I carry either soft-sided bottles or a second Nalgene. (Having the Reflectix jacket on the Nalgene helps me carry water that isn't frozen when I want to drink it.)

On trips longer than a weekend, I carry at least one soft-sided bottle if only to have a backup for the squeeze bottle on my Sawyer Mini. Platypus bottles fit the threads.

I carry an empty SmartWater bottle in winter, for personal purposes on those cold nights in the tent. I don't carry water in empty wide-mouth disposables, so as not to mix them up.

[krshome]

I have used a bladder inside my pack for years and never had a problem. I used a quick connect fitting at the bite valve to fill the bladder so I never had to take it out to fill. I decided to change from my loyal hiker pump filter to a sawyer squeeze and that made me rethink my set up. I tried the bottle thing up front on my shoulder straps but after a while I went back to the bladder. I now use a small Smartwater bottle for camp and a 1.5 liter Evernew bladder set up in a side pocket on the outside of the pack when hiking. Here are some pics of the things I have tried all working great.
IMG_5933.jpgIMG_5849.jpgIMG_4205.jpgIMG_4235 (1).jpgIMG_0801_2.jpgIMG_0808 (1).jpg

[Five Tango]

I have used a bladder inside my pack for years and never had a problem. I used a quick connect fitting at the bite valve to fill the bladder so I never had to take it out to fill. I decided to change from my loyal hiker pump filter to a sawyer squeeze and that made me rethink my set up. I tried the bottle thing up front on my shoulder straps but after a while I went back to the bladder. I now use a small Smartwater bottle for camp and a 1.5 liter Evernew bladder set up in a side pocket on the outside of the pack when hiking. Here are some pics of the things I have tried all working great.
IMG_5933.jpgIMG_5849.jpgIMG_4205.jpgIMG_4235 (1).jpgIMG_0801_2.jpgIMG_0808 (1).jpg

So I searched the Sawyer site to no avail.Where did you get the quickdisconnect and pickup straw for the Sawyer bag in the third photo?Thanks.

[krshome]

Sorry, should have said all the details. Those parts are all DIY things I have made.


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[rafe]

I carry a 3L Platy bag and like to start with 2-3L in the AM. Subject to prevailing conditions of course. If water is likely to be found I might carry less. If it's unlikely to be found, I make sure it's pretty full. Carry too much, it's just dead weight and that's never good. Carry too little and it can make your day quite miserable and play heck on your body.

[JaxHiker]

I'm not a big fan of the bladder because I never know how much I have left. That dry sucking sound isn't good when you still have a ways to go and no water on the way. At least with my dual Gatorade bottles I know exactly what I have left.

Early on I tried leaving the bladder in the pack (before I ditched it completely). In my experience (ymmv) it didn't work out too well. The stuff in the pack just kept putting pressure on the bladder and it was a trick proposition even with the quick release adapters. I also found my Hiker Pro tended to introduce air if I wasn't too careful.

I did use a bladder on a recent trip to the Frank Church Wilderness but that's because one of my bottle pockets was holding the fishing rods and I didn't want to carry a single bottle w/o anything else.

[Etoryn]

Started using a bladder, but no longer take one when I go. I find using 2 Powerade or Gatorade type 1 liters easier and quicker to fill and treat water. When I come to a water source I don't have to take my pack off and take it out and put it in right. I also enjoy not having it move it every time I need to get into my pack to get something (some packs have a dedicated bladder spot). I seem to stay just at hydrated without the bladder.

[theinfamousj]

I have a 1 L Platy and a 2 L Platy (I also have a 3 L Platy Big Zip at home but it hasn't gone out on any trips with me).

I have a hydration cap attachment that fits both the 1 and 2 L Platy bags. My usual MO is to, at a water source, fill the 1 L Platy with water and treat it, then carry that in a side pocket until the treatment time has elapsed, at which point I transfer it to the 2 L bag which also contains whatever water remains from the last time I did this. The empty 1 L then gets rolled and stashed until the next water source.

My 2 L is almost never full. It doesn't have to be. Much like your pack capacity, you can always store *less* inside.

For me, the ability to take sips from a tube was a game changer in terms of hydration. I'm short and have short arms, and no matter where I carried hard bottles, it was a major PITA to get the bottle from its location or to put it back. So I would avoid hydration just to not deal with the hassle. With the hose, I don't even think twice. It sits on my right shoulder and when I am thirsty, I take a drink.

Inside my pack, the 2 L sits atop all my other gear. I haven't ripped out the hydration sleeve (small thoughts of "what if I resell the pack?" whisper in my ear), but I also don't use it for my bladder.

On my last day of hiking any trip, after the final water stop, I just go ahead and hook the 1 L Platy to the hose rather than pouring its contents into the 2 L.

[GScout]

What I love about the bladder, besides the convenience of the hose for drinking, is that my water weight is balanced in the center of my back. I don't have to worry that one bottle of water or the other will throw me out of balance. Those little changes in weight distribution can add up quickly when you are grinding up and down mountains all day. Why risk an injury from an imbalanced pack?

It takes a little time to stuff my Platypus down into the hydration sleeve, maybe 30 seconds. How does that compare to taking out and putting back water bottles in external pockets all day?

And I would avoid Camelback. The one I had at least made the water taste only of plastic. Platypus does not leave an aftertaste.

One more thing - I did carry empty SmartWater bottles to use to refill my bladder. Easier than trying to fill the bladder directly, and the empty bottles weigh nothing.

Happy hiking to you! I am missing the AT mightily and can't wait for my next section hike.

[nsherry61]

. . . Where did you get the quickdisconnect . . .

These types of fittings are common in laboratory settings. A quick internet search provided this link.

[Lambo]

Im personally not a bladder fan. You don't know how much water you have, have to take your pack off to refill, and I usually drink less water with a bladder. Im a bottle person myself but everyone has their own preference. You just have to do what works for you.

[Del Q]

I like them, have done a lot better job the past few years coming up to water supplies dry or really close. In spots where water is scarce, camel up and fill up. They also pack small vs large hard bottles.

One thing that I also like is at night...........have often not drank enough at night and muscles are stiff, etc. I keep the drinking tub within arms reach in my tent so that I can quickly drink at night ..... and keep a pee bottle in the tent as well for output.

[SWODaddy]

Another thing, Sawyer has a set up to fill your hydration bladder without havign to remove it from the pack, though I think it only works with the squeeze and not the mini.

https://www.sawyersafetravel2.com/pr...roducts_id=122

I just bought a camelback quick connect (you can buy them individually) and use that with some tubing to refill my camelback using a Sawyer mini. Normally, I use a platypus dirty water bag. The whole setup is extremely fast, compact and lightweight. Plus, my hydration bladder never has to leave my pack the whole trip.

[Gravytrain]

I find I love bladders for hiking, but I hate them for camping.

They are a pain to pull out of the pack and refill, they are terrible to get water out of for cooking, and in cold weather the hose freezes.

But I love the ease of grabbing the hose and drinking on the go.

If I know I will be hiking long days in hot weather, I take a bladder. If I know it might freeze, or I am planning on cooking more than one meal a day, or spending more time in camp, I take bottles.

Both have their place.

We ran into this problem when I was in the Army and we introduced hydration systems like Camel-Bak into our packing list. What we ended up doing was pulling the bladders out when we got to our bivouac for the night and put them inside our sleeping bag with us. of course, we used those big heavy USGI MSS, so we would put our boots down in the bottom too. They would be almost completely dry by morning, and more importantly, NOT frozen!

Some of the guys that brought those Warm Hands air activated heaters for your gloves, would instead slide the heater inside the carrier for the bladder at the end of the day, and that did a decent job of preventing a full freeze.

[cycle003]

I like bladders for day hikes but don't take them camping anymore. The reasons for me are 1) It's hard to know how much water I have left with a bladder; 2) There are lighter options to hold as much water; 3) They are inconvenient to take in/out of the pack for refilling and using around camp, meaning I'll usually want another type of water bottle anyway; 4) I've experienced leakage, probably due to the stress from how they pack into most packs.

[The Solemates]

only time i bladder is mtn biking. i hate them hiking.

[poolskaterx]

We all develop our own preferences - and biases. I like using a hydration bladder and hose for hiking. I've used a two liter bladder inside my pack for several years. There are two big negatives with this system. First, the bladder inside takes up pack room and second it is much harder to refill the bladder. I've started using two one-liter bladders, one in each side pocket. When I empty one I switch the hose to the other. It is easy to stop at the next water source and refill the bladders.

I use this same system but also carry an additional 70l platypus dirty water bag for filtering or additional water storage; don't get the camel-backs bladder, they weigh a TON! I do switch out the platypus bite valve for the camel-back one though but that's just my preference. All 3 bladders weigh less than my old camel-back bladder (and cost less too)

[Hummy585]

I've used only a bladder, only bottles and sometimes both. Depends on how far I'm going...