Collapsible Water Pouches With Leak Proof Caps

[DayTrip]

Is there a water "pouch" (like the Sawyer pouches) that has a leak proof cap on it so it can be safely squeezed in a pack, laid down on it's side, etc without leaking? I have several of the Sawyer 2L pouches which I really like to carry for the weight savings (and they're quite durable) vs a Nalgene bottle but the caps are not water tight (which I discovered one Summer morning after I had stashed my backpack in the trunk the night before for the trip up to NH). I know there are several on the market but I'm not sure if any are considered waterproof like a Nalgene.

If anyone has a brand they use which is watertight and doesn't give back the weight savings making it so I'd be curious to know about it.

P.S. This would be for shoulder/Summer use, not Winter.

 

[nartreb]

I'm confused - what do you plan to use this for? If you want to put it in your pack, full, then being collapsible doesn't matter. (You already have two liters of volume available in your pack.) If you're using it temporarily around camp, being robustly watertight isn't important. (You can treat it gently during the times it's not empty.)

I abandoned Nalgenes years ago; now I re-use water bottles (or even better, Gatorade, for the half-twist spout); they're quite robust (just keep the caps closed tightly to make them more crush-resistant when empty), essentially zero-cost, and they're light enough that I don't worry about trying to find anything lighter. Plus they're the right size to fit in the side pockets of my packs, so I can grab a drink without stopping.

 

[peakbagger]

I use the MSR dromedary bags, pretty bombproof although most of the time I have hydration system hooked up to it.

 

[DayTrip]

I'm confused - what do you plan to use this for? If you want to put it in your pack, full, then being collapsible doesn't matter. (You already have two liters of volume available in your pack.) If you're using it temporarily around camp, being robustly watertight isn't important. (You can treat it gently during the times it's not empty.)

I abandoned Nalgenes years ago; now I re-use water bottles (or even better, Gatorade, for the half-twist spout); they're quite robust (just keep the caps closed tightly to make them more crush-resistant when empty), essentially zero-cost, and they're light enough that I don't worry about trying to find anything lighter. Plus they're the right size to fit in the side pockets of my packs, so I can grab a drink without stopping.

Transporting water while hiking. In Summer I usually carry 2 of the 2L Sawyer pouches and fill as much or as little as I need to for my water needs between filtering/refills. I like the pouches because they weigh practically nothing when empty but when I do have water in them I have to be careful to keep them upright or the caps leak.

 

[ChrisB]

Transporting water while hiking. In Summer I usually carry 2 of the 2L Sawyer pouches...

I am actually heading the other way: trying to avoid lugging too much water in my pack. I have a 3L hydration bladder that I combine with a LifeStraw.

In areas where you know you'll be in close proximity to streams, the LifeStraw is cool cause you just uncork it, drink your fill and move on. I've used it to pull water out of small solution holes in rocks!

I've not had a problem with it so far and believe its efficacy is as good as most commercial filters I've used.

Made in Switzerland so it has to work well!!

cb

 

[DayTrip]

I am actually heading the other way: trying to avoid lugging too much water in my pack. I have a 3L hydration bladder that I combine with a LifeStraw.

In areas where you know you'll be in close proximity to streams, the LifeStraw is cool cause you just uncork it, drink your fill and move on. I've used it to pull water out of small solution holes in rocks!

I've not had a problem with it so far and believe its efficacy is as good as most commercial filters I've used.

Made in Switzerland so it has to work well!!

cb

My mother in law actually bought me one of those for Christmas. Forgot I even had it. I'll have to remember to take it for a test drive this Spring. I don't like to be completely without water though and will carry a minimal amount for between sources unless I am literally following a stream or brook. And if I camp I need to be able to expand my capacity, although a leaking cap is not an issue while I'm stationary.

 

[sierra]

I am actually heading the other way: trying to avoid lugging too much water in my pack. I have a 3L hydration bladder that I combine with a LifeStraw.

In areas where you know you'll be in close proximity to streams, the LifeStraw is cool cause you just uncork it, drink your fill and move on. I've used it to pull water out of small solution holes in rocks!

I've not had a problem with it so far and believe its efficacy is as good as most commercial filters I've used.

Made in Switzerland so it has to work well!!

cb

I always carry all my water, I have never filtered water. Out west I used tablets. That Lifestraw looks like an excellent item. I plan on buying one soon. While in the past my water needs have been met by just packing it. Now, I hike with a dog and need a lot more, more so on hot days. I still use Nalgene bottles and don't think an empty one is enough weight to worry about.

 

[Mike P.]

Water really depends on the time of year, location and what I want to carry. On long summer ADK trips with lots of water, I've carried a filter and just a large fanny pack with my rain coat tied around my waist. On a typical 8-15 mile day trip, I do usually try to carry my water and for me, 3-4 liters is enough for that kind of day.

If carrying, I've been using empty returnable liter size seltzer bottles, if I am filtering I usually go with a more sturdy bottle because I don't have a spare and they sit on rocks along brooks better and the filter I have can be attached to the top. My system predates the Life Straw, certainly sounds like something to be considered. Overall not a fan of a collapsible system that sits in with my gear.

I've used my wife's camelback pack a couple of times, where there is no water, like on the Devil's Path in warmer weather where a fanny pack large enough for a fleece or rain jacket and food but there is no convenient water between climbing Indian Head and the road between Plateau and Hunter.

 

[egilbe]

I'm of the opinion that if you are carrying water when you come to a water source, you carried too much water from the last water source. Why carry water when you are walking by it all the time? Water is heavy. Of course, in New England, one is very rarely more than a few miles from a water source and should be able to get to water within an hour or two.

 

[sierra]

I'm of the opinion that if you are carrying water when you come to a water source, you carried too much water from the last water source. Why carry water when you are walking by it all the time? Water is heavy. Of course, in New England, one is very rarely more than a few miles from a water source and should be able to get to water within an hour or two.

I have to be honest, that statement is a gem. With the Lifestraw, I plan on re-thinking my water needs while I'm hiking. My dog drinks out streams and such, I bet I can really reduce my weight this summer. Who says you cant teach an old dog new tricks.

 

[peakbagger]

While AT section hiking one thing I tried to practice over the years is planning ahead on water sources rather than lugging too much. This worked well until one trip in Northern VA and Maryland one fall. Even normally reliable sources were marginal or completely out. We got caught two nights in row with no water source. At one we dug out the spring and got a seep and on the other I had to hike back 2 miles and scoop water out of mud hole. PA is somewhat infamous for dry water supplies on the ridges in summer and fall. In the whites water sources are generally quite reliable if they are marked on a map although got surprised on Bondcliff a few years ago at the end of the day that the first stream crossed after the dugway section was dry as bone. I had already handed my spare water to someone who woefully underestimated his usage so this was a disappointment.

I also use electrolyte supplements, Nuun, which tends to reduce how much I drink as I expect that as electrolyte diminish, the body tries to make up for them by getting thirsty even though water doesn't really help. If anyone ever asks you for an aspirin for a headache while hiking on a warm day odds are highly likely their electrolyte are out of whack.

 

[DayTrip]

I have to be honest, that statement is a gem. With the Lifestraw, I plan on re-thinking my water needs while I'm hiking. My dog drinks out streams and such, I bet I can really reduce my weight this summer. Who says you cant teach an old dog new tricks.

It makes a HUGE difference. Up until three years ago I always carried my entire water supply. But on hot Summer days I have no problem drinking 4L to 5L of water. I rarely carried more than 3L so I was always under hydrated and it hurts performance. And even 3L in Nalgenes is serious additional weight, especially when you're gaining elevation and cruising above treeline which I generally prefer to do.

I got a Sawyer Squeeze three seasons ago and started filtering and I do it all the time now. I did a 29 mile loop of the "other" half of the Pemi last Summer (Carrigain Notch, Shoal Pond, Thoreau Falls and Wilderness) and never had more than 1L on me. It really allowed me to boost my range on hikes. Last year I switched to the Katahdin pump style filter and while a little heavier and more cumbersome to use it makes getting available water even more likely. When I did Katahdin last year it was in the 80's even at the top and sweltering. I went through 3L of water (everything I started with) planning to refill at the Saddle Spring. When I finally found it, the "spring" was barely more than a cereal bowl sized puddle in the shade of a boulder. I would have been screwed with the Sawyer pouches but I easily pumped 2L out of this puddle for the rest of the hike. Hikes with long approaches like the Bonds up Lincoln Woods are also much easier. I walk the first 6-7 miles of that hike no with zero water and fill up at one of the four crossings of Black Brook so I only have water weight for the last few miles. It's a real game changer.

P.S. And last year I took the plunge and bought trail runners (another choice I know you've mulled over but can't take the plunge). Another quantum leap forward for me. Combined with filtering water I did some of the longest, most strenuous hikes I have ever done last year. Now if I can just avoid putting on 15 lbs every football season and taking the whole Winter and Spring to get myself back into shape and put all three together for one season! One day Pemi Loop is a goal of mine. Maybe this is the year.

 

[sierra]

It makes a HUGE difference. Up until three years ago I always carried my entire water supply. But on hot Summer days I have no problem drinking 4L to 5L of water. I rarely carried more than 3L so I was always under hydrated and it hurts performance. And even 3L in Nalgenes is serious additional weight, especially when you're gaining elevation and cruising above treeline which I generally prefer to do.

I got a Sawyer Squeeze three seasons ago and started filtering and I do it all the time now. I did a 29 mile loop of the "other" half of the Pemi last Summer (Carrigain Notch, Shoal Pond, Thoreau Falls and Wilderness) and never had more than 1L on me. It really allowed me to boost my range on hikes. Last year I switched to the Katahdin pump style filter and while a little heavier and more cumbersome to use it makes getting available water even more likely. When I did Katahdin last year it was in the 80's even at the top and sweltering. I went through 3L of water (everything I started with) planning to refill at the Saddle Spring. When I finally found it, the "spring" was barely more than a cereal bowl sized puddle in the shade of a boulder. I would have been screwed with the Sawyer pouches but I easily pumped 2L out of this puddle for the rest of the hike. Hikes with long approaches like the Bonds up Lincoln Woods are also much easier. I walk the first 6-7 miles of that hike no with zero water and fill up at one of the four crossings of Black Brook so I only have water weight for the last few miles. It's a real game changer.

P.S. And last year I took the plunge and bought trail runners (another choice I know you've mulled over but can't take the plunge). Another quantum leap forward for me. Combined with filtering water I did some of the longest, most strenuous hikes I have ever done last year. Now if I can just avoid putting on 15 lbs every football season and taking the whole Winter and Spring to get myself back into shape and put all three together for one season! One day Pemi Loop is a goal of mine. Maybe this is the year.

Good feedback. I am making some much needed changes to offset my age. I am going to filter or straw to reduce water weight. I bought a smaller lightweight pack and have streamlined my load a lot. I am also going make the plunge to trail runners, looking at models now. I tried to put some weight on my dog too, but he will NOT wear a pack, so I'm still head Sherpa for our team.

 

[bcskier]

I use Platypus and have never had any of them leak.

 

[Raven]

Although not an option I would trust in my pack, I used to use the bladder from a wine box with built in stopcock for camp water. The trick is to first pour a good glass of wine from an actual bottle, next dump the contents of the wine box down the drain, rinse out the bladder, and you are good to go. They are not made well enough to go in a pack but I've also never had one leak so their use is good for some situations, not exactly the one proposed in the OP.

PS. I switched to trail runners in 2000 and have never looked back. Talk about reducing leg fatigue on long days.

 

[VTskier]

I have the Sawyer Mini filter and find it quite versatile. I've used it with a 1 liter bag to filter water into hydration bags & Nalgene bottles by squeezing/rolling the bags. I've rigged it up inline with an old hydration bag, just fill the hydration bag with untreated water and go. You just sip and filter as you hike along. I also added a longer hose to the filter so it can be used like the Lifestraw mentioned before, but you don't have to lay down next to the water source. Been using it 2 years now and no issues and cheap.

 

[alexmtn]

Is there a water "pouch" (like the Sawyer pouches) that has a leak proof cap on it so it can be safely squeezed in a pack, laid down on its side, etc without leaking? I have several of the Sawyer 2L pouches which I really like ... but the caps are not water tight ... if anyone has a brand they use which is watertight and doesn't give back the weight savings making it so I'd be curious to know about it.

P.S. This would be for shoulder/Summer use, not Winter.

Platypus reservoirs are made for that express purpose, and I've used them for years. Haven't had any leakage problems from a capped bladder.

And as a special bonus in your case, the Sawyer and Platypus caps are compatible, and if you'd like to put a Platypus cap to the test yourself, you need not even buy a Platypus reservoir -- just buy a Platypus cap or pull-cap and use it on your Sawyer pouches.

Alex

 

[DayTrip]

Platypus reservoirs are made for that express purpose, and I've used them for years. Haven't had any leakage problems from a capped bladder.

And as a special bonus in your case, the Sawyer and Platypus caps are compatible, and if you'd like to put a Platypus cap to the test yourself, you need not even buy a Platypus reservoir -- just buy a Platypus cap or pull-cap and use it on your Sawyer pouches.

Alex

Now that is interesting. If I can use my existing light weight pouches with these leak proof caps I think I'd be on to something. Worth $2.95 to try. Thanks.

 

[iAmKrzys]

Personally, I am not fond of water bladders as they are not easy to clean. That's why I usually use 0.5L Poland Spring bottles that are pretty lightweight, watertight, easy to arrange in the pack, trivial to recycle and replace. On longer hikes I also carry a collapsible wide-mouth Nalgene bottle ( https://www.amazon.com/Nalgene-Wide-Mouth-Cantene-32-Ounce/dp/B001J4NDXW/ref=cm_wl_huc_item ) as its opening is big enough for my SteriPen. I use diluted bleach to clean it up after use but I am not sure if it affects the bottle's longevity or not.

 

[peakbagger]

I had really bad luck with the collapsible Nalgene's when they came out 10 years ago. The local outfitter stopped selling them as he was sick of the returns from thru hikers heading through town. I was in the middle of the smokies and a new replacement failed leaving me scrambling for water containers. On the same trip I ran into someone else who had the same issue. I switched to the MSR dromedary's and have had a durability issue.

I have found that the key to any water bladder is to never put anything in it except for water. I mistakenly put some Nuun in my bladder once and it took months to really get it clean and fought with reoccurring issues with biological build up in the hoses after that. I tried the various means of cleaning including bleach but it became an ongoing issue in the hoses. I ended up buying a new duplicate set up that is going to be strictly used with water.