Hydration Packs vs. Water Bottles

[patrickbrusil]

My big pack (Lowe Alpine Appalachia) is compatable with a hydration bladder but I am scared to use it soley because I know I can drink a lot of water on the trail - depending on the conditions - and the thought of not seeing how much water is left would freak me out.

I count on being able to visually see how much water I have left while hiking and staying hydrated. I assume it is not a great idea to take off the pack and get out the hydration bladder after every drink.

Anyone else enjoy water bottles or are camelbacks more widley used?

 

[bobandgeri]

We made the switch over to a camelback a few years ago and only go back to bottles in the Winter. However - we do carry 1 nagaline bottle as well in case we run low, as well as a water filter. We do drink more as it is so easy to drink without having to stop - a good thing as we probably didn't drink as much as we should prior to using the camelback.

 

[dr_wu002]

I switched over to Camel Back after much resistance and I had much of the same concerns that you do. But I found for me that worked out just fine:

1. Your pack will bulge with the hydration pouch in it. As you drink it'll get smaller and smaller... after a few hikes with it, I was able to kind of gauge how much water I had left this way. Since it's a measured 'gulp' too you sort of get used to how much you're drinking anyway.

2. If I'm going on a long hike and I'm afraid that the 3 liters might not be enough I carry an extra Nalgene Bottle... sometimes filled, sometimes empty (depending on water-on-the-trail availability). If I have to pump water, it's easier to do it with the Nalgene Bottle and then transfer it to the hydration pouch. Or, if it's a filled Nalgene Bottle (I usually freeze it over night too) then I just dump it in when I feel my hydration pouch is getting low.

That's about all I can think of in terms of answering your question. I go through a lot of water while hiking so I have to be careful.

-Dr. Wu

 

[Sticks]

I hear you about not knowing how much water is left in the camel back. This presents a potential problem, if you are only carring the camel back you would tend to conserve your water intake so you don't run out and could lead to dehydration.. If you know you will be able to refill somewhere along the way I have found it a pain in the butt to try to refill the camel back.......I tend to drink a lot of water and is why I always carry 2 water bottles as well as the camel back.
The extra weight really does not bother me especially when I know I will have water when I want.

Happy Trails

 

[Mark]

Refilling Camelbacks

I carry a Pur Hiker water filter. To reill my Camelback, I pop off the bite valve and connect the tube directly to the output of my filter. Then I pump away, filling the bladder without every having to take it out of my pack. (I find it hard to get a full water bladder into a full pack.) You have to be careful not to overfill the bladder, but I can usually tell how full it is by feel.

I love my Camelback and use it all the time except in very cold weather.

 

[Neil]

After a while you'll just "know" when you're getting low. Also, you probably already know roughly how much water you need in order to go to a certain distance with a certain elevation gain at such and such a temperature. Just make sure you've got at least that much at the outset.
Hydration packs are vastly superior to bottles. I used to use Platypus but after 2 sprung leaks in the exact same place I switched to MSR.

 

[sp1936]

Bottle baby here. I own a camelback, but never use it. I accept that it is a superior hydration system, but I just don't like it.

Steve

 

[dreamstream]

Trail life has never been beter since switching over to a camel back, I used to have trouble with getting dehydrated, likely waited to long before drinking and then drank too much all at once. I now know the body can only absorb so much at a time.

Camel pack is great for sipping, esp when hands are occupied canoe portaging, skiing, climbing, biking...

Also found it works well in the winter just blow the liquid back into blader after each drink, a bit of gatoraid helps as anti freeze also. Skied for full days at -20 without problems.

 

[Jaytrek57]

Bottle man here as well.

Vastly superior?!?

Maybe for some. Never caught on to the trend myself. Plus it is hard to place "cool" stickers on the hose.

peace.

 

[snowshoe]

I have to go with the bottles. I own a bladder but I dont trust it. I have had them leak and it was not fun. My water bottles (some 10 years old)never leaked on me. The other bad thing with my bladder is I tend to suck on the hose more often and run out of H2O faster. The nozles seem to wear out fast evetually dripping all over my chest. I just think you can not go wrong with bottles. If you stick them in the side mesh pockets or one on the hip belt, they wont take up space in the pack.

 

[DougPaul]

I use bottles. I have large pockets in my hiking shorts and can comfortably carry up to a 3/4 liter bottle in a pocket. One hardly needs to break stride to get the bottle out, so access is about as good as access to a bladder hose.
I just carry a bunch of bottles in my pack and when one runs dry, just switch the bottles. If it is a hot day and I am carrying N bottles, N-1 will be electrolyte, the last will be pure water. Useful for first aid or washing. (I carry electrolyte powder and can convert the last bottle or refills as needed.)

I have used bottled water bottles, but they are a little delicate and the caps tend to leak after a while. Soda bottles are more robust and less likely to leak. One advantage of multiple bottles is that one leak cannot drain all of them.

A friend uses a bladder. She and I both drink adequately, but she sometimes runs out while I still have water. (It is possible that she drinks more than necessary.) I know how much water I have been drinking, she is less aware.

Bottom line is that either system works. Use whichever you prefer.

We both use wide-mouth Nalgene bottles in winter.

Doug

 

[spaddock]

Count me in for both. I carry an MSR bladder and a bottle of gatorade with an extra packet in my pack.

Conserving water sucks. I used to think about it the entire hike. If there are water sources en route I always carry my water filter. An extra pound but it gives me SO much peace of mind to be able to drink freely the entire day.

-Shayne

 

[marty]

I use water bottles with a sport spout and a water bottle holster. Combined, they give me easy, one-handed access without slowing down.

 

[Bob Kittredge]

Bottles for me. What else would I wrap my duct tape around?

Also, having to stop and take off my pack to get a drink of water has always seemed like an argument for bottles, not against them.

Re: camelbacks - have things improved since the early days when they tended to leak a lot and be a pain to clean?

 

[spaddock]

Bottles for me. What else would I wrap my duct tape around??

Pencil works great for me.

Re: camelbacks - have things improved since the early days when they tended to leak a lot and be a pain to clean?

I've only had leaks with my platypus. MSR Bladder has worked great and it screws on to my water filter.

-Shayne

 

[dave.m]

Bottles.

Bladders seems like extra weight, extra expense and extra complications.

 

[snowbird]

I have used both, but switched back to mainly using bottles this year.

Hydration systems are too fussy and risky for backpacking. I have had every brand leak at some point or other. I do like them when I dayhike with a group though, as I do not need to drink when we stop, so can use break time for other things.

Bottles are more secure and I enjoy drinking from them more. Somehow it is more refreshing to chug several ounces from a bottle than it is to suck the same amount out of a bladder.

I bought a new lighter backpack this year though, and had no luck finding what I wanted with water bottle holders. I've been using my OR water bottle parka, but I would have preferred attached pockets.

 

[arghman]

I have a 2-liter Platypus bladder + carry another liter bottle I fill with Gatorade, for emergency redundancy + variety.

The Platypus has been great, have had it for over 4 years w/o any direct failures. (Last wk my bite valve must have got caught on something and fell off & I didn't notice it until a little later when I heard a brook flowing then realized it was water spilling out of the thing onto the ground fortunately I found it again & refilled at Lakes Hut. But that was my fault for being a little sloppy with the way I carried the pack.) Frequent hydration much better than having to stop & do the water-bottle approach.

 

[JohnL]

I think DougPaul used a key word when he said "aware". I have used my 3 litre Camelback quite successfully now for 2 1/2 summer seasons with no problems. No leaks, and no problems cleaning. After the first time I ran out of water I began to meticulously see how much water I drank on each hike and now I can pretty much figure out how much I am going to drink on any given hike. I do a lot of solo hiking so I have no other partners to depend on so I have to get it right. So far so good.

JohnL

 

[Dugan]

I'm a Camelbak convert after avoiding them for many years.

Mine is a 100 oz (approx 3 quart). I have not unknowingly run out of water yet. I check the bladder if I think I need to during a pack off snack break. Depending on the pack, it may not show from the outside. All I do is open the pack, then stick my hand into the hydration sleeve.

Water filters: now that I have one, I don't bother carrying more than 3 or 4 quarts on a hike where I know there are dependable water sources. My MSR Miniworks can be directly mated to either a standard size nalgene bottle or 1/4" inner diameter hydration hose (remove bite valve first).

Cleaning: the newer Camelback has an opening large enough that I can get my hand inside to wash. I've flushed it twice with diluted bleach and store it in the freezer.

For ounce counters, the 100 oz camelback system weighs less (don't remember how much) than 3 quart size nalgenes.

I still use bottles in the winter because I've heard of problems (mainly here) with trying to use a hydration system at low temps.