So I just made an impulse purchase. I pickd up a platypus hoser 2.0L I've always just carried 2nalgene bottles in the side pockets of mg pack in the past. And now I'm contemplating the different ways of carrying this thing .
So far my current thoughts are that I could hang it in the sleeve and use the hydration port. Provided in my pack. The cons to this that I see are that you have to open pack to check how full the bladder is. In the event of failure my down bag could essentialy be soaked. And to refill i have todis connect it from loop and pull it out of the pack.
My second option that I'm kinda leaning towards is to close the main pack bag via draw string and set bladder in the extension collar. The cons to this is that the water weight would ride high in pack. And in the event of failure it could still leak down in to my bag. It would however be easier to check and refill.
My third option is to carry in one of side pockets . My only fear about this is I'm pretty ruff around the edges and have been known to barrell through just about any thicket if only to see what's on the otherside . So I'm sure i would eventually puncture it.
And last but not least I could put it in shoveit pocket on back I worried this would make the pack pull back a lot as the weight would be so far from my back. And I like all the other stuff I keep in that in that pocket .
I'm really just curious to how some users have decided to carry theres. As ill be doing some experimentation the next couple days and will post my results.
_________________________
Some peopole live life day by day. Try step by step.
I've been using a platypus big zip in packs with hydration bladder pockets, and have also simply laid it on top of the stuff in the pack. Eventually the thing might start to leak, but I've had it jammed in behind a bear canister many times, yanked it out and stuffed it back into full packs, and still have the same one - the blue ink is wearing off the plastic but it still zips securely and doesn't leak despite my less-than-delicate use after three years.
_________________________
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki
I've tended to lay my camelbak bladder on top of everything (at or just over shoulder blade height) in my external frame pack, because I can't get to the hydration pocket.
In the event of failure my down bag could essentialy be soaked.
I use the sleeve and port in my pack. I keep my sleeping bag sealed up in a trash compactor bag anyway, incase of a slip when crossing a creek or that sort of thing. I did have a leak during one of my practice runs here close to home. The connection where the hose screws into the bladder was loose, and I only noticed after I felt the water running down the back of my leg (after losing probably a pint of water from the bladder). Nothing important got wet though, because of the compactor bag around the sleeping bag, and the other compactor bag used as a pack liner incase of rain. I have since put teflon tape on the connection, and haven't had any more leaks.
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
I use a dry bag (tested periodically in the bathtub) for my sleeping bag and another for my insulating clothing. The alternative is to use a pack liner. Nothing else will keep your insulation dry during a really heavy rain or if you slip and fall during a stream ford.
If you're using a bladder, leakage won't affect the dry bags. If you're using a pack liner, just keep the bladder outside your pack liner!
Personally, I won't use a hydration pack. Trying to suck water out of those hoses makes my jaws ache and becomes excruciatingly painful!
Edited by OregonMouse (10/10/1104:35 PM)
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
Personally, I won't use a hydration pack. Trying to suck water out of those hoses makes my jaws ache and becomes excruciatingly painful!
Wow, I never have a problem like that. Didn't imagine anyone could, never heard of that before. Only time I didn't get water or had a hard time it was my fault for not seating the quick connect completely.
Wait, I take that back - one hike a lady had issues getting water out of her hydration bladder. She had it upside down in her pack, with the hose connection end up, and the top end down. Once we re-oriented the bladder she had great success until the bite valve (cheap, walmart brand) popped off and drenched her pants.
_________________________
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki
I hiked with a guy using a platy bladder without an on/off switch to go with his bite valve. He was bletching awfully because he was always sucking air...
Lori, I never did thank you for the Platypus bladder suggestion. It lightened up my kid's pack weight, and now I'm adopting that solution across the family as Camelbak bladders fail...
Thanks for all the advice I believe I'm going to grab some trash compactor bags and start using them as liners. As I can't afford any good dry bags right now. I'll prob just hang it in hydration sleeve out of liner. In any event I'll let you know what I think as I'm going on a three day hike next week.
Thanks again everyone. SAMOSET
_________________________
Some peopole live life day by day. Try step by step.
Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
Frankly, I am not a fan of these "hydration systems." I am perfectly happy,and hydrated, drinking out of a canteen, which is often a recycled pop bottle. The hoses and bite valves, etc., are just too fiddly and as I have found, and as some here relate, they can leak and dribble and just generally mess up.
I actually went back to using bottles for a while and found that I stay hydrated with the hydration bladder, where I forget to stop and drink with bottles. Especially when I am trying to keep up with a deputy on some search - absolutely not stopping a lot or I'd be left behind.
_________________________
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki
No way could I go back to the hassle of canteens/bottles. Issues with bladders leaking are generally due to poor quality or poor design. My Camelbak has a simple on-off toggle at the mouthpiece to prevent leakage. Blackhawk brand does as well. Not sure about other manufacturers.
All three camelbaks that I have owned have all leaked. They have either leaked at the fill port, or where the hose joins the bladder. They have also leaked at the bite valve, except the two that have a turn off valve. My gatoraide or poweraid bottles have never leaked, ever.
_________________________
I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.
I've been resistant to using the bladder system, even though I've had one for a few years. The bladder can be a pain to get into the sleeve, particularly when installing into a full pack after refilling in the field. I also don't like not knowing what my water level is. On the other hand, I find I drink more often when using a bladder system. To try to get the best of both systems I've taken the hose/valve from my camelback and inserted it into a Nalgene canteen through a hole in the cap. I have the convenience of the hose with a bottle stowed in a pocket on the outside of my pack. Probably wouldn't work very well with a rigid container due to the suction but works well with the collapsible canteen
I am curious. Do most people here using a hose system also use treking poles? Do most people using bottles usually have their hands free anyways? Other than that, I am not a fan of bladders or any water in my pack because it is already waterproof. No need to add extra weight of liner. I like my pack snug, not floppy, and stopping to tighten the compression straps every time I get thirsty is annoying. Hoses in winter freeze and the bite valve leaks without a shut off. I find it hard to breath while sucking through a hose. I use a squeezable water bottle with the filter in the bottle. I also take a gatoraide squeeze bottle and fill it from the other as I walk because the filter bottle is barely better than sucking through a hose. Sometimes I want to suck down water at a faster rate. I also carry a large gatoraide bottle for "dirty" water in case I run out of filtered before the next creek. My water bottle with filter has a Grossgrain strap like a x.c. ski pole and I can almost forget I am carrying it when it is not hooked to the pack. Filtering water into a bag and carrying all that weight just seems like a waste of time to slow you down unless you are in the dessert.
I shifted to a bladder when I was ridge hiking in Hawaii. It was more convenient than bottles. I also like that I don't have to stop to drink, or take my eyes off of the trail or my surroundings - I can drink and move, and not have to take off my pack to fish out a water bottle. I used to use a canteen (strap and all) for this, but it didn't work well with my external frame pack when I started backpacking.
Compactor bag size for pack liner? My local grocer only had 20 galon bags is this pretty much standard as it sounded quite large to me I didn't pick any up. As I was curiosity if they made them smaller?
Thanks for any advice SAMOSET
Edited by Samoset (10/11/1106:13 PM)
_________________________
Some peopole live life day by day. Try step by step.
It confuses me when people say flow rate is a ding against hydration bladders, since I've used them for years without a single issue there - the bite valve that came with my Platy flows as fast as I can suck water out of it. I disinfect as necessary and replaced my bite valve earlier this year (finally it started to drip a little) and see no real problem with flow, taste, or any other issue. The Platy Big Zip has an on/off valve and is easy to use with any filter I've tried.
I do use trekking poles but not all the time. I've used the hydration bladder in all kinds of packs without liners, in kayaks, in just about any situation where I'm active. And there's no lid to lose.
_________________________
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
I use trekking poles and I use bottles. Yes, I stop and take my pack off when I want a drink, usually at my hourly rest stops. I also have a sustaining snack. Any excuse to stop, admire the view and smell the flowers!
I now give my dog Hysson a drink from his water bottles at rest stops, too. Why, you ask, when there are all those streams out there, which he prefers to drinking from a dish? A little over a month ago he came down with giardia and almost literally exploded in the car! I fortunately had a couple of old towels and a garbage bag for the worst of it, but I spent the rest of the drive (a very long hour and a half) with the car windows wide open, trying not to breathe, and stopping every 20-25 minutes to let him out for more. It took several hours to clean up and disinfect the car after I got home. Despite all the cleaning, I ended up having the car detailed, which wasn't cheap. Fortunately, a course of Flagyl took care of Hysson, and he's fine now. From now on, all his backcountry water will be filtered and carried in his pack!
It's chewing on those mouth valves that causes me the pain. Strange, because that's the only time I've ever had TMD joint problems! Admittedly, I never chew gum, or I might have gotten symptoms from that, too.
Re the compactor bag size--if it's too big, cut it down to fit--just leave enough at the top so you can use the "candy cane" method to close it (twist the end closed, wrap it with string, and then double the end back on itself and wrap again so it's water tight). You may find that you need the whole bag so you have enough to make the closure. Many brands of compactor bags are now scented--try to find an unscented brand. I haven't found any in the supermarkets or Walmart (all store brands) that aren't scented. You could also cut down a contractor trash bag to fit, avoiding the scent problem.
The good thing about the compactor bags is that everything inside is waterproofed and you can do away with a lot of stuff sacks. The bad, at least for me, was my rising blood pressure as I would shove a small item down into my pack only to have it repeatedly pop back out thanks to the slippery plastic. That's why I went to dry bags for my insulation.
Edited by OregonMouse (10/11/1107:33 PM)
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
I use a hydration bladder which I've added an inline filter to.
My biggest reason is so that I don't have to stop and wait on the refill. The Sawyer filter I use is good for life and is meant to be used inline. I can also gravity filter for others at about 1 liter for 1:20 seconds. All in it's 7 oz for the filter and hydration pack together.
_________________________
Without a doubt, the hardest thing of all in a survival situation is to cook without the benefit of seasonings and flavourings. - Ray Mears
I also use poles and bottles. I've tried the bladder and hose system, and it worked without any problems; I just never got the warm fuzzies about it, and defaulted back to my bottle, for no other particular reason than, well, I just wanted to. I sure can't find anything to fault about them, I just never took to them.
Re the compactor bag size--if it's too big, cut it down to fit--just leave enough at the top so you can use the "candy cane" method to close it (twist the end closed, wrap it with string, and then double the end back on itself and wrap again so it's water tight). You may find that you need the whole bag so you have enough to make the closure.
The bags I had were barely long enough to close at the top (my gear is still a bit bulky though). They were alot bigger around than the inside of the pack, but thats not really a problem as far as I'm concerned.
Originally Posted By OregonMouse
Many brands of compactor bags are now scented--try to find an unscented brand. I haven't found any in the supermarkets or Walmart (all store brands) that aren't scented. You could also cut down a contractor trash bag to fit, avoiding the scent problem.
I haven't been able to find any more unscented ones for a little while. The unscented ones I have now came in a four pack in a box. All I can find now are rolls, and they're all scented. I cant remember where I got the unscented ones, but if I do i'll be sure to post it. As far as the contractor bags, the ones I found are not even CLOSE to as thick as the compactor bags. The compactor bags are 3 mil. The contractor bags I saw were only 1 mil at most (I dont think they were even that thick).
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
The contractor bags I've seen are 2 mil. You'll have to go to Home Depot or lumber yard; you won't find them in the supermarket. The trash compactor bags I used in the past were also 2 mil. I would not buy anything less than 2 mil.
Someone told me recently that Hefty trash compactor bags are not scented (after I complained about not being able to find unscented ones), and that they are available in hardware stores. I pass this on for what it's worth--I switched to dry bags three years ago so never bothered to look.
_________________________
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
Our long-time Sponsor, BackcountryGear.com - The leading source for ultralite/lightweight outdoor gear:
Affiliate Disclaimer: This forum is an affiliate of BackcountryGear.com, Amazon.com, R.E.I. and others. The product links herein are linked to their sites. If you follow these links to make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This is our only source of support for these forums. Thanks.!