I have a Osprey Atmos 50 for an overnight pack and it has two options for a hydration bladder. One is a pocket inside the main compartment and the other is between the trampoline mesh and the main compartment. It looks nearly impossible to remove and replace the bladder in the pocket inside with a full pack. It is pretty cumbersome to R&R from the space behind the mesh, especially if the hose is threaded through the specified opening.

My question for those that use hydration bladders is, do you try to fill it with it in place or do you remove them? It seems there is the risk of spillage on to the items inside and I can imagine that with some water sources it simply wouldn't be possible.

I remove it.

I either remove them or, if I'm using my hydration bladder with the quick-connect valve along with a compatible water filter, everything stays in place and I simply hook up the filter output hose with the fitting on the bladder hose (Platypus makes this - takes about 30 seconds to install, and works great).

If I don't hang the bladder with the hose toward the bottom, it's harder and harder to get water to drink, so I end up removing it from the pack to get it filled. It may be difficult to squeeze the bladder back in with a very full pack - the Aura 50 I have makes it near impossible with the curve of the main compartment, but the Gossamer Gear pack I have it's much easier, as i can put my arm down the back into the bladder pocket to create a gap and slide the water in.

I stopped using a bladder, but when I did, I carried a filter and just refilled it inside the pack. Seemed to work okay.

If I am filllng it on the trail I remove the valve from the bladder, insert the hose from the pump into the hose from the bladder, and fill it that way. If I am at camp i go ahead and pull it out to fill because I use i around camp anyway.

ken

I used a 70 oz Camelbak Unbottle for several years inside my pack, and I just pulled it out to refill it. I kept it up against my back near the top so that it wasn't to big of a deal to pull out to refill.

Now I use 1 - 2 (depending on how much water I need to carry) one liter Platypus Hosers in my side water bottle pockets. This saves weight, makes it much easier to pull them out to refill and I can actually see how much water I have left.