prevent water from freezing...

another hike today, and my water froze.. again.. I'm using a hydrapak 2l bladder in a MEC 9l backpack. There isn't enough room for a seperate bottle, even a small one, and my budget is too tight for an upgraded pack.. I bought the insulated hose but that didn't help either.. I've tried keeping the hose inside my coat today, but the other end (near the pack) froze.. there must have been some residual water left after I blew it back in the bladder.

I've read a little alcohol will do.. Is that a practical joke for new hikers, or does it work? if so, how much do I add?

Other tips are appreciated. I tend to drink quite a bit of water (when its not frozen)

Thanks for your time
Geo

Try a couple of the little hand-warmers that you pull from the pack and shake up. Leave one or two at the bottom and the radiant heat ought to be plenty to keep it from freezing.

As the mercury drops, bladders with hoses become increasingly difficult to manage. While I do not use a hoser even in mild weather, I have noted my friends who do cease to use them in the serious cold. Water bottles become the norm. Sometimescertain gear choices need to change to match the conditions.

I'm going to buy a couple cheap handwarmers for my next 'venture and give it a try. thanks.

here's my dilemma. I have tried fitting a bottle on the outside and it just wasn't practical.. It would also, likely, freeze the same way the hose does. I'm not working either so getting a pack with more storage is out of the question right now.

yes, a bottle on the outside of the pack will also eventually freeze, but different than the hose, as the volume is significantly different. An insulator sleeve helps with the bottles, as does keeping is opening side down (water freezes from the top down).

One good thing about the soggy Pacific NW is that most of the time it isn't cold enough for us to have this problem, at least not with water bottles. I've had water bottles freeze at night, but not solid, even on a 15*F night. As DTape says, turning the bottle upside down means that the last place to freeze is around the opening. If it's way below freezing, starting with warm or even hot water and an insulator sleeve should help. I agree that a hoser system (which I don't use) is probably not practical when it's way below freezing in the daytime.

I am generally against water bladders in winter. I don't really like them in summer either. Anyways, in winter I usually will bring water in a stainless canteen. When it is being stored, it is in a cozy I made from sleeping mat foam. When I store it over night, I turn it upside down and jam it into the snow. The snow insulates it, and if it freezes, chances are it won't freeze on the bottom. Turning it upside down makes the bottom the top, etc. Since it is in a metal container, it is easy to warm up/ thaw out.

If you have to have a bladder.....check out this video. This guy has an interesting take on it. It isn't my video, BTW.
water bladder in winter

We've had a cold winter in the Northeast, and a lot of our hikes have been in single digits and below. I bought some Hydroflasks and have had zero issues with freezing. For the small weight penalty of the stainless steel bottle, liquids put in at cool temps would stay just that for many hours. Not as convenient as a tube, but better than eating snow. I use to wrap my bottles in Reflectix and foam, but the flasks have rendered that useless. On overnights, I had water for the morning coffee by putting in some hot water from dinner. Didn't keep the flask in my sleeping bag, either. That's a plus!