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#123398 - 11/04/09 11:42 PM Hydration Gear and Strategy
Zalman Offline
member

Registered: 10/25/09
Posts: 97
Loc: Olympic Peninsula, Washington,...
OK, I've been reading through various posts on this forum and I'm getting that Platypus water containers are the way to go, as opposed to, say, Camelback.

How much lighter is the Platypus than the equivalently sized Camelback? I've searched for this information, but come up short.

The only recurring complaint I've read about the Platypus is about the small size of the opening for filling the container. This zip-up model appears to solve that problem (perhaps at a slight weight cost?):



Somewhere on this forum I read that the Platypus bladder isn't suitable for filling with hot water, as in, melted snow. Is this also because of the small opening, or is there some other reason they can't be filled with hot water?

And finally, is there any reason to prefer one brand, or form of chlorine dioxide treatment to another?
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#123399 - 11/05/09 09:42 AM Re: Hydration Gear and Strategy [Re: Zalman]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Originally Posted By Zalman
OK, I've been reading through various posts on this forum and I'm getting that Platypus water containers are the way to go, as opposed to, say, Camelback.

How much lighter is the Platypus than the equivalently sized Camelback? I've searched for this information, but come up short.

The only recurring complaint I've read about the Platypus is about the small size of the opening for filling the container. This zip-up model appears to solve that problem (perhaps at a slight weight cost?):

\


I personally don't use the big zip, just because I don't trust that big opening not to.. open smile I'm content to use my pot to fill the little opening, it's not tough.

Quote:

Somewhere on this forum I read that the Platypus bladder isn't suitable for filling with hot water, as in, melted snow. Is this also because of the small opening, or is there some other reason they can't be filled with hot water?


Because of the thin plastic. I don't feel like killing it or having it fail when I put boiling water in it.

Quote:

And finally, is there any reason to prefer one brand, or form of chlorine dioxide treatment to another?


IMO, no - read the directions and make sure they are equivalent - but basically Cl02 is usually the same sort of thing.

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#123400 - 11/05/09 10:48 AM Re: Hydration Gear and Strategy [Re: phat]
Howie Offline
member

Registered: 06/02/03
Posts: 481
Loc: Canora, SK, Canada
I have put boiling hot water in my regular platy. I used it as a hot water bottle. Worked just fine, and they are rated for hot as well as cold liquids.

Howie

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#123401 - 11/05/09 11:56 AM Re: Hydration Gear and Strategy [Re: Zalman]
sabre11004 Offline
member

Registered: 05/05/07
Posts: 513
Loc: Tennessee
On the contrary, I have a variety of the platypus bags and I pour boiling water into them all the time and have never had any problem. I do use a small funnel with the bags that have the smaller opening. I also use the doubled bag (4 liters each) with the ceramic filter in between to filter water after gathering at my camp site. They seem to be very durable and they work great too. I have some platy bags that must be ten years old (maybe not that old but it seems like it) and I still use them...sabre11004 goodjob
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#123403 - 11/05/09 12:52 PM Re: Hydration Gear and Strategy [Re: Zalman]
ringtail Offline
member

Registered: 08/22/02
Posts: 2296
Loc: Colorado Rockies
Water should be carried in many small containers rather than one large one. In case of container failure you still have some water. They are easier to pack anyhow.

I prefer to drink from a bottle while hiking so that I can monitor/ration my water intake. My normal water budget is 1 pint for each hour hiked, 1 pint for lunch and 1 quart for breakfast or dinner. This budget needs to be adjusted for individual differences and weather conditions. You need a quart or smaller container of known capacity to stay on budget.

Water and food intake should be balanced regardless of how you carry your water.

“Camelling” or using your body as a water container works for some people. I my opinion you need to test whether it works for you, but it does not work for me.

Around camp you need to have at least one water bottle with these attributes:

Stable on uneven surfaces,
Durable enough to be dropped and survive cactus encounters,
Have a large enough mouth that you can add sports drink mix,
Light - Gatorade quart bottle is 2.4 oz. v Nalgene quart bottle is 3.9 oz
Compatible with common holsters including OR insulated bottle carrier,
Clear so you can judge turbidity, and
Inexpensive.

Either a quart or 20 oz. Gatorade bottle fill these requirements.

I prefer bladders for the water carried in my pack and in camp. They should have these attributes:

Be compatible with a hydration system,
Light - Platypus 2 quart bladder is 1.5 oz. v Nalgene 48 oz bladder is 2.3 oz.,
Have replaceable parts so you don't have replace the entire system when a single part fails, and Clear so you can tell your tea from your water.

For normal hiking I carry the following:

One Platypus Water Tank 2 for camp and extra carrying capacity,
One Playtpus 1 quart bottle,
One 1 quart Gatorade bottle used to harvest, measure and treat water,
One 20 oz. Gatorade bottle carried on a shockcord/cordlock on the pack shoulder strap and used as my camp cup - Swiss Miss cocoa tastes better shaken rather than stirred - sorry James Bond.

Bladder tips:

The spaghetti sauce that comes in jars can be transferred to a small bladder. The sauce can be heated by setting the bladder in a pan of water with the pasta.

For hot day hikes bladders can be frozen the night before and they will melt at about the same rate you drink.

An easy way to filter water into a bladder is to pull the bite valve off the hydration tube and attach the hydration tube to the filter output.

The cap on the Platypus bladders can be replaced with the standard soft drink cap. A soft drink cap with holes drilled in it turns a Platy into a pretty good shower. Also the Platy hydration tube can be attached directly to soft drink bottles.

The 2 quart capacity is handy because Country Time iced tea mix makes 2 quarts. A 1 quart capacity is handy to mix Tang and/or sports drinks.

Cut off the bottom of an old Nalgene or Platypus bladder and it makes a pretty good collapsible bowl.

Sanitation is very important for bladders and they need to be rinsed with a mild bleach solution after each trip. I store mine dry and empty. Some people store bladders frozen.

The best method I have found to drink at night is to have a hydration system next to the bag.

A bladder half filled with hot water makes a great hot water bottle.

When the temperature is below freezing blow the liquid in the hydration tube back into the bladder to avoid freezing.

When the temperature is below freezing the bladder (bottles too) should be stored upside down because water freezes from the top down.

If your have your bladder inside your bag at night to keep your water from freezing, do not attach the hydration tube. The pressure can force the bite valve off if you roll onto the bladder. I will not talk about how I know this.
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#123418 - 11/05/09 09:03 PM Re: Hydration Gear and Strategy [Re: Zalman]
Eric Offline
member

Registered: 09/23/02
Posts: 294
Loc: The State of Jefferson
I've had problems with the Big Zip zippers at low temperatures. The plastic gets stiff and become hard to close.

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#123442 - 11/06/09 10:52 AM Re: Hydration Gear and Strategy [Re: Eric]
Zalman Offline
member

Registered: 10/25/09
Posts: 97
Loc: Olympic Peninsula, Washington,...
Originally Posted By phat
I personally don't use the big zip, just because I don't trust that big opening not to.. open

Heh, it is kinda spooky isn't it? One reviewer at backcountry.com apparently plans to stuff this thing in his backpack without the "weighty" slide-lock, relying only on the zipper. I wonder what will happen when someone sits on it?

Still, reports regarding closure security (when properly used) sound promising.

Originally Posted By food
Light - Platypus 2 quart bladder is 1.5 oz

Holy cow! I had the owner of my local gear shop throw a 2L camelbak on a hanging scale, and it weighed in at 13oz. Quite a difference.

Originally Posted By Eric
I've had problems with the Big Zip zippers at low temperatures. The plastic gets stiff and become hard to close.

Ah, that makes sense, and is a deal-breaker for me. I'll try the standard Platypus bladder.

Thanks for the tips and suggestions!
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It's easy to be a holy man on top of a mountain.
-- Larry Darrell

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#123444 - 11/06/09 11:31 AM Re: Hydration Gear and Strategy [Re: Zalman]
Haiwee Offline
member

Registered: 08/21/03
Posts: 330
Loc: Southern California
For years I've used reservoirs made by Hydrapak . They used to make bladders that closed by folding the flaps and then securing the opening with Velcro. Their current product uses a plastic slide to secure the opening, which I don't like as much because if any debris gets in the slide opening it's very difficult to close the slide. In any case, I've been using their products for many years and have never suffered a failure.
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#123461 - 11/06/09 09:51 PM Re: Hydration Gear and Strategy [Re: Zalman]
Jim M Offline
member

Registered: 11/23/03
Posts: 430
Loc: Kitsap Peninsula, WA
Zalman,
I decide to try a hydration system after climbing this summer because I had to stop frequently to drink water and while I enjoyed the rest, I thought I would have traveled faster and performed better if I were hydrating more frequently in smaller amounts. I decided on the MSR 2 litere system. 4.5 ounces. It has worked out well. However, on a short climb yesterday I went to a liter Platypus (bottle not hydration system) in my pack and 20 ounce bottle (sports drink) in a "holster" on my waist strap. that system was lighter by 1.5 ounces, and gave me the variety of water and Gaiter aid. I also had a little problem with my hydration system getting icy a week ago, up high, below freezing. I'm going to go to Home Depot and look for a 3/8 inch foam jacket of some kind I can wrap around the tube. The bladder doesn't freeze due, I suppose, to the warmth next to my back.

http://www.rei.com/product/734347


Edited by Pliny (11/06/09 09:53 PM)
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