Does anyone here carry one of those water bladders with them, like the camelbak types, with their own little backpacks?

Just wondering what everyone thought of those things.

Braff, I don't have one but I have seen them at Wal-Mart, etc. They seem to be pretty expensive but there may be a good reason for that.

I think there are some off-brand ones they have brought the price way down now.

Still don't know if they are worth the money though. I was wondering because the day-pack I have can be fitted with just the bladder part. Wal-Mart has that for about $10. Been wondering if they would be worth it or not tho.

I've never used these.

I'm not so extreme that two 20oz bottles of water aren't usually more than enough and both my fanny pack and my backpack have pouches for those.

Two bottles was good enough for "the Chimney".

I did throw two more bottles in my backpack when I did "high rock on Pine Mountain" which I was glad to have, but there was plenty of room for that and other stuff I packed for that hike.

OK, I take it back...

I now know where they would be useful. I just logged 15 miles on my bicycle w/o any hydration.

Although I do have a bottle cage on my bike, I really don't like having to stop to drink and the water gets pretty warm, too.

I think the bladders would be very useful if you need to go hands-free, when biking or skiing.

Otherwise, I'm still about the bottles. I also like to carry those little flavor packets, like tea and lemonade and I'm not sure how the bladders handle those things.

I've had more than one "mishap" lets say, while trying to reach for a water bottle while riding a bike, usually by the time I was ready to put it back I just stopped.

Also... when mountain biking the bottle would always get filthy... I never thought much of that.

So biking could be a good use for one of those things.

Now.... If I would just ride the bicycle I bought a year and a half ago more than just around the yard once every three or four months.

I actually just bought a water bladder and a backpack with a pouch for it last week. I used it earlier this week when I went after echolocation. Other than the "plasticy" taste.. which might have been because I put the water in it the night before and it's new... it was great.

I hate having to carry anything all the time so just having a hose coming out of my pack was really nice, and I drink a lot of water so I have to keep hydration near. They have a bite valve on them that you squeeze with your teeth to open it to drink.

The bladder I got holds 2 Liters of water and was 9.99 and the pack I got was 15.99. The pack is your standard backpack, several pockets on the front and sides.

For a long hike I don't think I'd leave home without it.

Oh and about tea and lemonade, the only thing they say not to put in it is dairy. They have a really big hole in them to fill it and makes cleaning easy and the hose detaches as well. They suggest storing it in the freezer with a little bit of water in it.

I possibly could use one myself. A couple of trips back on the sugar branch trail I drunk 3- 20oz bottles of water, and bummed JJC for one. I guess at this point, deciding how much to carry would be my issue.

I carried the whole 2L with me. I'd rather be out there and be able to drain some than wish I had it. 2L weighs roughly 4.5 pounds, and it gets lighter as you go.

I must have came along way since this trip. Yesterday I walked 4.5 on the sugar branch trail and forgot to bring any water.How stupid was that.

Here is a reminder from your friendly Nurse telling you to STAY HYDRATED!

The importance of Water


H20 is your best friend, especially while on a longer hike

Signs of dehydration


Also, there is a great piece on why (and of course how) to stay hydrated on Camelbak.com, click on hydration 101 at the bottom left.

I always carry plenty of water even on short hikes. I learned that the hard way! Fanny packs are fine but can get pretty uncomfortable on longer hikes. They can also get pretty hot as there is usually no ventilation between the pack and the fanny. That's not to say I don't ovten use a fanny pack.

My regular backpack is a Deuter with a 3L bladder. It has all the right straps in the right places to make it comfortable. However, it is too big for short hikes when I have just small things to carry.

I have a Coleman hydration pack which was very inexpensive and works very well. However, it has no room to carry even small things.

I just got a Camelbak with a 3L bladder. It is a Camelbak M.U.L.E. and it is great. It also has 600 cu. in. volume to carry small things. It has large shoulder straps and a well ventilated back. It is very comfortable but is pricey at $71. The bladder is pretty well insulated and I am thinking if you freeze half a bladder the day before a trip and fill the rest the day of the trip it will stay cold all day. (at least not hot) The pack itself only weighs 1 lb 14 oz. I have also seen Backpacker magazine test the bladder by taking a mostly full bladder and running over it with a car. It did not burst.

I will have all these packs and others on display at the event in Kingsport on April 18. The event is GC1N3ZP. I will also have several tents, bivys, stoves, and other things used in hiking and backpacking.

I just realized I sound like a salesman . I am not selling anything just showing the things I have collected over the years. Everyone is welcome and I promise not to talk too long.

I am like Spongebob. I usually just carry a couple of bottles for a hike but if I am backpacking (overnight) I always take a bladder because I like to have plenty and especially a cup of hot chocolate in the evening or a cup of coffee in the morning. If you are packing dehydrated food it also take a lot of water to prepare. Sometimes on a long hike an even better option is the best water purification system you can afford.

I picked up a cheapy at Walmart and it works pretty well but not without a couple issues. I don't have a good backpack yet, so carrying a 20oz bottle around was getting old, plus it's not enough water. So now that I've carried the pack around a little bit, I've found that the cheapy bladder could use some improvement. The hose will leak and drip on your shoulder and also tends to let air in at the nozzle while you drink so the bubbles come with each sip of the water. Some teflon tape or a tight o-ring around the pivot point of the nozzle takes care of the leak and lessens the amount of bubbles that enter into the water though. The bladders at Walmart tout being non-plasticy tasting as well, but it's there, although not overbearing, hardly noticeable when the water is cold.

I wish I had gone ahead and gotten the pack for the bladder that has the extra pockets so that I could stow some extra food away. The one I have will stash enough food for one (a couple of granola bars) but not enough for two. So I think what I'm going to do is get another one with the extra pockets and another bladder and let my Gal use the new bladder and the old pack. We go biking occasionally and I think she'll appreciate it since we stop pretty regularly for some refreshment now.

Clean up is kind of annoying but a Camelbak would have to be dealt with just the same. Cleaning it calls for a Baking Soda scrub with a brush, a rinse, a lemon juice and water mixture slosh around, and then a final rinse. Drying the bag is difficult, but the alternative is to just leave some water in it and leave it in the freezer while not in use.