Water bottles v. water bladders

[C.f.M.]

A water bottle had always worked fine for me, but I was never miles away from camp. So, last year I did the backpack with a water bladder (2L).

Until it broke, and I had to bum a water bottle from somebody...

So, I'm making my own water containment carrier thingie this year.

I tested, oh-so scientifically, and picked a bladder for it.

But, I'm thinking maybe of switching to bottles. A 1L on each side, in lieu of the 2L across the back, like in the picture.

Anybody have any thoughts/experiences in favour of one or the other?

[Sail Man]

We use camelbak's and love them for both the bladder and the storage. Inspect the bite valve before leaving, or bring a spare. We also have bottle cages for our bikes, and in our bike "trunks" we each carry a cooler with ice cold beer

[velocirafter]

I love the camelback just for handiness and having some space to carry my bits...I would totally forget to drink water if it was in a bottle in my bag but when its just a tube on my shoulder there is a chance i will spot it.

On the other hand, i constantly lose the bite valve on it ( as i write this i just remembered i lost it skiing and now have to get a new one before the burn...eeek) and last year i thought it leaked until someone pointed out the joint between the bladder and the tube needed to be tightened

I think the benefits outweigh the costs, i might bring a puncture repair kit incase it leaks this year

[C.f.M.]

I really hated the bite valve. My jaw hurt, by the end of the week, from all the biting and sucking.

I love the camelback just for handiness and having some space to carry my bits...I would totally forget to drink water if it was in a bottle in my bag but when its just a tube on my shoulder there is a chance i will spot it.

I'm making a belt (linked to pics), so it will be handy - and I could never, ever forget to drink water. And there'll be plenty of pockets specially picked out/created for my "bits."

If you feel thirsty, you're already @ 40% dehydrated. I just drink it all day (IRL, too).

It was the...lid thing, that you screw on and off, that leaked, not the bag itself.

The Platypus bag I chose (pics in links in OP) won't have that problem.

I do know, if I was going with the bladder, I'd try to get the "big bite," or whatever it's called, and a cover for it.

[geospyder]

Last year the hydropack was convienent for carrying other items but it was definitely sweaty on the back. I'm thinking of just bringing a couple Camelback bottles this year and having a pouch that I can sling across my shoulders for carring my stuff (mask, goggles, camera, etc.). Still haven't decided.

[C.f.M.]

Last year the hydropack was convienent for carrying other items but it was definitely sweaty on the back. I'm thinking of just bringing a couple Camelback bottles this year and haveing a pouch that I can sling across my shoulders for carring my stuff (mask, goggles, camera, etc.). Still haven't decided.

Yeah, as I joked in my blog, sewing the soft material onto the straps was easy, I just looked for the dried blood and chunks of my skin...hot and sweaty and chafe-o-rama (the backpack was).

I have an really awesome hip belt

http://www.blue-moon-designs.com/home.html

that I love and is perfect for my regionals, it was what inspired me to try and make one just for Burning Man, one that could hold 2+L of water somehow...

I forgot about these

http://playabound.wordpress.com/2010/04 ... r-problem/

It's the Platypus "bottles" I'm thinking to use.

[geospyder]

Think I'll do it the low tech way - one bottle in the bike holder and use a carabineer to attach the other to my belt.

[C.f.M.]

Think I'll do it the low tech way - one bottle in the bike holder and use a carabineer to attach the other to my belt.

I've done that, the swinging bottle got really annoying.

[Token]

Think I'll do it the low tech way - one bottle in the bike holder and use a carabineer to attach the other to my belt.

I've done that, the swinging bottle got really annoying.

That must be a chick thang.

Men got junk swinging left and right all the time ... well, at least I do.

I just don't see what the problem be here.

[theCryptofishist]

Never quite got to like the bladder operated system. Always hated that it was warm in the tube but cool in the bladder. It just annoys me less whtn it's all warm!
And I hate plastic. Even as a kid I had a horror of my mother's tupperware, with the ghosts of every meal ever saved in there clinging to the walls. CREEE-PEEE!
Steel bottles, neophrene sleeves, vague fruity flavor, it's my system.

[Ugly Dougly]

I have a habit of using my bota for a pillow, until it leaks.

[Eric]

I'm a bottle boy- I can't stand camelbacks. Like CfM my jaw got wrecked trying to suck on the little plastic bit all week (please insert sucking joke here).

I also don't like backpacks due to the sweat factor; so I wear a Pod Belt and hook a metal water bottle to it. I carry a second bottle on my bike.

[Fire_Moose]

Camelbak all the way.

sure my back gets sweaty

sure my shoulders get a little sore

But I've got everything i will need for my time out and it's not in my way at all.

[junglesmacks]

Methinks the jaw soreness could be attributed to other playa activities besides the Camelback..

[velocirafter]

I really hated the bite valve. My jaw hurt, by the end of the week, from all the biting and sucking.

I love the camelback just for handiness and having some space to carry my bits...I would totally forget to drink water if it was in a bottle in my bag but when its just a tube on my shoulder there is a chance i will spot it.

I'm making a belt (linked to pics), so it will be handy - and I could never, ever forget to drink water. And there'll be plenty of pockets specially picked out/created for my "bits."

If you feel thirsty, you're already @ 40% dehydrated. I just drink it all day (IRL, too).

It was the...lid thing, that you screw on and off, that leaked, not the bag itself.

The Platypus bag I chose (pics in links in OP) won't have that problem.

I do know, if I was going with the bladder, I'd try to get the "big bite," or whatever it's called, and a cover for it.

well i'm convinced...can you make me one too

[C.f.M.]

Maybe. I'm actually thinking, after all the shit I've made for this year, of doing some...not really sure.


The cammo pants in the other thread, too...

I think it's going to be pretty damn great (the belt, instead of a backpack).

[junglesmacks]

My personal choice for a backpack has been the Dakine Helipack for years. It has an integrated Camelback in a pouch inside the bag, with integrated drinking tube that runs through the front strap and out a zipperable opening. It's pretty sweet.

On either side of the bag, it has unzipperable mesh water bottle holders. This way, you can bring water bottles for easy access, plus have the inner bladder, plus all the storage space you need. One of my favorite compartments too is the upper top fleece one that fits a pair of goggles or sunglasses just right. I love this freaking bag..

[C.f.M.]

That is huuuuuuuuuuuge, way bigger than anything I'd need. That's why I love my belt so much. Holds everything I need and then some, and I hardly know it's there - well, I will with the new once, because of the water weight, but still.

I'm thinking a bottle will also be much easier to ask for water for, in those situations (a pet peeve of mine last year) where I'm far, far away from home and out of water.

[junglesmacks]

That is huuuuuuuuuuuge, way bigger than anything I'd need. That's why I love my belt so much. Holds everything I need and then some, and I hardly know it's there - well, I will with the new once, because of the water weight, but still.

I'm thinking a bottle will also be much easier to ask for water for, in those situations (a pet peeve of mine last year) where I'm far, far away from home and out of water.

Yes but you get to hold warm things, blinky things, food, random things, etc etc etc in addition to your water. You could leave camp for 24 hours and be self sufficient.

[Lord Of Ruin]

I really hated the bite valve. My jaw hurt, by the end of the week, from all the biting and sucking. ...

Eek....Umm...I don't think you read the instructions on the CB if that's the brand!

You are supposed to slice the bite valve open a bit....they used to include a nifty little graphic on how to carefully do this.

A properly prepped CB with the air aspirated out of the bladder should require almost no effort to draw from. About the same as a drinking straw from a fast food soft drink cup...

[junglesmacks]

I really hated the bite valve. My jaw hurt, by the end of the week, from all the biting and sucking. ...

Eek....Umm...I don't think you read the instructions on the CB if that's the brand!

You are supposed to slice the bite valve open a bit....they used to include a nifty little graphic on how to carefully do this.

A properly prepped CB with the air aspirated out of the bladder should require almost no effort to draw from. About the same as a drinking straw from a fast food soft drink cup...

Ok.. I just called CB directly and talked to customer service. They said that is completely untrue. If you cut the opening any more, it will dribble. The only time you should cut it is if for some reason there is a defect and the slicing machine did not make a complete cut in the mouthpiece.

[Starman97]

Re: hot water in the tube
I always hold mine up and give it a squeeze to let the water drain back into the pack. Avoids the wet mouthpiece that attracts playa dust.
I usually toss an emergen-C pack in the water for a little flavor.

[C.f.M.]

You have to bite down on it, to open the valve to allow the water to flow through. I don't know how cutting the rubber around it would alleviate that...but I also don't really know why I should have to fix something to work better, after I buy it...

[junglesmacks]

You have to bite down on it, to open the valve to allow the water to flow through. I don't know how cutting the rubber around it would alleviate that...but I also don't really know why I should have to fix something to work better, after I buy it...

[MoonSplash]

I'm attaching a small, softsided cooler to my bike handlebars. I can keep an extra bottle of water in there with one of those blue ice pack thingies.

I have a large Nalgene which has an insulated covering to keep the drink cold. I may wrap some extra insulation on top of that. I HATE WARM WATER.

[C.f.M.]

Hot, cold, I don't care, as long as it's hydrating and keeps me feeling tip-top.

I guess the consensus on bottle v. bladder is, as I expected, no consensus at all!

And Admiral Ackbar. That never gets old.

[kman]

That is huuuuuuuuuuuge, way bigger than anything I'd need. That's why I love my belt so much. Holds everything I need and then some, and I hardly know it's there - well, I will with the new once, because of the water weight, but still.

I'm thinking a bottle will also be much easier to ask for water for, in those situations (a pet peeve of mine last year) where I'm far, far away from home and out of water.

Yes but you get to hold warm things, blinky things, food, random things, etc etc etc in addition to your water. You could leave camp for 24 hours and be self sufficient.

I'm hardly in a place to give a non-biased opinion, because I've been addicted to camel baks for years. I used the earliest models to come onto the market in NYC in the early 90s, because they got really popular and were just for bicyclists.

I'm used to carrying a backpack. I'm a big guy, too, so I barely notice the weight. I try to be self-sufficient any time I leave camp, because of the time and distance involved if you forget anything. And I really over-do it on the water. 3l CamelBak bladder plus a 1l bottle anytime I set foot outside of camp. If I kill the CB, I know I've got a liter in reserve and it's time to head back.

So clearly, I vote bladder.

I'll offer up this tidbit for anyone considering the camelbak route, though:

Pass on the pretty civilian models, and go for the military-issue packs that CamelBak makes. SO MUCH better (and bigger, in some cases) than the pretty civilian models! The hose is modular... you can remove it, which makes everything much easier to clean and dry. You can swap hoses with another bag, or bite valves (not just the tip). And the bladders are extremely durable... much moreso than the regular ones. They were made to military specifications: They had to be able to survive a 6' tall marine with a full pack falling 6' onto hard ground, and not burst. (This will not prevent a sharp knife or piece of rebar from piercing one, but it's pretty impressive all the same.

And best of all... the prices are comparable... and better, in a couple of ways. A replacement bladder for the military version costs the same as picking up a new one from REI. But all of the military bladders include the little neoprene insulation sleeve that you pay like $10 for to add to your regular CB bladder.

Their hydration backpacks (full size backpacks with built-in bladders) are awesome, too.

The ONLY "downside" to using the military bladders is if you're one of the people (like me) that prefer the 90-degree angle mouthpieces. But the trade-offs aren't worth it, IMO.

[illy dilly]

Pass on the pretty civilian models, and go for the military-issue packs that CamelBak makes.

So then were can you get the Military bladders from? My local Army surplus has a lot, and they have some of the camo military CamelBak bags, but not just the bladders.
I've taken and converted a black triangle or one shoulder back pack I've had and loved for years into a camel bak (added some El wire too). I got just the standard blue bladder from my local army surplus. Were can I get the high strength bag from?

[Bexx]

YAY for military bladders! I scored because my nephew who has been serving over in Afghanistan doesn't use his (he uses bottles) - so he gave it to me. I just filled it up to test it.. and it looks to be in good shape.

[C.f.M.]

Last year I went on post, thinking they'd have stuff for our boys in the Middle East, but didn't find anything I couldn't get off-base.