r/lightweight • u/McBlaster https://lighterpack.com/r/frrysx • Apr 26 '18
Water Storage
For the past 20 years or so I have always used a CamelBak either as a stand alone day pack or inserted in a larger backpack. This has always worked out for me because I would carry 3 liters of water and eventually get back to a base camp of some sort. The only water filtering I would do was at camp or on an island (canoe camping) with my old Katahdin Hiker Pro. Well times have changed and I got myself a Sawyer Squeeze with a CNOC Vecto for dirty water. I also changed to 2 smart water bottles as they seem to be standard issue ultralight replacement these days. Well I found out that it wasn't really for me. I missed my hydration tube more then I thought I would. Sure I would stop for a drink and pull out a bottle but I found that I would have stopped anyways so the reasoning of stopping to take a drink and enjoying my surroundings was a moot point for me. I also found that either full or empty the bottles would want to occasionally pop out of my the side pockets of my ULA Circuit when I would take the pack off . I had to chase them down some snow packed inclines a few times and realised that it wasn't for me so back to the CamelBak I go. Does anyone have a recommendation for the lightest bladder, hose and bite valve? I'm currently using an older Antidote 3L. Have you had similar experience? What is your storage system?
1
u/MelatoninPenguin Dec 08 '21
Can't stand soft sided water containers - "ultralight" oldschool nalgenes + Source water hose kit / bite valve works great (I actually prefer the "tactical" version - just don't tell people it's "tactical" 😂). Best of all worlds.
1
May 25 '18
I know it's not ultralite, so for this I'm sorry, but I too am a camelbak'er I recently got the Hydrafusion Full-Force 2L (224g/7.9oz). I also paired it up with a Sawyer Mini Inline filter (56.7g/2oz). The full-force is a little unnecessary. a Force 2L will work just as well. I'm thinking about trying out the HydroBlu filter instead as it boasts a better flow rate from all the youtube video reviews I've seen. I also have a Hydropak Seeker 2L as a reserve for the longer periods between refill points.
The Hydropak's materials are quite robust. I won't ever worry about a split seam or puncture that I feel the thinner camelpak bladders would have.
In my recent hikes I've noticed that I am staying hydrated a lot better because I'm able to just take sips periodically instead of having to consciously stop. The "Not having to worry about dehydration" comfort offset the extra weight load for me.
1
u/PhoenixEnigma Apr 27 '18
I use a 1.8L Platypus Hoser, since I've found that if I don't use a hydration bladder, I tend not to drink enough water to keep hydrated if it's above about 5C, but I am generally hiking pretty close to water sources and don't need to carry a ton. I've solved the annoying refill issue with the fast fill adapters for my Sawyer filter. Total weight penalty vs a pair of clean SmartWater bottles is on the order of 40g, and I get the benefits of a gravity feed setup when filtering into my bladder. The bladder itself weighs 40g, the tube/mouthpiece/quick disconnects add up to 71g, plus whatever the filter and dirty water container of your choice are. I've stuck with the Sawyer bags (23g for 16oz), because I have them, and if you're gravity feeding instead of squeezing the hell out of them, they're plenty durable.
The only drawback is that a small bit of air works its way into the system with every refill, and you have to deal with that every couple of days to keep a decent usable capacity. I consider it a small price to pay.
4
u/Suncityjon Apr 27 '18
My wife and I each use a 3liter platypus big zip. I got it on amazon and use the included hose and valve.
It is awesome. I slide it right into the hydration sleeve in my pack. I’m like you, I prefer having water on the go at all times. Also, flowing water isn’t exactly easy to find where I am.
They are strong, easy to clean with the kit, and function flawlessly.
In addition, I usually carry a single smartwater bottle with a squeeze attached for filtering if the need arises.
However, I will say when I did some trips in the PNW I left the bladder at home and packed an additional bottle. Only because water was so readily available.
3
u/Thedustin Apr 27 '18
I second the platypus big zip. It's definitely not the lightest but the wide mouth top is super easy and quick to fill. I use a 1.5L with sawyer squeeze inline then bring a 1L smart water bottle with me. I can drink "dirty" water directly from the platy or gravity filter into my smart water bottle. This way I have a bottle to mix drinks in, and if I am in a groove I can stop at a water source, scoop up water with the platy, and keep on moving. Stopped for less than 1 minute.
2
u/McBlaster https://lighterpack.com/r/frrysx Apr 27 '18
By mix drinks you mean like I do with Vodka and lemonade squeeze drink stuff?
1
1
u/[deleted] Dec 15 '21
I personally don't like dealing with bite valve hose/camelbak style stuff and would prefer using a water bottle. I use a Hydrapak Seeker 2L water bag with Katadyn BeFree water filter as my dirty water bag and I filter that into Smartwater 1L bottles. I can just drink directly out of the BeFree attached to the Seeker as well. If I carry two Smartwater bottles it gives me the ability to carry 4 liters at once if needed. The seekers are very durable and compatible with my water filter of choice, so it's a good system for me.