New Backpack ~ Hydration pack or just canteens?

Whiskey River

Whiskey River

Joined
Sep 13, 2007
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Ok, for day hikes and 1-2 day over-nighters.... what do you all like to carry for water? I just ordered an Eagle A-III and it can take a hydro pack, but i have no idea what size/model to get, or where to get it.....

Do you like hydration packs for your back packs or canteens? If canteens, do you carry 2?

Thanks for the ideas!
 
on my Eagle A-III pack I carried a 2 quart and a 1 quart canteen, and I used one of these
http://www.rangerjoes.com/canteen-straw-hydration-system-p-257.html

this allowed me to carry more water, which did add a little weight, but it's water it's life or death, so I always had 2 quarts on me as a reserve....what I did was attach them to the slots on the outside with alice clips and their pouches that they came in.....I kept the hose attached to the 2 quart and used the 1 quart when we stopped and filled it back up when we started to hike again.....


I've traded some gear for a hydration pouch, so I'll see if it works better when it gets here......
 
Last edited:
ratamahatta said:
on my Eagle A-III pack I carried a 2 quart and a 1 quart canteen, and I used one of these
http://www.rangerjoes.com/canteen-straw-hydration-system-p-257.html

this allowed me to carry more water, which did add a little weight, but it's water it's life or death, so I always had 2 quarts on me as a reserve....what I did was attach them to the slots on the outside with alice clips and their pouches that they came in.....I kept the hose attached to the 2 quart and used the 1 quart when we stopped and filled it back up when we started to hike again.....


I've traded some gear for a hydration pouch, so I'll see if it works better when it gets here......
Click to expand...

Which pouch did you order? I'm thinking a pouch would be nice and a 1 quart canteen in addition..... something to let my wife suck on, instead of my hose. Hmmmm that didn't sound quite right! lol
 
I always choose canteens. More flexible or perhaps I'm just old and set in my ways.
 
I used to use nalgenes, then army canteens, then klean kanteens, then hydration packs, now I use one liter platypus bottles... Feather light, durable and when empty take up almost no space
 
I go old school, BSA 2 quart, and Mil spec canteen, cup and cover on my hip. I have the MOP top canteen and the hose attachment, but I never use the hose. I like a rigid bottle, it makes stream filling easier in my book. Plus, I can't live without my canteen cup. The cover for mine sux, but it still works, so, until total failure, it stays. I also use a Nal narrow neck, and a Platy, but never at the same time. My Platy is used to carry liquor into amusement parks, so all it sees is Jack. My Nal is my "urban" canteen, but its seen the woods some. My BSA and Mil Spec get the most use out of all in the woods. Moose
 
I've got a little of everything, but Nalgenes usually win. Considering using a hydration bladder again for those days when the pack rarely if ever comes off. Hard to beat being able to drink on the go without messing with bottles in that case.
I prefer to use a pack that gives the option of either or both, and it isn't difficult to find ones that do.
 
the A3 should carry a Camelbak Squadback inside it, but that won't leave much room for anything else once you fill it with 25L of water. :eek:

if you don't need 5 gallons of water, you can run a 3L Camelbak bladder. available all over.

i usually use my Camelbak HAWG, with one or two 3L bladders.

the A3 or similar backs become very akward to fit a full bladder into when the pack is filled with gear, clothes or whatever. probably not to bad if you hook your water filter up to the D=QD fittings on the drinking hose and backfill thru that, but stuffing the full bladder back into it's pocket always seemed like a pain to me.
 
I use the military Camelbak bladders for when I am moving. In camp, I have one of the 4L Platypus Water Tanks for cooking, drinking, cleaning, etc. When you are done, it collapses down and weighs nothing.
 
Bladders all the way. Water is the heaviest thing you will carry, so placing it closest to your back makes life much more comfortable, plus it is easier to grab a drink than having to stop, open a contain take a drink, close the container.

Bladders will more than likely get you to drink more often.

I like a 3 liter bladder, it's more flexible. If I don't/can't stop to refill water, I can carry a days worth in that one bladder. But, if I'm just going for a short day trip, or somewhere I am likely to be able to resupply, then I can just put a liter in there.

No one's brought it up yet, but if it does, don't listen to the BS that a bladder is harder to clean. It's just as easy to clean as a bottle.

As far as brands go, camelbak is good, but I much prefer the Dakine one I just got.
 
For a long day-hike I usually carry a 1.5 liter bladder and a 1.0 liter Nalgene bottle.

stingray4540 said:
No one's brought it up yet, but if it does, don't listen to the BS that a bladder is harder to clean. It's just as easy to clean as a bottle.
Click to expand...

I'll take that one step further and say that, in some ways, the Camelbak bladder is easier to clean than a bottle. I can get my entire hand in the bladder and give it a good scrub, which I can't do with the bottle. Keeping the drinking tube clean is the only issue, but if rinsed well and allowed to dry after use it isn't a problem.
 
Canteens/bottles are a bit easier to use...
But i like how nicely a hydration pack distributes the weight, and that it conforms a bit to the other stuff you have in the pack.

On my proteus day-hike bag, i carry a canteen or bottle.
I've got a bladder in my Condor II, with a goyot bottle on the side.
 
I prefer using canteens myself, but I haven't used a bladder that much. I am not really sure why I prefer the canteens, I guess I just like to stick with what I was brought up on.
 
Hydration bladder all the way.

I absolutely hate taking my pack off to get water (or asking someone to get it out of my pack for me). And I don't like having a canteen banging against my side if I carry one on a strap. OTOH, if I use a bladder, I drink more, it's more convenient, and it's more comfortable.

Spent a lot of years trying to figure out how to carry water and stay hydrated when using a pack. And then they came out with compatible with hydration bladders, and I've never looked back.

How large of a hydration bladder you carry depends on how much water there is where you're hiking, and you're willingness to stop to filter/treat water during the day. If I was hiking in a place with a lot of lakes and streams, I'd probably go with a 1 liter bladder and plan on filtering once during the day. If out west where watering holes can be far and few between, a 4 liter bladder isn't out of the question.

For multi-day backpacking, I'm planning on getting a 4 liter MSR Dromlite bag. These fit right onto my MSR water filter, and they have attachments for both a water spigot and a hydration straw. If I'm hiking in wet areas, I'll put about a liter in it. If I'm hiking in hot/dry areas, I can go all the way to 4 liters. Works for me. :thumbup:
 
I tend to be more old school. I will never go without my 1L Mil canteen with cup for boiling/cooking. I also carry my old school 2L Mil canteen and add a few lightweight survival items in the cover like fishing line and hooks. I have a 3L Camelback that is in my pack which is nice while on the move but I only put 2L in it so it isn't so fat. That gives me a total of 5L when I start which is a lot and heavy but the 5L doesn't last long and soon goes to 4. I drink a lot of water and would rather carry more than needed. When my 2L is gone from my Camelback it is usually time to stop for a quick break and refill it.
 
Barbarossa said:
I tend to be more old school. I will never go without my 1L Mil canteen with cup for boiling/cooking. I also carry my old school 2L Mil canteen and add a few lightweight survival items in the cover like fishing line and hooks. I have a 3L Camelback that is in my pack which is nice while on the move but I only put 2L in it so it isn't so fat. That gives me a total of 5L when I start which is a lot and heavy but the 5L doesn't last long and soon goes to 4. I drink a lot of water and would rather carry more than needed. When my 2L is gone from my Camelback it is usually time to stop for a quick break and refill it.
Click to expand...

You're carrying 10.5 lbs in just water. Is water that hard to come by where you hike that it's worthwhile to haul that much?

I rarely go over 3 liters, even when I hike in the desert.

I know a lot of people like those old school Mil canteens and cups, but I dig my snowpeak mini solo titanium cook set. If I want a canteen-like container for drinking out of around camp, I add one of these to my kit. 3.5 oz, and it's virtually unbreakable.
 
I always carry a 1 quart canteen and the metal canteen cup. It is not very heavy, and there are all kinds of uses that you cant do with a water bladder. And it is darn near impossible to destroy a canteen short of burning it.
 
I have the Eagle A-III as well and I have a 100oz camelback omega bladder in it.
It works great.
I'm actually thinking of upgrading the bladder to the new 200oz camelbak beast bladder, but I am unsure if it will fit.
 
bulgron said:
You're carrying 10.5 lbs in just water. Is water that hard to come by where you hike that it's worthwhile to haul that much?

I rarely go over 3 liters, even when I hike in the desert.

I know a lot of people like those old school Mil canteens and cups, but I dig my snowpeak mini solo titanium cook set. If I want a canteen-like container for drinking out of around camp, I add one of these to my kit. 3.5 oz, and it's virtually unbreakable.
Click to expand...

I used to live in AZ and hiked a lot in the dessert so I tend to carry a lot. This is what I start the day with. I drink a liter within the first ten minutes of hiking if not before I start so I know I have some in me from the get go. If it's hot out, I can easily drink 2 liters/hour. I didn't say that I don't carry this much if I have a heavy pack, then it's down to 2-3 liters. I don't have a problem carrying this much water if my pack is light though around 20-30 lbs.
 
i use both,gives me alot of options,when i hunt in thick jungle i use the bladder so my canteen covers dont get snagged on the vegetation,over nite i use both, my canteens has my cook set,in open areas i just use the canteens,but what im trying out now is my canteens an a water filter less water to carry just filler-up if you got a water source,aloha
 
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