Water Bladder or Bottles

[hflier]

Would like to get a feel for what most of the mountain hunters carry for water, bottles or a bladder?

Seems to me that over time, I am gravitating towards lightweight bottles. Seems easier to purify and I have had a lot of freezing issues with the bladders. I am currently carrying a Platypus collapsible 2L and 2 REI lightweight Nalgene 1 Liter bottles with Cap-Cap lids. Total weight for all three is about 7 oz. unfilled of course.

Ron

 

[nwbow87]

Depends on the weather and altitude. 90 percent of the time I run a 3l bladder with an I line sawyer. High altitude or super cold, water bottle

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[mrbillbrown]

3L camelbak bladder in pack, Nalgene on hip.


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[R_burg]

Both. Platy 3L bladder and Klean Kanteen as well. I use the Klean Kanteen for my electrolyte mixes. That stuff really helps me.

 

[ljalberta]

Nalgene for me. I'll carry a couple platypus 2L as well or a Dromlite 6L depending on where I'm going. I've never personally got into the bladders/hose.

 

[Jordan Budd]

I'm with you on the bladder/hose.. just don't use those as much anymore, especially where there is a lot of water. I carry an empty 6L dromlite bag in then fill it at the last water source for camp if needed. Always have it with me though, even if I camp by the water I'll fill it and hang it in camp. Those liter platty bags are super handy too. Nalgene and a cap cap lid is always with me, but I've just gotten away from a bladder/hose for the most part. This week we are headed to Mexico and I'll have a 2L bladder/hose with me, but only plan to fill it if we'll be away from water for a long time.. which sounds like is going to happen.

Around here though there's enough water around that my nalgene and 6L drom bag seems to be a plenty.

 

[Bmcox86]

I use a bladder and two 16 oz nalgenes, I can filter straight into the bladder from the quick disconnect and carry 2litres no problem then use the 16oz bottled to mix my drink mix in for extra energy when I need. That being said my bladder hose froze at the worst times this year and it was pretty frustrating

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[Hungarydog]

Just never could get use to drinking from a hose so 2- 1 liter Dasani bottles and a platapus 4 liter tank if Im not going to have water readily available.

 

[dsclowers]

I use both. Bladder for convenience on the move and nalgene for convenience in camp. In colder weather the bladder seems more insulated in my pack. One trick I use to keep the water from freezing in the hose is to take a drink and then blow air back into the mouth piece to push the water out of the hose. A few drops might freeze in the mouth piece but those have been pretty easy to take care of.

 

[bluetick78]

I started doing the same thing. Blow the water back into the bladder after you drink. I've kept my water from freezing down to about -10 that way. It also helps to have the bladder in your main bag right against your back. I started carrying 2 1L bottles with me last fall, one for electrolytes and the other one for protein drinks. Seemed like a lot of wasted weight and space, but I felt better than I ever have on an extended high altitude hunt.

 

[freebird134]

I've never liked drinking from the hoses. When I'm really thirsty or out of breath and hot, I can never get water from them. I used vapor bottles last year and really liked them.

 

[oldgoat]

Yes! Nalgene for actually drinking and a Dromelite 2L to refill it. Was carrying a camelbak to refill it, but it's more weight and bulk than the dromelite.

 

[mfllood3800]

Nalgene on hip, 2 L in pack and 6l in camp
I utilize a quick connect for the bladder to ease filling in pack.
Most if not all my hunts are Aug - Sept, and rarely in Oct. Freezing not an issue for me though. My hunts are 8500-10500'.

 

[Akicita]

I carry Nalgene now. . . I was using the 750ml plastic bottles from the convenience store for a while but took a bad fall with my pack on last year and busted them both to the point they wouldn't hold water. Luckily I was carrying an empty 3L bladder for a camp cache and got through the trip with that. My normal load out for warm weather is one Nalgene and a 3L bladder for camp cache. The bladder is usually empty unless anticipating few water sources. Winter trips I take two Nalgenes, one full one empty and one Primus .75L vacuum thermos with something hot in it at all times.

 

[406]

The "sloshing" of a half full nalgene started driving me nuts. I bought a platy soft 1L and have been using that on the trail.

Nalgene in camp for ease of use and a couple 3L platys for camp cache.

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[WVhillbilly]

To the guys running a bladder and a nalgene, what are you doing for purification?
I have a nalgene and a 4L dromlite I was planning on running. I don't have a filter system, just a steripen and aquamira drops. I was thinking of using the drops in the bladder and the steripen in the nalgene.
Does anyone carry dirty water in their bladder and just refill the nalgene for use with the steripen?

 

[KJH]

I really dislike bladders... very much so. I bet I have 6+ bladders that will never get used again.

I use a Nalgene bottle that attaches directly to my purifier and also several empty 32oz. Gatorade bottles to carry and drink water. Its the opposite of trendy and Rokslidish, but I prefer it so much more. I can pour the purified Nalgene bottle into the Gatorade bottles. They never leak and and a durable as heck. I've never had one come apart or break with massive abuse. I have had bladders get poked and slow drip all day until the entire inside of your pack is wet. Plus when you get out of the field, you can toss them and don't need to wash or store them. The Powerade bottles don't work nearly as well (too bad because they taste better when you buy them)... They leak around the lids after a while.

I don't carry anything on the hip, just inside of a pack pocket. I don't drink consistently while moving... just a lot at one time when I stop. I guess thats why I've never noticed the sloshing.

Just my preference.

 

[hflier]

Thanks for the inputs. Thought I was the only one that was not all that crazy about the bladders. I think the way I will run this year is the collapsible bottles in the pack and a Nalgene on the belt. I will dump the water in the collapsibles into the Nalgene and then run a SteriPen or drops on the water in the bottle.

 

[92xj]

How do you guys fill your bladders without contaiminanting the opening or outside by drips and splashes, or is that a non issue. And then how to fill a bottle from a dirty storage bladder that you'll steripen. All very basic and green questions but some having no experience could benefit from reading the whole process.

 

[Blockcaver]

Five 20 ounce Gatorade bottles (sometimes a one liter in lieu of a couple of the 20 ounce bottles) for me. There are tough as heck, the "wrinkles" minimize sloshing, zero cost, (recyclable for a credit of $0.10 ea in BC) and I can stick one in the cargo pocket of my Attack pants for the final stalk when I drop the pack. I like to mix up Emergen-C Electro-mix in some of them each day.

I never liked sucking on a hose or messing around filling a bladder that maybe contaminated. Bladders and hoses are really hard to thoroughly disinfect (for me), although a bladder wins for conserving space in the pack.