Nalgene vs. Water Bladder

[BGbowhunters]

I was wondering why people prefer a Nalgene water bottle over a water bladder. I've always thought that bladders are better because they're so close at hand although I've seen a lot of guys use a Nalgene water bottle when hunting. Are there any benefits?

 

[Lawnboi]

They don't pop.
They don't leak.
They are easy to refill.
Easy to assess water intake.
Can add flavor without mold problems.
Hose doesn't freeze.
Can put very hot water into them.

I carry both. usually a big hoseless bladder though.

 

[twall13]

I use both. I like a nalgene for adding supplements/flavors. Lately I've been using Nuun tablets and I don't want anything but water in my bladder as it's easier to keep clean that way. Another benefit is they resist freezing a lot better than a bladder/tube when it gets really cold. Yes you can blow the water back into the bladder, but even at that I've had my mouth/valve freeze up. Easy enough to thaw out by sucking on it for a bit but it's extra effort.

Bladders do win out in a couple areas though. Since they take the shape of the water, you don't get the sloshing sound when it's only halfway full. I also tend to drink more when hiking if I have a bladder handy. I've found a place for both in my system, but neither is perfect for every situation.

 

[flatlanderhuffandpuff]

I use both.

I keep the Nalgene as my backup water supply. I hate not knowing how much water I have left and when I get down to the last end of my bladder I can portion more easily. They are damn near indestructible and I can use my Steripen with it. There is a size and weight penalty but it's always in my pack.

Having a bladder makes me drink more which is always good.

 

[307]

I'm going back to the bottle. Bladders always seem like a good idea but in reality, they don't work well for me. I am not a sipper. I chug, sometimes a whole 32 oz at a time. I have a hard time getting enough flow rate from a hose/valve to feel like I'm actually getting a drink. The hot liquids, flavor addition, and ease of filling are all additional bottle advantages. The sloshing around is really the only significant disadvantage for me.

I do have the platypus gravity filter though so I definitely have bladders in the system.

 

[elkstabber]

I use a collapsible water bladder that slips into the Nalgene holder on my hipbelt.

Like this:
Amazon.com : 700mL Outdoor Sports Collapsible Water Bag Portable Kettle : Sports & Outdoors

 

[Ridge Ghost]

They don't pop.
They don't leak.
They are easy to refill.
Easy to assess water intake.
Can add flavor without mold problems.
Hose doesn't freeze.
Can put very hot water into them.

I have switched back to a Nalgene for this reasons. I'm not a big fan of the sloshing, but other than that I prefer it to a bladder.

 

[twall13]

I'm going back to the bottle. Bladders always seem like a good idea but in reality, they don't work well for me. I am not a sipper. I chug, sometimes a whole 32 oz at a time. I have a hard time getting enough flow rate from a hose/valve to feel like I'm actually getting a drink. The hot liquids, flavor addition, and ease of filling are all additional bottle advantages. The sloshing around is really the only significant disadvantage for me.

I do have the platypus gravity filter though so I definitely have bladders in the system.

I agree with you. After a couple days in the backcountry if I don't have a way to chug some water without sucking it out of a hose I get very irritated.

 

[matthewmt]

Wonder how these work for guys as well. Here are my thoughts on bladders and how I set mine up this last season.
Installed a Sawyer inline on the hose just passed the qd connector close to the bladder itself knowing it would stay in the pack bag and would help with insulating when the Mercury dropped. I also have an insulated hose which helps, I did have the bite valve freeze up on me but discovered tucking it between my chest and bino harness made short work of the froze valve and kept it from freezing after that and kept it out of the way but handy when needed.
Having a filter on my bladder allowed me to remove my bladder from the pack and scoop up water when it was accessable. Down side to carrying water like this IMO is when you need water for coffee or mountain house because the filter definitely slows down the flow even removing the valve itself.
it helps to hang the pack so gravity helps fill your cup.
Having 75-100oz bladder to top off when your uncertain of water sources to come is another reason I like the bladder.
Sawyer inline came with a 16-20oz pouch I believe that folds up when empty also and is nice for throwing some supplements in.

If your using water from creeks etc and need filtration what do you do with a nalgene besides using a filter to fill it? I know there are lids with UV caps but why not use a Sawyer squeeze instead of the nalgene? Seems like I can down a 32oz nalgene pretty quick. Again I'm curious as well what works for guys that run bottles.

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[Wapiti1]

On a backpack hunt, I carry a gatorade bottle, and my one nalgene. The gatorade bottle is probably 10 years old and still works fine. The wide-mouth nalgene is easier to fill in skinny water. Bladders can be a PITA to fill in a tiny spring without a pump/filter. Bladders are also harder to use for filling cook pots. My preference is to use tabs for purification, and not mess with a pump/filter.

On basecamp hunts where I have a faucet or big water jug with spigot, I like the bladders better. For just hiking, and drinking, they are really convenient to use. The mold thing is a problem though. Freezing is 50/50. I've had frozen water bottles, and frozen tubes. Neither was awesome to try to thaw out.

Lately, I have gotten a couple of vapur 1.5L collapsible bottles. After a season they are still holding water, and are perfect for camp water storage when backpacking. Very light weight and small when empty.

Jeremy

 

[vanish]

I like bladders in theory, but after tearing hoses twice while packing out elk (and thus losing all my water), I had to switch back to using nalgenes.

 

[tommymo]

They don't pop.
They don't leak.
They are easy to refill.
Easy to assess water intake.
Can add flavor without mold problems.
Hose doesn't freeze.
Can put very hot water into them.

I carry both. usually a big hoseless bladder though.

I use both.

I keep the Nalgene as my backup water supply. I hate not knowing how much water I have left and when I get down to the last end of my bladder I can portion more easily. They are damn near indestructible and I can use my Steripen with it. There is a size and weight penalty but it's always in my pack.

Having a bladder makes me drink more which is always good.

This is what I do, works great.

 

[justinspicher]

They don't pop.
They don't leak.
They are easy to refill.
Easy to assess water intake.
Can add flavor without mold problems.
Hose doesn't freeze.
Can put very hot water into them.

Spot on for this dude.

 

[Jauwater]

I’ve had a bladder bust on me before. Temperature was below freezing. It soaked my extra base layers, and socks in my pack. A lot of the water soaked into my sleeping bag. Had no bottles on me, no other way to carry water. I was freezing most of the night. I got up around 2am, and hiked 4 miles back to the truck. Never used a bladder since. I never was a huge fan of a water bladder. Then started using Nalgenes. Now I carry Klean Kanteens. Very easy to clean. Anything can go in them. Was able to get rid of my Jetboil, and started carrying an ultralight stove. Using my Klean Kanteen to boil water when needed. They do freeze on cold nights. But a few seconds on the stove in the AM, and your good to go. The chance of a water bladder failing is far greater then a bottle failing. It’s difficult drying out clothes, and/or sleeping bag in freezing temps due to a water bladder failure.


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[Owenst7]

I use Smart Water bottles with the sport top and Platypus roll up bottles. Both are about 1.1 ounces/liter. A nalgene is about 6 ounces if I remember correctly. I usually carry 3 liters of water with storage for another 2-3 liters. I would be carrying an extra 24 ounces just in empty bottles, which is a bit more than an extra day of food for me. The smart water and Platypus bottles thread on to my sawyer filter and allow me to use it as a gravity filter. I also have a ton of redundancy in the system since everything uses the same caps and I have a bunch of bottles. I've found its easier to distribute the load close to my back this way, especially as I drink throughout the day.

I use a hydrapak system for day hikes when I'm not concerned about freezing or weight, and I'm not planning on needing to filter any water. The bladder and hose weighs 10 ounces empty though. I do like it for things like chukar hunting where I'm trying to keep my hands free and I'm usually wearing a small pack with no bottle holders,

 

[colersu22]

I carry both, I drink out of the bladder and use the Nalgene for Nuun tablets and since I use a steripen I use the Nalgene to purify water and dump it in the bladder to refill. I haven't had a bladder break on me but have heard stories so I figure if it happens at least I have the Nalgene for backup.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Most of my issues with a bladder revolve around refilling easily. I still use them quite a bit when large quantities of water are going to be consumed.
This last year I used a water bottle with a filter built into it almost exclusively. You can't mix stuff with it due to the filter, or put coffee/hot chocolate in it, but it worked very well......for the life of me I can't remember what the name of it is right now.

 

[sr80]

Ive been using a platapus bladder for years and never experienced a leak yet, knock on wood. Its my go to until its too cold and the hose and mouth piece freezes up. The i switch to clunky / heavy nalgenes

 

[xziang]

I had always used a 3L platypus bladder but last year tried something new and went with a Nalgene bottle instead due to different pack. My primary reason for doing it though was to save on weight and space (carried less H2o).

I will say the filter pump system and quick disconnects on the bladder make refilling a breeze though!! This year I just carried used the Nalgene bottle along with a compressible bottle in the pack that I would fill up as a backup.

 

[nodakian]

I’m a gulper, too so I’ve never liked sipping from tubes, and I find Nalgenes too round and rolly. GI canteens for me. Day trips get 3 single quarts, overnights get supplemented with 2-quart collapsibles. They’re cheap, tough, and easy to find, plus you can get a metal cup for cooking and eating that the 1-quart fits into. The cup works on top of a Pocket Rocket stove.