Water Bladders
General Topic
I know this should be a no brainer, right?! But the past couple years I have only used a 32oz nalgene after I have had some bladders leak. I'm looking for a sturdy 3 liter bladder that I can hook up my Katadyn Hiker Pro to without taking it out of the pack.
I have looked at both the Platypus Big Zip and the Platypus Hoser. I have seen some reviews that say if you hang your Big Zip in your pack then it can separate from the hook you hang it on and that would result in water spilling into my pack. That's when I started looking at the Hoser and it seems like a PITA to clean since it only has a small outlet in the bottom.
Does anyone have any recommendations? I also wouldnt be opposed to getting a new filter like a Sawyer Squeeze if that makes it easier to filter without taking the bladder out of my pack.
The blue Camelback 3 liter bladder works well. I fill the bladder with raw water and run a Sawyer filter inline on the drinking hose. Back at camp, if I need to fill a bottle or a cup with water, I hang the bladder from a branch and let the water pass through the Sawyer filter by gravity. It works well. The Sawyer is small and lightweight, and saves on pack weight compared to a pump filter.
I use the Camelbak and quick disconnect setup on the bite valve as well as the hiker pro. Fills in seconds.
I bought a Platypus Hoser this year and so far it has been great, and I have had no problem keeping it clean, but I have only used it for Pa Archery season, and chasing the elk in Pa with my camera During the rut..
I think the brand is Source, they are rebranded as eberlestock. I personally do not like bite valves, and prefer the cap and pull plug.
Funny experience, buddy had a bite valve w/ a magnet in it. Packing out his cow we were on hands and knees going up this hill. His magnet was loaded w/ dirt, the soil had a ton of metal (Iron I suppose) in it, I also had quite a bit on my magnetic badlands bino harness.
I hear of people having leaky bladders, ha, but I’ve had the same Wallmart $10 bladder for about 6 years now, no leaks. I don’t know what your guys problem is lol.
Check out the Camelbak Omega reservoir. It's way thicker material than the normal ones and it has an insulated hose. I have had one for 3 years with heavy use and no issues. As for cleaning (or lack of), I only drink water out of it so I just empty out all the water from the reservoir/hose and lay it flat in the freezer when I'm done. No soap needed.
This is what I ran this year which was my first year out west. I had zero problems with it and at only 15 bucks I went ahead and ordered me another.
Scrappy. You have a knack with those camofire photos. I have also used the bladders on camofire with good results
Well he!!, the bladder is on camo fire now for 15 bucks. Good thing I don't have to rely on my computer skills to make a living.
Check out the Camelbak Antidote, It does everything you're looking for and it's Bulletproof. I've been running it for 3 years zero problems still looks as good as new. Here's a link
https://www.camelbak.com/en/military/gmi-packs/reservoirs/M04002--MilSpec_Antidote_3L_Reservoir_Long?color=4b6a74062d384814984b186458e84184
Let me know what u think of it from just the link?
Ed
I had my camel backs leak a few years back and picked up a couple badlands a few years ago and have not had a problem. One thing I do each year is take the hose ends and trim off about 1/2” and re press them on for a good seal. I think most are good but don’t think they are a maintenance free item. Best of luck.
I've destroyed a lot of water bladders. They never fail due to normal use. When they fail has been when I load my pack with a heavy load of elk. The added weight and pressure just seems to be more than some of them can withstand.
The ones that seem least capable to withstand heavy pack weights are Camelback. Maybe I've just had a bad run of luck with those.
A friend suggested I try Platypus. I had a lot of skepticism, but after four years of using the Big Mouth 2.0L and 3.0L, I have yet to ruin one of them in 100+ days of use per year. So, until such time as one of those fail, I will keep using them.
Thanks for the recommendations guys. I went ahead and purchased the Platypus Hoser from Amazon after researching it a little more. They were running a sale for $15 and should arrive sometime today.
