Water bladder or bottle?
Elk
What's better to have in your pack, bladder or bottle of water?
I pack both. I have a nalgene and a 2 liter platypus bladder.
I got tired of spitting warm water out from a bladder and tube so its a bottle now
i've found that if i blow the water out of the tube back into the bladder, it doesnt get as warm.
Depends on your style of hunting? My elk hunts can vary in distance from day to day, on all day hunts I take 70.oz to 80.oz of water, water bladder is best for me. Even on my shorter hunts of less than 3 miles I take the same amount but drink less. One bottle of water wouldn't cut it on most my hunts! How hot it is also can play into the equation, all in all water bladder here!
ElkNut/Paul
I use a bladder of water plus a bottle or 2 of Gatorade or Powerade.
What Scoot said. I have high quality plain old H2O in my bladder and something flavored in my Nalgene. Also makes cleaning your bladder a lot easier.
Bladder for certain: larger capacity, ability to drink whereever and whenever. As mentioned, blow air back in the tube and it won't get as hot and also won't freeze in colder weather.
But I usually start the day with a separate bottle of hydration mix that I sip throughout the morning.
I NEVER put anything but water in bladder to help keep it clean.
Nalgene bottle.
I drink a liter, right before I start walking. Stop and filter when I can. Chug another liter every time I get ready to bite off a couple miles, and re-fill and filter.
This only would work in areas where there is a lot of filterable water.
Bottle here. I tried the bladder with hose but found I didn't drink all my water because I couldn't see how much was left with it in my pack. I was always trying to conserve to make sure I had enough for the day. I now take 2 bottles with 1 on my belt. Just gatoraid or powerade bottles since they are durable and very light.
Bottle(s). Never cared for sucking on a dirty hose and worrying about a gross bladder.
I now prefer the Nalgene. Filter when I need more.
Bladder, I like it at the ready. If I had to get a bottle out I wouldn’t be drinking nearly enough.
I will run myself into dehydration if I don’t carry a bladder.
I may keep a bottle at camp to mix in electrolytes after a long day but keeping a bottle in my pack is effectively useless. Stopping to drink just never crosses my mind on the mountain.
Always a bottle for me. I like to make sure I'm not ingesting bacteria and a bottle gives me piece of mind and a bladder does not.
if you don't have a humangear top on your Nalgene you should.
First time in my life I have a 1.5L nalgene on my pack belt. We'll see.
Bladder....you can drink more frequently and easier which will keep you hydrated throughout the hunt. I load up on the electrolyte drinks when in camp. I always have electrolyte pills in my survival kit in my pack also. Proper snacks will also take care of the electrolyte issues, no need for the redundancy.
I got sick from bacteria in the bladder and mouth piece once. Once. Never again.
Definitely cleans out your own bladder, hose and a$$
Clean it often, but that doesnt matter when each time you take off your pack and your mouth piece is hangin off the shoulder strap and in the dirt/debris.
Well it's good to see that either one is a good option. Thanks for the input.
I carry this wide mouth bottle on my belt always. Then I fill it up with a Platypus 2L that stays in the main bag. This is enough for most day hunts away from camp. This Vapur bottle is really nice because the wide mouth lets you clean it and dry it out thoroughly after every trip and it's not expensive or heavy.
Both, but I usually use a small collapsible 1/2 liter or 1liter bladder/bottle that fits in a pocket rather than something rigid like a Nalgene. That way when it's empty it doesn't take up any space.
I use straight water in the large bladder because I don't like to mix anything that will turn to funk in the bladder or hydration tube.
If I mix any powdered drink I do it in the small bladder/bottle I carry in my pocket.
+1 Cheesehead
Being from low altitude I find hydration, electrolytes and ibuprofen clear lactic acid and help keep altitude issues away.
Am I the only one that manages to drop my pack with the mouth piece hitting dirt first every SINGLE time?!!! Mix in a little water and I have a muddy mouth piece.
One other thought here is how does everyone glean their bladders?
Gallon of water, 1/2 cup of bleach. Rinse well.
Is Gatorade in a bladder a bad idea? I like that a lot more than hot water.
One other thought here is how does everyone glean their bladders?
I've put scotch in the bladder. Just make sure to wash it out before the next hike.
Bladder with a Sawyer inline mini filter. If I run out I can always use other water sources but I haven't had to do that yet. I have my bladder wrapped in wool to insulate it, freeze 20 plastic bottles to make big ice cubes. Every morning cut one out of the plastic and drop in the bladder. Cold water all day long.
100oz bladder. Bottles don't hold enough and a PITA to get at when you want a sip. Not real critical with elk but a 1/2 full bottle is noisy, a slosh with every step. The disposable bottles are crinkly loud.
You guys wash em? I just rinse, hang to empty and dry. But then I've got a coffee cup at work you can't even tell what color it really is..... "I've drank water from a muddy hoof print and been glad to have it!"
You guys should expand your horizons when it comes to water carrying options.
I carry a Hydrapak bottle. It’s soft rubbery and collapses. The mouth piece is one-way valve so even if open water won’t drink unless you suck on it.
They come in various sizes. I use a 17oz that I keep in an outside pouch on my pack for easy access.
They make a 32oz for more quantity also.
That’s my water ‘bottle’. No tubes or warm water from a sweaty back anymore
Look for them at REI
Bladder for me. I hike and bike with a pack several times a week all year round and have never had an issue, but don't use it in late fall when its below freezing.
If possible I fill the bladder with ice cubes in the morning and always make sure the tube is facing the inside of the pack and not toward my back.
Got terrbly sick once from drinking Gatorade from a bottle that had been opened but then the remainder was not refrigerated for a couple days. Lesson learned.
Both, don't deviate much from what most here do. 3 liter bladder for water, and nalgene for gatorade/powerade/etc. Also carry another 3 liter bladder for "dirty" water that has to be filtered.
Bladder mostly but I usually have a bottle too. TIP: For you guys that don't like bladders because of the bite valve getting dirty, try this... Take a pill bottle (or film canister if you can find one in these days of digital cams) and drill a hole thru the bottom that's the same diameter as the hose. Pull the bite valve off and poke the hose thru the hole and then replace the bite valve. The valve is now kept clean and protected inside the film canister. I take a short piece of 1/16" cord and tie the canister lid to the canister so you can't lose it. Keeping the bite valve in a canister not only keeps it clean, it also protects it from being accidentally pinched open and leaking.
Bottle for bowhunting and bladder for scouting/summer. I typically need the additional pack space on 2-3 day hunt so using bottle and iodine tablets work best.
