Hydration pack?

[Glaucus]

Which hydration pack would you guys recommend? Are CamelBak really worth the premium?
Also are there any with large carrying space as well?
Looking for 3litre plus a minimum of 30litre capacity, preferably 35-40.


Looking at the vantage FT. Thing is how much

Also need one with a rain cover? Does the vantage come with one, or can you get one specifically for it.

Also this may sound stupid, but any videos/guides on how to fit a rucksack properly. Get shoulder and lower back pain with my current one, I think this is down to it not being set up right.


Edit - forgot to say its for long distance walking for the next year and a half, then climb kilimanjaro. Where they advise 30-35litre minimum.

 

[gettothechopper]

I have always used CamelBaks (since about 1998) and the only problems ive ever had come from not cleaning them out for weeks lol

Camelbak Motherlode is 3l + 37l storage (and comes in superawesome superarmysoldier camos too! - good enough for just about every soldier in afghan at the moment - who ditch the standard issue bags to buy these!)

or pleanty of normal ones too (if you just want to be normal person)

 

[robj20]

Osprey Kestrel 38 would be my choice.
Im not a huge fan of Camelbak packs, the quality isn't that great if you ask me, the bladders are fine though.

 

[Glaucus]

Good god, no cameo. I see they do it in plain black though.
The osprey also looks fantastic. But need to buy a separate bladder. Is there much between the bladders? All the companies seem to have no taste, bacteria killing lining and bite valve.

 

[platypus]

No real difference any more these days.

 

[gettothechopper]

id get the osprey bag and stick a Camelbak bladder in it - Camelbak would be a good choice just based on the easy availability of spares

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/camelbak-antidote-reservoir-3-litre/ £30 quid for a 3L job
these new ones are good because the hose quick releases at the bottom

 

[Glaucus]

I got osprey kestrel bag and a 3litre osprey bladder, worked out really well. A far just used water, but looking at mixing some electeolites in. How do people clean these things thoroughly?

Also can anyone tell me about electrolites, I understand there's 4 important ones?
And can anyone recommend any? Preferably sugar free and powdered form?

 

[mattyg]

I got osprey kestrel bag and a 3litre osprey bladder, worked out really well. A far just used water, but looking at mixing some electeolites in. How do people clean these things thoroughly?

Also can anyone tell me about electrolites, I understand there's 4 important ones?
And can anyone recommend any? Preferably sugar free and powdered form?

I found Elete helped a lot.

I'm overweight but push very hard and sweat like you wouldn't believe. I lost 3kg week before last during my Gisburn blast.

So I find I can get a dehydration headache before the end of my ride. And Elete helps.

 

[Messiah Khan]

I use Platypus and Camelback bladders. The Camelback bladder is a bit easier to fill due to the wide filling port and is also a bit more durable. But I really like the Platypus bladders as they are much lighter and fold up a lot smaller. Another company you might want to check out are Evernew, because;

How are you going to treat your water? I would highly recommend the Sawyer Squeeze filter. It has no moving parts, easily field strip-able, doesn't flavour the water like chemicals do and is very small and light. If you do get the Sawyer, then the Evernew bags have the right screw thread to screw straight onto the filter. So you could have two bags; one for dirty water and one for clean.

As for electrolytes and other additives, I would just bring along a separate water bottle to mix and use for these. Something like a 1l pop bottle would suffice. As soon as you put additives in a bladder you will have problems with keeping it clean. Last year I used the same Platypus bladders every day for 6 months and they were absolutely fine as they were only used for pure water.

As for the pack, I would get a separate pack that takes bladder (most do). Osprey make good packs, but too heavy and too many straps for my liking. Personally I would be looking at the likes of;

http://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/
http://www.laufbursche-gear.de/
http://www.zpacks.com/

All of them are a lot more niche, ultralight packs and you should lighten the rest of your gear to get the most out of them, but once you go down the ultra light weight route, you won't look back. I can now go for 20 miles and not even feel the pack on my back. It doesn't mean you can't be comfortable, but it means thinking critically about what you really need with you.

 

[Glaucus]

Thanks, when I started and got the osprey I wasn't looking at ultra light weight hiking/camping was just looking at hydration and a bag suitable for Kili.

It's all so expensive, your kit must have been thousands and thousands.

 

[Messiah Khan]

Thanks, when I started and got the osprey I wasn't looking at ultra light weight hiking/camping was just looking at hydration and a bag suitable for Kili.

It's all so expensive, your kit must have been thousands and thousands.

Yeah, I appreciate the kit I listed might be a bit full on to start. But if it something you are passionate about, I would seriously recommend looking into light weight or ultralight weight kit as it makes life much more simple and fun. It's also not really about what gear you use, it is more about what you DON'T bring along, and knowing what you can do without and how to double up on uses for kit you do bring.

But yeah, I am a bit of a gear head and the kit wasn't cheap. I never want to spend that much on a tent again!

 

[Glaucus]

Messiah any idea for packs for wide shoulders. The osprey the shoulder straps are forced outwards, so instead of lying flat, cut in to the shoulder, which obviously a little painful after a while as well as restricting the blood.

I see http://www.laufbursche-gear.de/ do custom, but I bet thats insane, i just soent insane money getting a custom pair of boots. Also if i you go custom, should have all the gear so you can make sure it all fits oerfectly, even compatments etc.
a lot of the ultralight ones dont appear to have bladder pockets, which is a shame, even ultralight weighters beed to drink and surly its more compact and lighter than plastic bottles.

 

[Messiah Khan]

Messiah any idea for packs for wide shoulders. The osprey the shoulder straps are forced outwards, so instead of lying flat, cut in to the shoulder, which obviously a little painful after a while as well as restricting the blood.

I see http://www.laufbursche-gear.de/ do custom, but I bet thats insane, i just soent insane money getting a custom pair of boots. Also if i you go custom, should have all the gear so you can make sure it all fits oerfectly, even compatments etc.
a lot of the ultralight ones dont appear to have bladder pockets, which is a shame, even ultralight weighters beed to drink and surly its more compact and lighter than plastic bottles.

I'm not sure who do wider fit packs I'm afraid. Maybe have a look at ULA packs. www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk now sell them in the UK. Depends on how much you carry, but I really like my Montane Ultra Tour 22 packs for 1-2 day trips. No frame, so you have to keep the weight down, but the super thin and stretchy straps make it nice and comfy.

You can get some ultra light packs with bladder pockets, and if you get them custom made you can have them added. You also don't need a separate pocket. You can simply put the bladder in the pack and run the hose through the top. But the real ultralight secret to carrying water... 1 Litre disposable water bottles. They are cheap, lightweight, easy to fill, easy to treat water in (with a filter or chemicals), you can easily see how much you have left, and they fit in the side mesh pockets of your pack.

 

[Andyt_uk]

I've got both a camelbak and a osprey bladder, both 3L ones and I prefer the osprey over the two. It's a lot easier to fill because of the back and handle on it. I can't say either are particularly hard to clean either but if you think it'd be an issue, there are some new ones on the market that have a roll top closure so you can fully open them and get your arm inside. Unfortunately I don't recall the name but they're in a magazine at home so could look if you were still interested.

 

[Messiah Khan]

I've got both a camelbak and a osprey bladder, both 3L ones and I prefer the osprey over the two. It's a lot easier to fill because of the back and handle on it. I can't say either are particularly hard to clean either but if you think it'd be an issue, there are some new ones on the market that have a roll top closure so you can fully open them and get your arm inside. Unfortunately I don't recall the name but they're in a magazine at home so could look if you were still interested.

Platypus big zip?

 

[Andyt_uk]

Platypus big zip?

Could well be, I think a few manufacturers are using the idea now possibly. Certainly looks easy to clean.

 

[Messiah Khan]

Could well be, I think a few manufacturers are using the idea now possibly. Certainly looks easy to clean.

I want to get one for water filtering. Just open the top, dunk it in water, then attach a Sawyer Squeeze, and squeeze clean water into your water bottles/bladders.

 

[Andyt_uk]

I thought about one of those in-line devices but I decided I'd go down the Travel Tap route instead.