cweston
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Post by cweston on Aug 10, 2021 5:26:13 GMT -8
On my recent BP, I tried carrying two 1 liter Smartwater bottles instead of a reservoir for the first time in a long time, since I had a new pack (ULA Circuit) that has water bottle pockets I can (awkwardly) reach while wearing the pack. Thoughts:
Pros: •Being able to filter water on the go without unloading pack. This is the big one, of course. •Always knowing exactly how much water I had left. •Somewhat easier access to water in camp (not really a big deal).
Cons: •Constant worry about bottles falling out of the pocket when pack goes on/off, etc. This was the number one downside.
•I CAN'T reach the water bottle pockets on my Deuter day pack, so I had to take it off to drink when I was on day hikes. (This trip included both BPing and day hikes.)
•There are no water bottle pockets on my REI Flash 18 summit pack, so I had to take it off to drink.
In the future, I'll just use a reservoir with my dayhiking pack. I may just eliminate the summit pack from my BPing kit, since the Circuit is pretty light and can serve that purpose. The worries about bottles falling out remains the biggest concern.
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Post by bradmacmt on Aug 10, 2021 5:37:50 GMT -8
I carry a 3L Hydrapak Seeker for camp, and a 1L bottle in my side pocket. I genuinely dislike bladders/hoses. BTDT. I actually made my own in the 1970's before they existed commercially.
I've been carrying H20 in a side pocket/holster since the 1990's. I only had one pack that would occasionally dump the bottle, but only if I was bending down in a tortured way, navigating under or over blow-down.
Your Circuit won't dump a bottle... the pockets are plenty deep. And even if you did, you'd know it immediately. In the pantheon of things to worry about, I'd rate it at the bottom of the list.
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gabby
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Post by gabby on Aug 10, 2021 8:39:21 GMT -8
This is a discussion that has been going on for a long, long time without any real resolution. Some of it is just personal choice based on circumstances, but I believe, perhaps wrongheadedly, that the decision will be complicated in the near term by the consequences of how, and from what source, these light and convenient plastic reservoirs are produced, regardless whether bottle or bladder.
I don't expect that we'll see canvas containers again, nor do I expect bpers will start carrying metal canteens. Actually, I could say the same sort of thing about most of the gear we currently prefer and routinely carry and use.
I carry bottles, but I'd carry bladders if I went farther and longer than I normally do, esp. if the circumstances dictated the need.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Aug 10, 2021 9:03:44 GMT -8
cweston I know ULA has changed the accessories that come with the Circuit, dropping things not everyone wanted. Does your pack have the shock cordage on the shoulder straps that were there for carrying water bottles? ETA: I looked at the trip report Trailelder posted, and can see from his last picture that your Circuit is lacking the top shock cord, at least. You could add it back in, if the bottom cord is there.
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Post by trinity on Aug 10, 2021 9:39:01 GMT -8
I use one of these. I dislike bladders, but if I only carry water in an unreachable water bottle holder, I am much too lazy to stop and take off my pack for a drink, so I always wind up becoming dehydrated. Having an easily accessible water bottle on my shoulder strap works pretty well.
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Aug 10, 2021 9:59:21 GMT -8
I think the #1 benefit to a bladder/hose system is that you probably will drink more, having that sip tube so readily available all the time makes it easy to take a sip every 5 minutes. I also believe that intaking slowly and consistently like that will result in better hydration. Having said that, I go with bottles in the side pockets because it's a lighter weight solution.
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cweston
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Post by cweston on Aug 10, 2021 10:35:54 GMT -8
About the shoulder strap solutions--in the past, I've had a very low tolerance level for anything flopping around in the slightest on my shoulder straps, so I don't think that's the solution for me. HYOH, of course.
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Aug 10, 2021 11:47:47 GMT -8
Two comments: First, those Smartwater bottles are too thin for the Circuit's pockets. My 1-quart Gatorade bottles and 1-liter Nalgenes fit in snugly but accessibly. Second, I carry one (sometimes two) small bottles on my shoulder strap(s), and there is no swinging or flopping around. There is a risk of the bottle coming loose while donning the pack, which is a small pain, but it's not a bother while hiking. (And I'm one who needs therapy after a hike when even a small dongle is flapping around somewhere on my pack.)
Just one more data point.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Aug 14, 2021 7:03:39 GMT -8
Another data point is where these strategies are being used. In low humidity like the desert and some high peaks out west I can see needing to sip water to keep your throat moist. I could also see water loss through your breathing being a factor that has to be offset. But here in the NE US that isn't as much an issue generally due to the humidity. Personally here in the NE I like to find a nice place with a breeze and shade if possible to stop and put my pack down and have a good drink. Probably same amount of water as sipping in the long run. I have a thing about making sure that if I eat food that I also take in enough water, usually at the same time, for it to digest properly.
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cweston
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Post by cweston on Aug 14, 2021 7:06:36 GMT -8
Two comments: First, those Smartwater bottles are too thin for the Circuit's pockets. My 1-quart Gatorade bottles and 1-liter Nalgenes fit in snugly but accessibly. Yeah, I carried two Smartwater bottles in one pocket. Those pockets are cavernous!
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Post by cheaptentguy on Aug 14, 2021 7:34:01 GMT -8
I switched to bottles on the sides pretty quickly after getting into backpacking. I much prefer it, especially for using drink mixes.
I was day hiking with bottles for a while, but I finally did go back to a bladder for that. Typically, if I want a flavored beverage, I'll just throw that in the pack.
So... Backpacking: bottles (and CNOC bag for collection, reserve storage) Day hiking: bladder (and whatever else ends up in the pack.)
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jazzmom
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Post by jazzmom on Aug 14, 2021 7:54:48 GMT -8
I've been carrying the tall 1-liter Smartwater bottles in a Circuit for a long time now and really don't recall having one fall out. I carry one in each pocket. The taller profile makes it easier for me to reach it with the pack on and, being thinner, I get a better grip. (I've lost two Nalgenes in fast-running creeks and generally drop them much more often.)
It may have something to do with how I stuff my pack -- usually short, flat and wide, to keep the weight as close to my back as possible and no real weight above my shoulders. (That's a Circuit in my avatar for a 7-day'er.) The water bottles are pretty snug in the side pockets. If they don't feel secure, I'll cinch the cord (on the pocket) and then pull the loop over the top of the bottle. It also helps if the bottles aren't full (i.e. not top heavy) so I take turns drinking out of each bottle.
My employer gave us Flash 22's last year and I'm loving it for day hikes. I'm guessing 5-6 ounces heavier than the 18 but nice deep (usable) side pockets and a useful lid (with zippered pocket.) Probably too heavy for a summit pack but great lightweight daypack.
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driftwoody
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Post by driftwoody on Aug 14, 2021 8:21:52 GMT -8
I have an old Eagle Creek lumbar pack which is just large enough for a 1 liter Nalgene bottle. I wear it strapped around me below the backpack hip belt (I have enough glute to keep it from sliding down off me). I hike with it swung around to my right side where the water bottle is readily accessible, along with the other small items in the main and zippered compartments of this old but very useful accessory pack. If I need to squeeze through a narrow passage, I can easily swing it behind me.
Recently I upgraded my water carry & filtration system with two CNOC Vecto 2 liter bags which connect to a HydroBlu Versa filter. This gives me up to 5 liters carry capacity, and I can let gravity do the filtering at camp. If I need to carry a full Vecto bag or two, they are high in the backpack's main compartment, close to my back -- easy to remove when needed to replenish my drinking bottle (from the clean water bag, of course). Unlike a hydration bag with a sip tube deep inside the pack, I always know how much water I have left.
I am VERY pleased with this system so far.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Aug 14, 2021 16:10:17 GMT -8
In general for something as critical as water I’m not going to rely on a single point of failure: so when I carried a bladder I still carried a Nalgene. I once broke my only bottle days before exiting Whitney Portal and carting water in my cooking pots was NOT a lot of fun.
OTOH for cycling I really like a hosed hydration bladder.
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Post by cheaptentguy on Aug 14, 2021 18:05:52 GMT -8
RE: Points of failure. I think that's why I prefer the bottles and CNOC. I carry a spare cap in my ditty bag and have lightweight containers to potentially hold water. Even if I completely lost one or even two, I'd still have the third item to hold water and just hook the Sawyer straight to it.
I'd be nervous relying on a bladder for a longer trip. Probably different if I was cycling.
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