One of the most useful outdoor gear for hiking and backpacking is a hydration bladder. If you have a hydration bladder, you don’t need to get bottled water for your hiking or backpacking trips. You can just put tap water into your hydration bladder. This is very useful and can save people a lot of time. There are a lot of hikers that do not have bottled water at home so they try to go to a store before they are about to hike. A quick trip to a store isn’t really a big deal but if you have to do it all the time then you maybe inconveniencing the driver or people you are going to hike with. A hydration bladder is a great way to save money and have enough water for your hiking trip.
Types Of Hydration Bladders And Other Related Items
Hydration Bladder
So it is easy to spot a hydration bladder. This is a water container that is made out of plastic. Usually, it is BPA-free as well. The opening on top of the container will be very wide. There will be a hole or small opening on the bottom where you attached a hose. The hose is then attached to a bite valve where you can drink the water. This is a great way to drink water while hiking because you do not have to stop, take a rest and take out the water container in order to drink the water. You can sip the water through the hose or bite valve.
Water Containers / Water Reservoirs
Water containers for hiking or backpacking are often made out of plastic as well. They are collapsible and light weight. Some are shaped like a water bottle, some are shaped like a hydration bladder. The main difference is that hydration bladders will have an attachable hose at bottom of it while water containers do not have that even if they look like hydration bladders.
Hydration Packs
When people talk about hydration packs, they often mean the small, and slim backpack whose main purpose is just to hold a hydration bladder. This backpack is often very lightweight and do not have a lot of pockets. It is basically a backpack that just holds a hydration bladder. It does not have much padding, no hip belt, not a lot of padding on the shoulder and so on. A very lightweight backpack that is not very multipurpose.
Hiking Backpack With Hydration Compartment
A hydration backpack can also be just a normal hiking or backpacking backpack with a hydration bladder compartment. These backpacks are meant for hiking or for backpacking. They are meant to hold hiking supplies or backpacking gear like trekking poles, sleeping bags, tents and so on. However, since a lot of people prefer a hydration bladder, these backpacks also have a hydration compartments where you can hang the hydration bladder. They will also have holes where the hose will go through.
Capacity Of Hydration Bladders
1 Liter to 1.5 Liters
Hydration bladders with a capacity 1 liter are often meant for people who love to hike for around 8 miles or less. These bladders are meant for people that do not want to hike for a long time and meant for quick hikes rather than long ones. If you are not the leader, don’t want any responsibility, not planning on bringing maps, GPS, or other devices, then a 1 liter hydration bladder is good for you. This is light, compact, and very easy to carry.
2 Liters to 2.5 Liters
2 liters is the most popular size that people buy from what I can tell. I see more 2 liter hydration bladders more than any other sizes. 2 liters worth of water is pretty good. Most of the time, I only bring 2 liters as well and I usually just end up drinking 1 liter. So a 2 liter hydration bladder should be plenty for a day hike. It depends on how hot or how cold the climate is though. Most of the time, people hike around spring and fall when then the weather is nice. So 2 liters is good for a lot of people.
3 Liters
3 liters is pretty good but normally no one brings 3 liters worth of water. Maybe if you are on a backpacking trip. The advantage of getting 3 liters is that you don’t need to fill it up. You can bring 1 liter, 2 liters or 3 liters worth of water. The drawback is not that bad also. It is just that most of the water will be at the bottom of the backpack. The top will have empty space. It is not really a big deal if you are hiking so 3 liters is a pretty good size as well.
Hydration Bladder Shapes And Profiles
Wide (Empty)
So when a hydration bladder is empty, it can have a wide shape. Sometimes, these bladders are not as tall as the others. These bladders put all the water on the width. This is just something you need to think about when getting a backpack for your bladder. Some backpacks may require a certain shape of bladder.
Narrow (Empty)
Narrow hydration bladders are very slim but very tall. The water weight will often be in one place and not move.
Fat (Filled)
If you like carrying an even distribution of water on your backpack then this is a good choice. Check how fat your hydration reservoir compartment on your backpack to see if they can handle fat bladders
Flat (Filled)
Hydration water bladders can be flat when filled. Make sure that your backpack can handle this shape or make sure that your hydration bladder can fit in your backpack.
Hydration Bladder Openings
Fold Top
The top of the bladder flips up and then you fold it over. The moment you folded the top, you will then slide the closure thingy. I don’t know what it is called lol. It is like a piece of plastic that holds the top so that it stays closed.
Zip Top
Zip top bladders are bladders where you zip the top. There is also that thing at the top that holds the top and prevents the top from leaking and unfolding. Think of a big ziploc bag. The top part is where you close or open the bladder like a ziploc bag.
Screw Top
Screw top is where the bladder has a big round hole before the top. The top part is closed and below that is a hole. The hole is very big so that you can fill the bag with tap water and such. You have a round lid to close the hole. You basically screw the lid to the hole.
Hydration Bladders VS Water Bottles
Advantages
Stay Hydrated While Walking
One of the best things about hydration bladders is that you can drink water while walking. There are a lot of times when people need to drink water but the people at the front were too fast so they tend to wait for a break time. If they stop to drink water, the people at the front will keep going, so they will be left behind because they took a break. Being able to drink water without taking a break or rest is one of the best advantages of using hydration bladders.
Makes Carrying Water Easier
Carrying water is easier since it is inside your backpack and you don’t need to take it out. Unlike water bottles that you put to the side of your backpack, they have a chance of falling out. If the water falls out, you may end up with no water to drink while hiking.
No Need To Buy Water
I said this earlier which is that you do not need to buy bottled water. This can save you a lot of money in time. If you hike a lot, it could save you a hundred or so dollars in a year. Money that could be spent on a new hiking backpack, more hiking equipment or even survival gear. You can even spend that money on food or other miscellaneous items.
Environmentally Friendly
Hydration bladders are environmentally friendly. Since our world has big problem with the plastic in bottled water, not using them allow us to be more environmentally conscious. We can help the environment and reduce plastic pollution by using hydration bladders instead of bottled water.
Disadvantages
No Water Container While Backpacking
One of the down sides is that using water bottles allow you to have water containers. Even the plastic bottled water that you buy in stores allow you to have a water container. It is so much easier to purify water in a plastic bottle than in a hydration bladder. I often use the squeeze and drip water filters. I can attached these filters on the water bottles as well. You will need a container for dirty water as well.
Cleaning
Water bottles are a lot easier to clean. The Nalgene water bottles are so easy to clean and some water bottles are also dishwasher safe. Hydration bladders can take time to clean. It is not that difficult but still takes time. If cleaning is something you hate then you may not like cleaning your hydration bladder.
Water Can Leak And Destroy Gadgets
This is somewhat unlikely to happen but still, there are times when water can leak out of your hydration bladder. Your backpack may hit a branch and hit the water bottle, your items inside the backpack may puncture the water bottle, and so on. When your water bladder leaks out, the water has a chance of hitting all of your devices. If your devices are not water resistant or waterproof, they may get destroyed.
Hot And Cold Drinks
You cannot use hot or cold drinks on a hydration bladder. Most hydration bladders are made out of plastic. Putting hot or boiling water on a plastic may melt it. It is the same thing for cold water. It is not going to stay cold for long unless you have some sort of insulation.
References:
- https://www.bigskyfishing.com/hiking-gear/hydration-bladders.php
- https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/hydration-system.html
- https://www.trails.com/how_1923_choose-hydration-pack.html
- https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-hydration-bladder/buying-advice
- https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-hydration-pack/buying-advice
- http://www.hikerly.com/choosing-a-water-reservoir/