Bladder, Bottle, or Both?

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

What kind of innovative gear are you rocking on the trail?

[@mattandthemoths]

I’m messing around with a hybrid system - a 2 L bladder in my pack for drinking on the go and a 1.5 liter water bottle for more convenient drinking/cooking when I’m at camp. I’ll usually only fill my bladder up to 1 L because carrying a total of 3.5 is a lot of weight and unnecessary on most hikes. I’m loving the versatility of having the best of both worlds for hiking/at camp as well as knowing that I don’t have to fill up my bladder all the way. But if I’m going a long stretch without water, it’s good to know I can carry a lot still. Lots of flexibility in this system. Good luck to all of those figuring out what works best for them!

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

I love modularity in systems and this sounds good!

[@PaulsWanderings]

Thanks for this information. I hat deciding between a water bottle and a bladder. I am a day hiker so I love a bladder but having to carry 3 liters of water so you get enough pressure to keep the tube filled is a ton of weight. The issue with getting the water bottle out of the pocket of the pack is why I dislike water bottles. I can never reach my bottle so I have to take my pack off. I hate taking breaks just for water so a lot of time I forego the water which is very bad.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Water bottle holder on the shoulder strap! Here's the best: bit.ly/3K8mudd

[@ms7fam433]

Gonna give it a try in a couple of weeks while at the Badlands... Thanks for the info!

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@MtnWanderer-TieDye-]

I have a different brand but same concept and I love it. I've been using it for about 4 years with no issue. Just have to clean it with vinegar or denture cleaning tablets to avoid any molding.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Nice! I've seen variations on this idea for a while, including some DIYs - I am just glad someone else is doing the work haha. :)

[@andrewnixon4469]

How does air get back into the bottle to displace the water you drink out of it? Do you have trouble with the bottle collapsing on itself as you drink through it?

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

There is a very small hole in the cap that allows air flow without letting liquid pass through so it works like a big straw - no bottle collapse as there is no vacuum.

[@LostAgainwithJim]

This system would be amazing for me right now. I’m healing from a shoulder injury and have very limited mobility in my right arm.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

So far I really like it!

[@SoundWave209]

I love my Gregory Packs 3D Trekking bladder! Quick disconnect set up makes filter into and refilling a breeze without even having to take the bladder out!!

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Nice. I love Gregory gear. :)

[@simonchiang5913]

Hi I have a question hope you can answer for me. So it seems like the whole sealing system relays on that black o-ring? isn't it seems a bit risky to leak?

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

I'm not sure how much it would leak but the suction loss would....wait for it...suck! Sorry, had to. :) Yeah maybe but I have not experienced or heard of any issues with it so far.

[@klipitar2007]

Does it fit to any bottle you would buy at a grocery or do you absolutely need a Smart bottle?

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

It fits that size thread - 28mm. Anything with that same thread will work.

[@pepstein]

Some water bladders can be turned inside out to dry after use. This solves some of the problems with bladders, but bottles still have their advantages. These hybrid systems are intriguing.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Yeah none of mine do, not easily at least. Either way this solves some issues!

[@DonP_is_lostagain]

The one modern "myth" is that Smartwater, or other bottles like it, are reusable. Although you can reuse it, it's not meant to be reused, but rather recycled after the first use. As for the one Bottle system, Source has had a system like this for literally years. I've had it for at least 3 years now. They also make a system for attaching your hose to a spigot to refill your bladder or bottle. Whether you get that one or the one you talk about here, either way you'll be getting a decent system to use for hydration.

[@onebottlehydration1865]

Yep! I'm very aware of Source's setup - the advantage of the One Bottle system is that it is one single piece of tubing from the bottom of your bottle to the bite valve. Source has a barb connector at the adapter which makes it two tubes - harder to adjust and more prone to leaks! You can coil up the One Bottle system and stow when not in use without risking the connectors, and easily replace the tubing with standard 3/8" OD from Home Depot!

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

I reuse mine numerous times before recycling. If there is something similar thay lasts longer that'd be great though.

[@steveh5169]

It's called a Nalgene Bottle.

[@NoSTs123]

How about a Hat with two small bottles attached like the beverage hat?

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Maybe...haha. I personally would not want a hat that weighed 2 lbs. :)

[@williamblezard7040]

can i put water flavoring in the bottle or would that mess up the straw and valve?

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

I pretty much always do that haha. I definitely give it a water rinse afterwards, but it's never been a problem for me. :)

[@dc2090]

what's the method for getting filtered clean water into the smart water bottles or bladder?

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Usually just dunking it in the water source (or "scooping" in the case of a large opening bladder or Vecto type bag) unless it is flowing vertically (like a spigot or waterfall), then you'd just hold it underneath.

[@novakillbones2140]

Hmmm... I'm not sure I'm convinced. What I like about a water bladder is the way it conforms to the shape of the space it's in and that it takes up almost no space when it's empty. OTOH, empty water bottles get in the way and take up space. A 3 litre bladder is way more space-effiicent than 3 x 1 litre bottles. I've never had any problems with storing my bladders, either. THey dry out easily.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

I go back-and-forth and it depends on the hike. If I just want to keep moving I like a bladder but if it's gonna be more than one day I can't stand them haha ha.

[@davidandmoose1499]

I have a similar product from a company called Blue Desert in Israel. Camelbak use to make their Hands-Free hose that attached to the nipple of their EDDY bottles, but when they upgraded to the EDDY Plus bottle, they changed the mouthpiece, and it no longer works, and they didn't change the hose. I guess they want people to buy a bladder.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

Sly dogs. ;)

[@onebottlehydration1865]

I'm also aware of the Blue Desert offering - theirs doesn't have a grommet. I know why - there's not much room on the top of a 28mm adapter - but that could compromise the sealing? At sharp angles the rigid plastic is under stress too. I've got one on order for my own video!

[@maivezonk]

Link to one bottle is broken

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

FIXED!

[@DunRovinRanch-1969]

I just looked them up on Amazon. $28. What?! I was looking for a cheap solution to accessing my cheap water bottle. I guess I’ll just have to continue to unscrew the top.

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

They must have started selling well enough to be able to gouge people. :/

[@pricehedgehog4759]

Mate Source have had a product out like this for years and I used it 2 years ago on the West Highland Way with a sig bottle. Please try to review the true innovators and as a sub point please stop carrying a sheath knife openly on your gear btw it looks ridiculous man’s isn’t a friendly look. No one needs more than a SAK trekking…….

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

I didn't see anything about Mate Source online, and it's not like attaching a hose to a bottle is super innovative haha. This product just happens to work well. Also it is illegal to carry a fixed blade knife concealed in California and I'm pretty sure no one is going to feel threatened by a 2" blade. ;)