Hydration bladders suggestions wanted

Probably not what you want to hear. But I used bladders on my first 2 caminos and don't like them.
Hard to fill, potential leaks that go unnoticed (i ran dry twice) added weight of bladder etc etc .

#1 issue though. You can't see how much water is left and you can't monitor your water intake.
That's a BIG problem in my view.

Whereas bottles, mounted on the front of the pack, provide instant access, same as a bladder. (I use a tube)
But more importantly are constantly in view and so easy to monitor water intake.
And very easy to fill.

A bonus, (big one) is that the weight is on the front and acts rather like Aarn balance pockets.

I would never go back to a bladder.

Pic below is 2 x 1 litre bottles (last year on VdlP)
I did trial 2 x 1.5 litre, but decided 2 litres was enough for most days. (and it was)
For those few days I needed more I put 2 x 500 ml backup bottles either side in the pack side pockets.

Donna Sch said:

The Gregory 3D Hydro, the Platypus Big Zip Evo

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I have both. Gregory was nicely married to my 35L Zulu backpack and we all went on Camino together. Leaked only once due to my fault as I was too much in a hurry and did not screw on the cap properly . Has a nice retractable hook on the bottom so it was no issue hanging it on the clothesline to dry. The only "eh" for me was the opening- rather small to put ice cubes through but it can be done.
Every morning it got filled to the top. I'd rather carry 3kg extra of weight than worry about running out. I did run out 2 times but I would still blame myself for not doing due diligence and not checking the amount left (to somewhat give an excuse- both times happened rather early on - within 1st 9 days, on 30+ km days and with panic setting in for a different reason than water). Never had an issue refilling mid-walk as both of my bladders have disconnecting tubes so I don't have to pull them out in order to take the bladder out.

Platypus I have is 2L and I use it mostly for local hikes. The plus is the ability to open the whole top so it can be nicely filled with ice and provides an ability to pretty much shake any access out. But there is no hook or any other device on the bottom so it makes it awkward to hang to get it completely dry.

Unlike @Robo I don't like bottles. I don't do well getting them out of the side pockets when needed and I don't like the extra contraption in order to have them upfront. If anything else, I don't like that rigid plastic tube sticking out so close to my eye...God Forbid I trip the wrong way....

To each their on for sure.

@Donna Sch, following recommendations from a friend I tried the Gregory 3D Hydro. FYI , it came out the highest on Gear Lab testing ( the Evo was very closely behind)
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-hydration-bladder

It worked very well but ultimately I decided against it because of my inability to know how much water I had left without completely removing it.

I decided on a compromise : bottles inside my pack connected with a
Convertube system. Tube was connected to a 500 mil bottle, with a one liter on the opposite side of the Pack. Additional water and/or Aquarius carried as/if required.

Why? It gave me more control whilst still giving me the ease of access that the tube system provides. Over the years I've come to realize that I need to drink around half a litre every five kilometres, more if it's hot. So it was extremely easy to gauge. I never drink directly from the one liter Reservoir, only ever using it to top up the half litre bottle. Minimises the need to clean, I always knew how much water I had left, and meant that I could happily share water on the handful of occasions required. (Too many carry too little, relying on the next tap or bar to be operational. Sometimes they aren't!)
Exceptionally easy to refill every chance I got. No need to carry more water than required, and very easy to gauge how much I had.

As with the bladder, keeping the water inside my pack meant it stayed cooler, and I had plenty of room.

One additional bonus: in the extremely unlikely event that a bottle developed a leak I could swap it out for a supermarket bottle.

Edited to add: my one liter has a large opening, meaning I can add ice cubes if desired/ available. Oh, and all of my bottles are recycled.

I am not a fan of bladders, nor the idea of two heavy bottles hanging off the front of my straps. I do understand how solo walkers find these solutions easier than taking their pack off each time if the water bottle sleeves are hard to reach. If you walk with a partner it is easy to help each other so no problem. When I've walked with friends, I used a waist bag with an optional water bottle holder in its design. Although the bottle is smaller, I only need to refill it occasionally when I take my pack off for a snack or pee break since I still carry a larger bottle in its pack sleeve.

I used both a bladder system and carried a collapsible water bottle as well.

I recommend the Osprey - I have been using 2L version for several years now, no leaking issues. It has a nice wide mouth for filling and a number of other features that I've come to appreciate in addition to the easy-fill mouth: a stiff back that helps when you refill and return it to a full pack, the hose attaches and detaches easily when refilling, the magnet, and there is a genius hook in my Osprey pack that slips easily into the top of the bladder clip so the bladder doesn't sink into the pocket as it empties.

I haven't had any problems with leaking, but I do agree you have to be diligent about refilling on longer days. I like the ease of just taking quick sips without having to reach for a bottle. I think @Robo has developed an interesting system, but I'm not sure how well that might work for me (filled water bottles bouncing on already large breasts? don't think so, ha!). As I noted, I also use a collapsible water bottle, 500ml with a wide mouth, that I clip to my belt - I fill it with an electrolyte mix in the morning and sip that the first couple of hours until it's done, then roll it up and slip it into a pocket. On most days the combined 2.5L is enough, but I try to stay vigilant about how much I'm drinking and especially if it's lot I refill the bladder mid-day. It's definitely heavy at first!

One issue with the bladder system is that you have to be vigilant about cleaning it - not necessarily while on your Camino, but periodically and especially after long sustained use. Of course water bottles need to be cleaned periodically too, especially since I'm putting a drink mix in mine. Osprey makes a nice system for cleaning and drying all parts of the bladder system - the drinking nipple can especially accumulate some nasty black stuff from coming in contact with your mouth (yuck!) and the tubing is harder to keep clean than a water bottle, so make sure you clean it periodically.

The Osprey was originally recommended at my local REI store (outdoor equipment store for those not in America) by a clerk who used it on his Caminos, but they were out of the 2L size, so I tried to order it online and Amazon did one of those switheroos where you search for a specific brand but instead some other similar item pops up. I didn't notice it wasn't Osprey until after it arrived. I used the fake one for a while, but forgot it at a hotel after two weeks of hiking in Italy where I had hung it up in the bathroom to dry it out the night before my flight. The replacement Osprey I bought when I returned home was so far superior to the fake one, I could really appreciate the difference (and understand the price difference ). I have stuck with Osprey ever since.

Camino Chrissy said:

I am not a fan of bladders, nor the idea of two heavy bottles hanging off the front of my straps. I

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Totally 'get' that.
But on a route that requires you to carry 2-3 litres of water, (with nowhere to refill) there are not a lot of options.
I don't want to have to take my pack off to access a bottle. So I'll put it off, and slowly dehydrate.
And if I have to carry 2-3 kgs of water, having it on the front of the pack works wonders on balancing the weight.

A few days last year I had to carry extra water, above the 2 litres in my front bottles.
So it was in the side pockets of my pack.

Ahhh. I was amazed at how that small extra weight felt, being in the pack, and not on the front.

But hey, we all do our thing in different ways

@Robo, I never walk in the heat of summer so do not need as much as you on your VdLP, and I still carry a good amount of extra water in my pack holders. When I walk with one of my sons, we just grab each other's bottle to help.
When you walk with your wife, does she carry two extra bottles on her front straps, or do you grab her bottles in her pack sleeve for her?...or possibly do you carry all the water? I ask because you considered carrying a rice cooker for her on her first Camino.

Peterexpatkiwi said:

Over the years I've come to realize that I need to drink around half a litre every five kilometres, more if it's hot

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So.... 3L bladder then lasts you 30km say 20 when it's hot
IMHO that calculation pretty much negated the need of pulling the bladder "completely out" to check it (and BTW I see no need to do that I was perfectly OK to pull it only as far as I can see where the waterline is).
To me that equates a good day's walk.

As I was getting more comfortable and set in "my ways" I would forgo any checks until my 2nd break (usually around 11:30-noon) by which time I would hoof up around 15km give or take a few.
Starting early in the morning also took an edge of walking in the heat of the day thus lesser consumption.
By that 2nd break I switched from Cafe con Leche to Kaz lemon as well so more refreshing hydration.

Robo said:

Probably not what you want to hear. But I used bladders on my first 2 caminos and don't like them.
Hard to fill, potential leaks that go unnoticed (i ran dry twice) added weight of bladder etc etc .

#1 issue though. You can't see how much water is left and you can't monitor your water intake.
That's a BIG problem in my view.

Whereas bottles, mounted on the front of the pack, provide instant access, same as a bladder. (I use a tube)
But more importantly are constantly in view and so easy to monitor water intake.
And very easy to fill.

A bonus, (big one) is that the weight is on the front and acts rather like Aarn balance pockets.

I would never go back to a bladder.

Pic below is 2 x 1 litre bottles (last year on VdlP)
I did trial 2 x 1.5 litre, but decided 2 litres was enough for most days. (and it was)
For those few days I needed more I put 2 x 500 ml backup bottles either side in the pack side pockets.

Shade and Water - on the VdlP you bring your own...

• Robo
• Jun 12, 2023
• 6

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I agree with everything said and add "from my experience". My bladder got very warm from my body heat resting on my back inside my pack. Drinking tepid and almost 90 degree (32c) water was pretty disgusting. In addition, a bladder is difficult to clean out if it gets contaminated or develops a fungal contamination. On the Camino where good water sources are quite frequent a simple plastic bottle from a beverage is cheap and readily available.

CWBuff said:

So.... 3L bladder then lasts you 30km say 20 when it's hot
IMHO that calculation pretty much negated the need of pulling the bladder "completely out" to check it (and BTW I see no need to do that I was perfectly OK to pull it only as far as I can see where the waterline is).

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But that pre-supposes that I would fill the three liter water bladder which I do not. As I said I typically carry one and a half litres, I only carry more as/if required. ( IE seldom)

I would then also have no idea how much water I had actually drunk without checking, something that I personally find useful. When you're drinking from a 500 mil source it's pretty darn obvious - it's either empty (in which case you're sucking on air) or it's not.

I used the Osprey 2L with an Osprey backpack. Easy for me to take out and put back in. Made me sip water all say and very convenient. No leakage issues. Used this to keep it clean every night after emptying. Worked line a charm.

Donna Sch said:

I like using hydration bladders as I tend to keep up on my fluids better and I rather carry too much water and drink more than not have enough given we are planning a May-June camino. I am after a 2-3 litre bladder that is easy to fill and which doesn't leak. I have used Source bladders before but have encountered leaks with those at the point where the tube attached to the bag. Bit reluctant to use that brand for a few reasons now. Would like to hear about brands and models other people have used and what problems you experienced with them. The Gregory 3D Hydro, the Platypus Big Zip Evo and Osprey Hydraulics all look promising. But I want to hear about real life experience.

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My experience with bladders is that they are very hard to fill. There are now hydration tubes that attached to bottles which are more easily accessed. 3 L is over 24 extra pounds there are many places to get water along most of the trails and the guides will indicate where, caring that much extra weight does not seem advisable.