Water On The Trail

[DrNed]

I was going to title this drinking on the trail, but I thought I might confuse @langutah into talking about scotch around the campfire, but I digress . . .

To this point I've always been a carry my water in bladder. In an attempt to lower my pack weight I'm giving up the bladder and carry a bottle. For those of you who do this do you use a bottle with a built in filter or do you use a filtered straw? This is what I'm envisioning. Or do you pull out your filter on the trail, and pump water into your bottle?

 

[Nick]

Is it really that much lighter to go with a bottle over a bladder? My 6 liter MSR Dromlite weighs in at 4.8 ounces. That's under an ounce per liter.

Lately I've just been using smart water bottles, the tall skinny ones. I think they weigh an ounce and change each but they take up space even when empty, so if I need more than 2 liters of capacity, I take a bladder. If I liked sucking out of a hose, I'd ditch the bottles altogether, but I really like being able to chug down water without sucking.

As for filtering, I don't usually filter mid-hike. I filter what I need in camp and try to make it last me for the day. If I need more, I'll stop and break out the filter. I've never considered a bottle with a built-in filter. Seems kinda gimmicky and limited in it's usage (not ideal for gathering larger amounts).

 

[mak1277]

I typically use an empty gatorade bottle or smartwater bottle (or two), in addition to a 1L platypus bag or the bag that came with my Sawyer Squeeze. I fill the "dirty water" bag and filter it into an empty bottle as needed.

I've also done plenty of trips with just aqua mira drops, in which case I just have empty plastic bottles that I fill from the source and treat as needed.

 

[b.stark]

I gave up bottles to go with a bladder. Much easier to stay hydrated while hiking that way, as I used to carry my bottles stashed in my pack somewhere.

 

[Mike K]

I did a few things to save weight when it comes to drinking on the trail. This mostly pertains to alpine hiking where clear water is abundant.

Things I ditched:
-3L Camelbak bladder (6.88 oz) (I often carried this with a full 3 liters of water! Heavy!)
-Hiker Pro (Katadyn?) filter (14.11 oz)
-32 oz plastic Nalgene (6.31 oz)

I now use:
-a variety of cheap water bottles (gatorade, smart water, even the real thin cheapies) - maybe 1 oz each
-a Steripen Adventurer Opti - 4.55 oz
-a 32 oz clear Camelbak "canteen" (I think that's what it's called) 2.12 oz (I uses this with the Steripen)

So no, I don't use the bottles with the built in filters. I DO stop on the trail when needed and use the Steripen. I try to carry only 20 oz at a time in the water bottles. Sometimes a little more. Just depends on the area and availability of water. I also "camel up" in the morning or during breaks near the water. I'll slam a liter at a time or something. I have found it's a pain to reach back and grab the bottles while hiking (Osprey Aether pack). I need to find a solution. I think @WasatchWill has some nifty water bottle carries that attach to the straps of the back for easy access. I need to hit him up.

Anyhow, all that helped me save weight. The biggest thing was just carrying less water on the trail. Hope that helps some.

 

[DrNed]

Thank you for your comments. Maybe I was mistaken in my assumptions. My bladder holds
in the neighborhood of 80 ounces x 8 pounds a gallon (I think) comes close to 6 lbs. I was thinking
one Smart Water bottle and my Life Straw to filter / drink on the go and cut a few pounds.

I do like the convenience of the bladder though.

Thanks for input!

 

[Artemus]

x2 for stopping on the trail to whip out the magic wand and zap a quick liter of water. On my crossing of the Winds AND the Uintas I literally only had the externally-clipped-on liter bottle and stopped anywhere/everywhere to refill it, zap it and drink while on the go and on the trail. I carried a 6 liter bag to fill for a comfortable camp supply at camp but it was empty on the trail. HUGE weight reduction. Water is heavy.

Counterpoint, while backpacking below the rim of the Grand Canyon I have to dry camp sometimes and carry 8 liters (16# !) of just water to get me through a day and night. That is heavy AND stressful - not knowing for sure that water is at your next planned location and won't make you sick from the mineralization. I use a bladder for these trips and all of my day hiking and backcountry skiing trips.

So,
High mountains: water is everywhere so don't need to carry but need extra clothing/shelter weight.
Low mountains/desert: water is nowhere so need to camel it and less clothing and shelter weight. Simple.

Luckily for me Scotch is light. Light makes right!

 

[Parma]

i never liked drinking from a bladder until i tried the Osprey bladder/bite valve...it's the only one i like.

 

[b.stark]

They key for me to using a bladder is that I don't fill it all the way full. Usually about half full does well enough. Not as much weight, and the huge benefit is that a half full bladder fits in a pack way better than a full one.

Of course, if you have to have the water due to a lack of water sources, you have to have it, no matter what you put it in. If water is plentiful, though, there's no reason to stuff as much as you possibly can in that bladder every time you fill it.

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

3L hydration bladder and a light filter like a Sawyer mini would work for 95% of situations I would think. Correctly calculating how much to carry between sources is the bigger ticket to saving weight imo, not getting lighter stuff. The water itself is what's heaviest. I agree with the guys here that if you do use a bottle, ditch the heavy nalgene or whatnot for a disposable bottle. Smartwater bottles have the same thread as a Sawyer mini and can be used in place of a pouch.

 

[mak1277]

3L hydration bladder and a light filter like a Sawyer mini would work for 95% of situations I would think. Correctly calculating how much to carry between sources is the bigger ticket to saving weight imo, not getting lighter stuff. The water itself is what's heaviest. I agree with the guys here that if you do use a bottle, ditch the heavy nalgene or whatnot for a disposable bottle. Smartwater bottles have the same thread as a Sawyer mini and can be used in place of a pouch.

Have others had trouble using smartwater bottles with the mini or squeeze? I found that the bottles get pretty deformed after one or two "squeezes" through the filter. I much prefer using the pouch for the "dirty" water and squeezing it into the bottles.

 

[JoshuaDyal]

3L hydration bladder and a light filter like a Sawyer mini would work for 95% of situations I would think. Correctly calculating how much to carry between sources is the bigger ticket to saving weight imo, not getting lighter stuff. The water itself is what's heaviest. I agree with the guys here that if you do use a bottle, ditch the heavy nalgene or whatnot for a disposable bottle. Smartwater bottles have the same thread as a Sawyer mini and can be used in place of a pouch.

I'm seriously thinking of picking up a Sawyer mini. How do you like it? It's getting rave reviews, and with the price and weight, it seems a no-brainer; or at least it would, except I already have a SteriPEN.

 

[Parma]

I'm seriously thinking of picking up a Sawyer mini. How do you like it? It's getting rave reviews, and with the price and weight, it seems a no-brainer; or at least it would, except I already have a SteriPEN.

i first saw these in use by @steve...and it looked to work great!
when you consider the price ($25 or less) and the weight (2 oz.) it's an amazing water filter for backpacking.

 

[Mike K]

I'm seriously thinking of picking up a Sawyer mini. How do you like it? It's getting rave reviews, and with the price and weight, it seems a no-brainer; or at least it would, except I already have a SteriPEN.

I personally think they are a hassle but most everyone else seems to like them. I have a Steripen as well and much prefer that when clear water is available. The Sawyer minis have the advantage of actually filtering out particles that the Steripen might not be able to zap. (I think).

EDIT: I thought it was a pain getting water into those squeeze pouches. And then you have to aim/squeeze the filtered water into a smaller bottle.

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

I'm seriously thinking of picking up a Sawyer mini. How do you like it? It's getting rave reviews, and with the price and weight, it seems a no-brainer; or at least it would, except I already have a SteriPEN.

I haven't had to use it to filter anything really murky or questionnable, mostly lake water. My biggest complaint is what @Mike K already pointed out, that it's a pain to fill the pouch with water. What I usually end up doing is carrying a small reusable water bottle to fill up from the source, then pour it from the bottle into the pouch. Then filter a little bit of clean water back into the "dirty bottle" to rinse out. From there I squeeze from the pouch through the filter into my hydration bladder and the "rinsed" bottle.

 

[LarryBoy]

Is it really that much lighter to go with a bottle over a bladder? My 6 liter MSR Dromlite weighs in at 4.8 ounces. That's under an ounce per liter.

Lately I've just been using smart water bottles, the tall skinny ones. I think they weigh an ounce and change each but they take up space even when empty, so if I need more than 2 liters of capacity, I take a bladder. If I liked sucking out of a hose, I'd ditch the bottles altogether, but I really like being able to chug down water without sucking.

As for filtering, I don't usually filter mid-hike. I filter what I need in camp and try to make it last me for the day. If I need more, I'll stop and break out the filter. I've never considered a bottle with a built-in filter. Seems kinda gimmicky and limited in it's usage (not ideal for gathering larger amounts).

Three cheers for SmartWater! The tall and skinny shape really helps when you're putting them in the side pockets of your pack.

I normally bring one SmartWater bottle and then as many Platy's as I need. I find that SmartWater bottles are easier to use to collect water our of a stream or lake, because the hard-sided bottles don't collapse when you put them under water and allow the air to bubble out. On the other hand, Platy's are easier to dip out of a super shallow pothole or a seep that's dripping down a rock. So it makes sense to hedge your bets - if you come to a stream, you can fill the SmartWater bottle and the Platy with the SmartWater bottle; if you come to a dripping spring, you can do the converse.

As far as filtering goes, I used to own a Katahdyn and got frustrated when it jammed up. I recently picked up a Sawyer Mini for free, but was disappointed with its flow rate; it takes 5-10 minutes to filter a liter of water, especially when you're putting grime in it from desert water sources. You really have to backflush it every single day.

So in my opinion, nothing beats AquaMira. It's not too pricey (a package will last you 30 days at 4 liters/day, and costs $15). It's quick, easy, doesn't jam up, doesn't run out of batteries, and you can make as much as you want at one time. I generally just eat a snack for a couple minutes while waiting for the Part A and the Part B to catalyze. It'd take at least 5 minutes to filter 3 liters of water anyway! And if you're really concerned about time, you can pre-mix a little bit and keep it in a tiny dropper bottle. There's a multitude of amazingly nerdy articles out there about how much or little pre-mixing inhibits the performance of the chemicals.

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

I used to use aquamira but couldn't deal with the nasty taste anymore. I tried masking it with Gatorade powder but I could still taste it. I agree that the flow rate on the Sawyer mini is a bit slow. Has anyone tried installing it inline on the bladder hose?

 

[LarryBoy]

I used to use aquamira but couldn't deal with the nasty taste anymore. I tried masking it with Gatorade powder but I could still taste it. I agree that the flow rate on the Sawyer mini is a bit slow. Has anyone tried installing it inline on the bladder hose?

Doesn't work... it's like trying to suck jello through a straw. I've heard from die-hards in the in-line filtration camp that the way to go is with the Sawyer 3-in-1... much better flow rate than the Mini apparently

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

That's what I figured... that it would be hard to suck through it.

 

[Nurrgle]

I found that with bladders I felt more thirsty and used more water then I do when just using my Nalgene.

For me, the constant sipping at the bladder just didn't equate to more hydration. I prefer to take big drinks less frequently then I can with a bladder.