 I'm pretty sceptical of that article about bottles, too. Bottled water has a loooonnnng shelf life, where the water sits in the bottle, doing (hopefully) nothing. So any chemicals present in the bottle (unpolymerised phthalates, for instance, which are oestrogenic compounds) have a lot of time to leach into the water. When I re-use a bottle, I fill it in the morning, and empty it during the day. So, very little time for anything to leach into it.
As for the panic about bacteria, etc, well, I rinse my bottles out every time. And I'm healthy, and have a healthy immune system, so not likely to be bothered by such bacteria. Anyway, some bottled water has been found to have high levels of bacteria...
I'd also be wary of any advice from an organisation with a vested interest; the Canadian Bottled Water Association, for instance. Now, what is it that they sell? So would they be keen on you re-filling a bottle from the tap? No, I don't think so...
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 I'm glad one of these threads comes along every now and then. I reminds me my hydration bladder's festering somewhere and i ought to put it in the freezer.
I like them, they do mean you drink more and often, but they're also a hassle to look after. But worth it.
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 I just bough a new Source bladder this morning. I just got fed up cleaning the other screw capped affair.
This one has got a slidey top thing that you can still hang up and it's a little wider and flatter.
It will be a joy I'm sure.
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 No question for me, has to be a hydration pack. So, so much more convenient.
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 depends upon what you do i think.
i now only use a drinking bladder (source) for evening walks after work where it desn't really matter if i run out of water.
an aluminium water bottle (with mini krab)is attached to my shoulder strap via a small loop of para cord at the top onto which the mini krab is attached and a loop of shock cord further down to stop it swinging about. water bottle is always to hand.
in summer i like cold/cool drinks for preference. freezing water in a bladder has never worked out properly as the water warms up in the tube and i haven't a clue how much is left.
water is frozen in aliminium bottles or a platypus bag which keeps my food nice and fresh in the bag (especially soft fruit) and provides cold top-ups for the bottle(s) attached to the shoulder straps.
if you get on with a bottle, try the front attachment and see if it works for you.
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not quite. does the same thing but much more cheaply.
my rucksack straps are covered in bits of shock cord for attaching any and every thing to them like compass, gps, rolled up map case, hat. come to think of it i probably look like a crackerjack contestant but without the cabbage (you need to be a certain age to remember that)
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Which I am :oD
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Bladder in summer, Sigg + flask in winter(trust it to do less damage if it freezes!). I've got a hydrosystems (?) bladder which opens up completely along the top end making it easy to fill from burns. I stay much more hydrated with the bladder.
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 I suspect that this risk of drinking too much is mostly scaremongering as it is very unlikely to apply to the average person. The Department of Health recommend drinking 2.5 litres of water a day under normal circumstances (so more presumably in unusually hot temperatures of when exercising for long periods of time). Of course, the dangers of drinking 'too much' water are real in theory but I suspect that 'too much' would be much more than a few litres for most of us.
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In answer to your question chris about your tesco's finest, if you have the pocket in your rucksack for a bladder then in theory you dont need hanging loops for the bladder as it will just sit at the bottom of the pocket. with no problems.
Bushy
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I got given a book on cycling medicine for xmas, and the author recalls how much he drank on an all-day ride across Death Valley. It measured in gallons. Quite a lot, even accounting for the fact that they were US gallons.
I should point out that I'm not anti-hyrdation systems, just that I'm not sure of their benefits for me. When walking with friends, I usually find myself a way ahead, and stop regularly for them to catch up; that's just what is comfortable for me. I take these opportunities to have a drink from a bottle.
I do use a hydration pack when cycling, as it can be a bit less hassle. However, since I'm on an MTB, I usually need both hands, so drinking on the go isn't always practical. Then again, we stop regularly enough to take drinks from a bottle in a cage. Where they stay cooler; on the back, I find the water is rapidly warmed by core heat.
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| Edited: 23/05/06 19:46 |
Mark: if you are unsure whether to switch to a hydraton system you may like to consider my solution. You need one metre of plastic tubing from an ironmonger's shop. Drill a hole in the cap a fraction smaller than the the diameter of the tubing. Insert tube through hole and, hey presto! you have a hydration system that will sit in an outside pocket of your rucksack. Use a tapered plug attached to the tubing with thin cord to prevent syphoning and leaking. Costs under a pound. Every bit as good as an expensive hydration system (though I've never used one!) and there are no problems with bacteria etc.
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What kind of cap, flat of peaked?
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Sorry! I must have accidentayly erased a line. The post should read:
Mark: if you are unsure whether to switch to a hydraton system you may like to consider my solution. You need one metre of plastic tubing from an ironmonger's shop. Drill a hole in the cap of a 500 ml coke bottle a fraction smaller than the the diameter of the tubing. Insert tube through hole and, hey presto! you have a hydration system that will sit in an outside pocket of your rucksack. Use a tapered plug attached to the tubing with thin cord to prevent syphoning and leaking. Costs under a pound. Every bit as good as an expensive hydration system (though I've never used one!) and there are no problems with bacteria etc.
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 Or you can buy an adapter system which will turn a mineral water bottle into a hydration system.
Up and Under do one called SmarTube for £10.80 or Culverhouse.co.uk for £8.99.
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| Edited: 29/05/06 02:25 |
I use a hydration reservoir all the time as staying hydrated makes such a difference to my enjoyment of the day, the evening after, and the following day etc etc.
The other disadvantage of a hydration system that hasn't really been discussed is frozen valves/tubes. This can be really serious as once it happens, there's very little you can do to get either defrost it, or get a drink from it.
To avoid this in moderately cold conditions, simply blow the water back into the bladder after each drink. This may not be enough when it gets really cold, so for ski touring and alpine climbing etc, I tend to put half my water in the hydration system and half in a platypus/Source foldable plastic bottle in my pack.
If it freezes, I can use the bottle to drink from (although obviously I need to stop). Hopefully by the time I've drank it all, the temperature will have increased enough to have thawed the tube. If it hasn't, I pour the water from the hydration pack into the bottle.
This also means I have a spare water container should the hydration bladder break down in any way (and they do occasionally) or if the day is particularly big or hot and I want to carry extra water.
On another subject, for those scoffing the idea of purification, there are facts and figures around now that suggest that ALL of the planet's surface water is polluted to some extent. And if you've ever had Giardia??
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| Edited: 29/05/06 16:49 |
well i have used platypus bladders for about 13 years at least i bought some of there soft bottles recently ,well to cut a long story short it is the cleaning of the platypus tubes and bladders, i mean lemon juice bicarbonate of soda hot water shake for 30secs repeat 3times then leave to soak in hot water.Well screw that i have just started using a nalgene tritan 1litre bottle for water and a camelback better750 bottle for sports drinks on the move.oh and to end the tale of the platypus soft bottle it developed bacteria underneath the lid area were the bottle is clued to the top i tried the above cleaning method for 3hours could not clean it this was only used once for a orange sports drink the bottle was cleaned afterwards but being left in the bottom of wardrobe it developed its own microclimate ,i know the tritan bottle and the nalgene set up will be slightly heavier but after thought i think that is a winner
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