It seems from Scoop's answer that Camelbak is better in use except that Scoop doesn't say anything about taste for water from Camelbak. Any experience?
--Mjausson

I'll ask him - meanwhile, I've used Platypus units for the past couple of years now and reckon they're a very good compromise for walking / climbing use. They may not flow as quite as much as a Camelbak, but they're very versatile because of the different sizes available and the zip-top version is easy to climb, though if you use gritty water, small bits of grit can get stuck in the zip-lock type seal...

Also, if you use iodine in the water, the Platypus plastic eventually takes on a nasty yellow-hued tint, though it doesn't actually seem to have any fuinctional effect and I suspect the same would happen with any other bladder.

The other nice thing about the Platy is that there's nothing to go wrong with the bite valve - it's simply a rubber bite piece with a slit which deforms under pressure to let water out - no springs of gubbinses and you can't break it by standing on it by mistake and, as Richard Gear mentions, it's been upgraded along with the plastic.

I'll leave Scoop to comment on the Camelbak, but given that for walking, high flow rates are debatably less important than for mountain biking, I reckon the Platy would do the job more than adequately.

The simple (& cheap) solution is just to buy some clear rubber tubing from B&Q @~£1/m and then drill a hole slightly smaller than the tube in the top of a bottle (so it's a tight fit and won't leak) and feed the tube through after sanding the hole smooth. Then just stab one with a pin to let air in. Seal with a bit of silicon sealent and pinch the valve off a kiddies inflatable (some even have a similar system to the bite valve) and hey presto, hydration system for a fiver!

Never had any problems with it and if you have a spare lid (one without a dirty great big hole in it) you can use it as normal when you want to. Surprisingly if the tube is airtight it won't leak out of the air hole if you make it small enough!

That's probably a simple and cheap solution for people who aren't nomadic. Personally I don't have a drill, no sand papper, silicon sealant or kiddies inflatable. So when I've bought all those things it will probably come to the same or more than a Platypus but without the warranty. I know what I'm going for.
--Mjausson (11 more months in this country)

I'd recommend the platypus bladders, (once you've skinned the little blighters and...)
The iodine does definetly discolour the plastic but does not seem to do it any harm.
For a chemisty experiment (or to worry any passer-by) try adding some orange squash to the iodined water and see the colour change to an amazing purplish hue. It then looks like you are drinking from a stolen hospital drip, not an expensive hydration system.

You should never drink from stolen hospital drips Rich, you don't know where they've been... Isn't the purple colour due to the interaction of iodine and starch btw?

The other hot tip, if you use iodine, is to give it enough time to work, then add a small pinch of Vitamin C powder or something containing Vitamin C - the asorbic acid neutralises the iodine, makes it into iodide or summat and kills the vile iodine taste as well. Stops the iodine working though, hence you need to give it time.

Best iodine are the little, re-useable crystals - hard to find in the UK, but last pretty much forever.

Jon

The quite useful Scoop from BIKEmagic speaks on the issue of the relative taste from Camelbaks and Platypus systems as follows: ' [Camelbak] Tastes alright, like drinking from a plastic cup. Platypus is more like drinking from a glass if that makes sense?'

He doesn't say anything about home-made systems, though I guess that'd depend on the componentry used.

Jon

Going back a few steps, surely if you added in just the right amount of orange juice you could actually get the water to be clear at some stage?

Has anyone tried insulating pouches, and do they actually work in cold weather? I'd like it if I didn't have to lug a vacuum flask around on cold days.

Whilst you're mentioning drip bags, I thought I should mention people I know have used these (fresh unused ones) for bladders. They are apparently the thing to use in marathon canoeing, where the support crew attaches a new bladder into the boat at each portage. Not something I've ever tried myself, but might be good (and cheap) if you have a source.

One more question: Just how hardwearing are these bladders? If I put a Platypus in the lid of my backpack together with my car keys, will all my gear get wet?
--Mjausson

dunno about the Platy, but the Camelbak is durable alright. if i can catapult off my bike at 20mph, several times, and land on my bladder (ouch) without breaking it, then id say that's tough enough!
and since i've started using it for walking (rucsac lid), i can't believe that for years i used to stop and take off my rucsac, just to get my waterbottle out for a slurp.

I'll take that as a strong endorsement. BTW have you thought about how much more it would have hurt if you hadn't had the shock absorbing bladder to land on?
--Mjausson

Platys are pretty tough, I used one for a mountaineering trip a while back, which basically boiled down to six weeks of horrible abuse and it sailed through. Obviously if you stand on it wearing crampons or slit its platy throat with a sharp knife it'll leak, but in normal outdoor use they're pretty tough though they will start to wear at any point where they are regularly creased. The latest version is supposed to be better for this though, the laminate's been improved. Also, you can carry a patch kit, I think. If there isn't a specific one, the Therm-a-Rest kit works just fine. Don't ask how I know, etc, but think crampons...

I was wondering if petrol stoves are more efficient than gas?

Er, try viewing by 'latest posts'... as far as hydration systems go, I think the Source bladders with the massive foldover, closure are brilliant. They're anti-microbial and the inside is very smooth which makes them dead easy to maintain - there's a really big opening.

I still think the Camelbak bite valve with the 90-degree ergo thingee and lock off is the best out there for function and flow.

Other developments. Nalgene as used by TNF has a magnetic bite valve system which allows you to clip your valve to a pack strap keeping it from swinging around when you're walking. Also there's a quick release attachment on the bladder, so you can leave the tube in place and remove the bladder on its own to re-fill, but I've seen reports that the valve there can leak.

IME the Source bladder / Camelbak valve combo is the best solution, but the valves bought alone aren't cheap.

not a lot you can innovate with with a plastic bag a length of tubing.