I've not yet purchased a new modern rucksack and I'm curious as to where the hydration bladders go and how they work? Do they just go in side pockets on modern rucksacks and there is some sort of small opening that allows the tube to come out of? I also just wondered how many bladders you could have in your rucksack if you're going on a multi-day trip? Could you have bladders containing several litres? I think the water is going to be the main thing I need to worry about having enough of in cape verde. Do you guys mainly just fill them with water or do you ever put anything else in like cordial or coke or anything? BTW: I just figured out how to tell the difference between the Deuter range whether they are for Men or Women. The Womens rucksacks all seem to be labelled "SL" whatever this means? I don't know why things can't be simple and they just put M for men and W or F for Women or Female... not that I can tell the difference, they all look like rucksacks to me. Is there anything different about the SL range? Cheers! John
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 Hi John As you have suggested, many modern rucksacks have a hydration bladder sleeve - a pocket dedicated to a hydration pouch which is usually placed inside the rucksack right where your back would go (where it provides some extra comfort for you). Gaps / holes where the rucksack straps join the main pack are often included allowing for the hydration tube to exit the pack at an appropriate location and clips on the shoulder straps hold the tube in place. Some packs also have drainage holes to deal with burst / leaking bladders. Most of these features can be affected by you, with a bit of tinkering, if they are absent from your pack. Most users of hydration pouches use them for water and nothing else - adding any flavouring could easily taint the pouch for future drinks - plus they can be a chore to clean if you put anything but water in. More than one pouch manufacturer only recommends water and personally I would never put a fizzy drink in a hydration pouch - then again, I would never take a fizzy drink on a hike - but that's just me  I don't use hydration pouches myself for a number of reasons : 1. They entice you to keep walking as it's easier to get a drink - however frequent short stops are an aide memoir to your route, you get a better look at your environment, regular navigation stops are highly recommended, etc etc. 2. They can be a pest to fill from a river. 3. They're harder to empty into a cook pot. 4. They're not as robust as solid containers and with larger openings they are more likely to leak. Just my take on it! Oh and 'women' rucksacks usually have different waist belts and shoulders straps to accommodate the shape of their hips and booby bits.
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Hi John, Just to balance/confuse things....I love hydration systems. Yes, "modern" packs have special sleeves and little access holes for the tubes - I have one - I also have an older pack where I just put the bladder inside and lead the tube out/under the lid. Which is better - frankly, doesnt make any difference as far as I can see. What to put in them - water, nothing but water, ever. Cleaning them of cordial/additives etc is a grade A pain. Storage - easy, drain any water out, then shove it in your freezer! means you wont get any musty taints. Advantages - everytime I check my map, I can have a sip...or look at the view...or just check where you are going without that faff of pack off, bottle out..drink...bottle in, pack on. Life - OK, my 35 year old Sigg bottle is going strong, but in the last ten years I have used two bladders. I also use it for camping - ever knocked a bottle over...? Bladders dont spill in the same way. At the end of the day its horses for courses.
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 and i like a very flexible hybrid version - see post top of page 2 liquitainer
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 What to put in them - water, nothing but water, ever. Cleaning them of cordial/additives etc is a grade A pain. Storage - easy, drain any water out, then shove it in your freezer! means you wont get any musty taints.
Agree with most of what Simon says except this - we always put some fruit juice in. Not keen on plain water. You just need to rinse carefully and occasionally Milton the bladder.
Keep ours in the freezer too Easy to fill from rivers - we filter and the tubing connects direct to the filter Each to their own though
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 There are times when they're good, times when they're not really worth it. Quite a bit of the walking in Scotland you come to streams so often that carrying a bladder is just a waste of effort: each litre weighs a kilo and with water around everywhere it's a kilo you're wasting effort with. Away from refueling they make a lot more sense, especially if your hands are busy. I do like them for skiing: it's hard work if I'm going for it, getting stuff out is a pain as you have to faff with the poles and the local streams are solid anyway. Have to make sure the hose doesn't freeze though. You can get a lot of the "drink any time" benefits with a simple bottle holster, and bottles are easier to refill and wash, and cheaper. As has already been noted about rucksacks, any rucksack will do: "hydration compatible" just means a sleeve you don't need and a hole you don't need. Pete.
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BTW: I just figured out how to tell the difference between the Deuter range whether they are for Men or Women. The Womens rucksacks all seem to be labelled "SL" whatever this means? I don't know why things can't be simple and they just put M for men and W or F for Women or Female... not that I can tell the difference, they all look like rucksacks to me. Is there anything different about the SL range?
Why it's called 'SL' I don't know, but given that Deuter is a German company, why should they use M or W/F?! Anyway, here's an explanation of the key differences in Deuter's men's and women's rucksack fit.
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 SL is supposed to stand for 'Slim Line' if I remember correctly.
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Aha! I thought it stood for Sexy Lady.
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One thing to point out about bladders is they do keep improving them. The newer source bladders have what their marketing noddies call glassy inner (or something like that) that supposedly prevents growths on the inside of the bladder and also taints from cordials. Not sure if it reaqlly works. I rate source bladders as I find a full one resists my meagre 14 stones stepping on it with full weight. That's just to give you an idea of how strong they are or can be. Sigg bottles last for ever, although the lining can go in them and they can hold tastes a bit too. They are not guaranteed to be growth free neither as I've had some sig bottles needing to be thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting before now. Bottles are popular in the Alps as they don't freeze up the same way as the tubes do. Although most just use shop bought plastic bottles and then re-fill them later. These are light and relatively cheap if you re-fill. Plus if they split you can replace at the next shop / garage. Stuff them in an elastic side pocket of your sack (if they have one) and you should be able to get it out, drink and put it back on the move. It is ludicrous to think that just because you have a bladder and can drink on the go that you are not going to stop at a suitable point to enjoy the view. Quite often you will see ppl stopping to admire the view then taking that rest stop opportunity to take a quick drink from a bladder. All without the hassle of sack off and on again. People are always going to take stops to admire the view and rest irrespective of the water container used. It just means that if like me you don't stop to take a drink from bottles when you used them but even when stopping fro a view you spend the time looking for a view then moving on without taking the bottle out. I never had bottle holders on the waist belt as I never owned any and hated stuff hanging off there getting inthe way. That meant for me I got very de-hydrated over the course of a days walk, often more so in winter as I stopped less. For me a bladder was a revelation and was good for my health and performance in the hills. Headaches due to de-hydration is not nice mine were like hangovers. Kate - I reckon they used SL with you in mind then! 
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 I always use a hydration bladder, I like the fact I can have a drink without removing my rucksack. I add fruit juice in mine and as long as it is well rinsed after use and treated with milton now and again I have found no problems. The big downside to them I find is not knowing how much water you have left. It is easy to drain the bladder dry half way through a walk as you can't see how much is remaining. This isn't a problem if you have a good supply of water on your walk, but if you don't can be a problem.
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 I generally walk with a 500ml 'PET' plastic bottle of water clutched in my hand (in hot weather) or stuffed in the mesh side pocket of my pack. Inside my pack I generally carry another 2L or so of water, which I use to top up the PET bottle now and then. I have been meaning to buy or make something to attach the bottle to my pack strap or belt to make it easier to reach but I haven't gotten around to it yet. However I generally set a fairly relaxed pace - having a bottle dangling from one's fingers may not suit the more athletic types. The main reason I haven't tried a hydration bladder so far is the thought of cleaning it, especially the tube part. Especially since the PET bottle can go into the recycling at the end of the trip, or my aluminium bottle can go into the dishwasher. Having said that, if you already have your hands full with a couple of hiking poles then that could be an excellent reason to use a hydration bladder
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cc. i never have that problem. one bottle is empty, i'm half way through my water. easy to refill the bottle if needed. cordial/juice is death to an in-line filter. ttg, somepeople keep their water inside their pack so to drink they have to get the bottle out of the pack. seems like a recipe for not drinking enough to me.
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That is what I was saying in a less succinct way. Its my reason for switching to bladders, I need to drink therefore I need a bladder. In a few summer walks I have taken everything I had to hold water. My record is a day walk up Ben Lomond with a fluid intake of 9 litres of water during the day (not sure how much fluids at night as I don't remember it that much). That involved a 2litre bladder, 2 sigg litre bottles and a wide mouthed nalgene bottle. I drank two before leaving the carpark, re-filled. ran out on the walk then re-filled back at the carpark and spent an hour waded thigh deep in the Loch Lomond drinking water whilst in the shade trying to cool down and re-hydrate. An amazing day but I suffered through not having enough water. If I had not had my bladder and kept re-filling it I am in no doubt I would have had heat stroke. I know bottles mean I don't drink, bladders mean I do.
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Gak. ttg, if you weren't carrying so much weight of water, you'd probably not have to drink so much... Pete.
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I'd get your blood sugars checked ttg For long summer walks we tend to start with 1L in a platy and refill (filter) as we go. Bought some rehydration flavoured tabs to drop in once the juice flavour had gone. Certainly not going to carry 5kg of water to start.
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Hey Time To Go, you might disagree with my comments but I don't believe that they're ludicrous. I was hiking a couple of months back with a lady hiker and she didn't like stopping for anything - for her hiking was only about fitness not peace and quiet and checking out the vista. She asked me why I didn't use bladders and I gave her much the same explanation as above - she told me the reason she used a bladder was because she didn't like stopping. Now I'm not suggesting that she's wrong or that people who use bladders are wrong, hell I use one for cycling and I used to use one for hiking. My comment was that they 'entice' a person to keep going - I didn't say that they stop people from looking at the view.... If you look at the comments here you can see most people advocate their convenience - a bottle strapped to the outside of your pack is slightly less convenient and often requires removal of the pack which in turn forces the grass snakes out their to stop upon occasion - bladders don't do that. It really was a very minor point, certainly not a reason to steer clear from bladders. My main reason for not liking them is security - bladders are not as tough as Sigg bottles and when I limit myself to carrying a couple of litres of water (I take a water filter) then I prefer the security of a metal container over rubber / plastic. For cycling, trail running, and so on yip, I rate them just like the next person
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 I met one of those stop for nothing types - he was wearing a red top. I've avoided red tops ever since in case the same happens to me
The toughness issue is true - but very infrequent. Between 2 of us in 500 hill days we have had 1 leak - a drip that was solved short-term by turning the bladder upside down for the day. And we abuse ours by freezing them which will render that more likely.
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GAK? Peter I think you should go onto urban dictionary website and look up a few of the meanings for gak. I'm not totally sure of the meaning you intended but I don't appreciate being called some of them! I'm sure you aren't calling me some of those meanings as they would be a real wierd insult and one that I'm surprised you know about. All I can say is that day was one of the hottest recorded and we were out for a very long time. Not being as fit as I am now we probably sweated more than a lot of fit hill walkers plus I'm bad in a really hot sunny weather, especially like this was. It wasn't that record breaking hot summer (although I was on hols on that week to but only drank 7 litres that day), but it was one a few years before. There were people all over suffering too judging by the red faces and looks of sheer suffering on their faces. I drank the water because I was able to do so. Most of it was drunk before and after the walk, except for the 5 litres I carried. I don't need to check my blood sugars but I reckon a hat would have helped and probably not going up there for as long a walk in those conditions. I do think that even in Scotland there are days when you can quite easily push yourselves too far in the heat and suffer for it. My solution that day to cope with the heat was to drink a lot. The fact that it took me so much water plus several pints of beer in the evening before I needed to get rid of the water (if you know what I mean) then it does say something about how hard my sweat function was working to cool me down. I have only had the beginnings of heat stroke once or twice but I do know how unpleasant it can be especially with no means to cool down, hence water is essential in its prevention in those cases. Of course I reckon part of the need for water could probably have been prevented if I'd had some re-hydration tabs, salts, etc. My salt levels were probably all over the place due to the sweating and the heat. PS - I'm not even Scottish, fair skinned so the heat should not have affected me that much. By that I mean I do have pigmentation in my skin and actually go brown rather than red and burnt. Not sure that has anything to do with it but I mean I don't get effected by heat much and it is is due to heat and exertion when I do.
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