Best water containers for longer hikes?

[Arlon]

What are some recommendations for water containers? I'd love to get further off the beaten path than I have but I'm not sure how to carry a gallon of water to do it? Do many use camel packs? I generally just carry plastic but then I have plastic to carry for the whole hike. I have not invested in anything like the camel packs. They seem like a good idea but they also look like they would be pretty hot. Just looking for gear suggestions. Have been caught short on water once and don't intend to do make a repeat performance. That took the fun out of a whole weekend.

[Sotol Vista]

camel back type packs are awesome, any type of pack that is a hydration pack will be fine. Mine is 100 oz and I would not have anything smaller, and i always make sure its full  before hitting any trail, that plus a few 20 oz bottles of water or sports drink and you have your gallon. these packs come in all shapes and sizes,

you can also find a "fanny pack" style to wear around your waist, some have a hydration bladder like a camel back type and some are just bottle holders.

James

[Arlon]

I always wear a large fanny pack with several drink holder but the back is usually filled with a camera.. Water or camera, what's more important. I'm going to have to look into a camel pack. Came to close to running dry in the Guadalupes a few weeks ago, it was just a lot hotter than I expected in there. I think this summer has just been a bit more brutal than most (my first summer out here)..

[dkerr24]

Lots of other options for carrying water...

I use this for extended trips:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___67069

I think you'll find Camelbacks are great for short trips, but if you need to carry a lot of water (over 1 gal), you'll want to consider other options.

Darin

[mule ears]

Welcome to the board Arlon, great pictures in your other posts too!

You might have seen this recent thread on carrying large quantities of water on your back

[Neville]

For multi-day trips where I needed to carry all my water I started using the MSR Dromlite bags, switched to the platypus water tank and then switched back to the Dromlites. I liked the playtpus for keeping my water taste-free, but the Dromlites worked better when I stored multiple ones in my backpack.  The pleated bottoms of the platypus containers just took up too much space.

[steelfrog]

MSR Dromadary; just got and used the 10L one; very rugged.

[homerboy2u]

Some videos on the subject.....



 And the multiple models....

[Homer67]

Shoot, I just put two gallon water jugs in the bottom of my pack; I can cut one to make a urinal for my wife for those cold late-January nights out on Marufo, and have another to filter into from a spring. I also have a 3L hydration bladder which fits in to my pack.  My wife will have her 3L hydration bladder and a gallon jug in her pack.  When we are done with the jugs we simply crush them so they don't take too much space in our packs. For me, it beats spending the money on yet more equipment.

[steelfrog]

I don't disagree and in fact for years my "go to" hydration system has just been crushable clear plastic bottles; put a bunch in my pack, crush and re-fill as necessary.  But as I found out on our extended Cali trip, a hole in your gallon jug can be a serious inconvenience, so I got the Dromedary to give me a rugged and reliable container for long backcountry trips; it's light and can just be strapped to your pack empty between campsites, etc.

[Arlon]

I got a camelback "MULE" 3L pack for starters. That should at least keep in water for most anything I'd likely try at this point. May venture out further as I figure out what I'm doing but for the time being I like to stay within the "remote" ditance of my car. (-:}

[mule ears]

I don't disagree and in fact for years my "go to" hydration system has just been crushable clear plastic bottles; put a bunch in my pack, crush and re-fill as necessary.  But as I found out on our extended Cali trip, a hole in your gallon jug can be a serious inconvenience, so I got the Dromedary to give me a rugged and reliable container for long backcountry trips; it's light and can just be strapped to your pack empty between campsites, etc.

As I said above there was a great discussion in this thread on carrying large quantities of water on your back where I said:

Al is right about cost and weight with the soda bottles.  They are hard to pack because they are round.  I am also a fan of multiple containers in case one springs a leak, you won't be out of water all of a sudden.  I have been using the 2 liter Platypus bottles (they used to be 80 oz. or 2.5 liters but they may have changed them to 70 oz. now) as my reservoirs and filling a 1 liter soda bottle up as the drinking bottle.  The nice thing about the Platys, aside from light weight and they are totally flat when empty, is they are lens shaped so pack nicely in the pack next to each other.  Cost is about the same per liter as the MSR Drom bags.

Some quick research shows the lightest store bought containers are as follows (assuming you fill them all the way):

Platypus 2 liter-  .62 oz./liter,  cost per liter is $6.19
Platypus 6 liter water tank-  .72 oz/liter,  cost per liter is $5.83
Playtpus 4 liter water tank-  .9 oz/liter,  cost per liter is $7.50
DromLite 6 liter-  .95 oz/liter,  cost per liter is $5.50
Dromedary 10 liter-  1 oz/liter,  cost per liter is $4.50
DromLite 4 liter-  1.28 oz/liter, cost per liter is $7.50

So steelfrog has the cheapest per liter option ( only if totally full) but I wouldn't want to bet all my water on one unit, even a Dromedary bag.  I am not a fan of Platypus water tanks because of the zip closures, which I would not want to trust in a tightly packed pack, more than their bulk (which is not great either).  The Dromlite 6 liter would be a good compromise in both weight and cost.

Of course soda bottles are free, tough (unless to crush them repeatedly) and weigh about the same per liter as the Platypus 2 liters do.   

[NCDesertRat]

I start with one of my favorite finds ever - the 3L Gerber Liquifusion semi-rigid reservoir that fits in almost any pack hydration sleeve.  I found it on clearance about 5 years ago and think it is discontinued by Gerber now.  It is made of the same kind of plastic as a milk jug, i.e. retains its shape but is lightweight so while it takes up the same space empty or full, I like to keep it full on long hikes anyway and you can easily refill it inside the sleeve which keeps the weight centered vertically in the pack.  It has an excellent push-pull shut off that you can do with your mouth plus a cap that fits over that for extra protection from dirt, etc.  Foolproof and utterly dependeble.  For the long hikes, I also pack a Sea to Summit 4L Pack Tap in the backpack lid compartment, keeping the extra weight up high initially.  I top off with the odd one liter Platypus if necessary.  If I have to carry more than eight liters, I don't want to go.  The Pack Tap has the benefit of hanging in camp and easily dispensing water with one hand - no screw off lids.  I have heard the Dromlites are good options too.