I thought Id post this having read Johnnymans 'where to carry camelback' post
I used a 3 litre Source hydration bladder on the Vdlp and there was no problem in carrying it in my 38 litre Osprey Kestrel backpack. It has a hydration bladder sleeve (as do most if not all the Osprey packs) which is located between the foam back and the main compartment. I also carry a 2 litre bladder in my 22 litre Osprey Talon with no probs. It means the load is best placed for balance ie central and close to the back. It's not perfect - try getting a full camelback into a full pack -it's impossible. Also an over-full pack puts a lot of pressure on the camelback and it might burst, mine did!! See here: http://spanishfootsteps.blogspot.com/20 ... ntara.html (scroll down for text)
The camelbacks have 2 functions. One is to allow you to carry a lot of water if you need to which is not so important on the Camino Frances etc but is on the Via de la Plata.The second to me is more important and that is to allow one to sip water little and often which doesn't happen when the water is in a bottle in my pack. I don't think this system encourages me to drink too much water and I always carry spare water in a small bottle in case I run out as you cannot easily see how much water is left with a camelback buried in you pack.
If you do lots of long distance walks you might wan't to get the 3 litre which at 205 grams is only 15 gms heavier than the 2 litre and you don't need to fill it completely if your doing a walk such as the Camino Frances where drinking water is plentiful. You don't have to fill it: as Tamtamplin said it gives you options.
Because I get cramps through loss of magnesium and sodium I use something like 'nuun' tablets which dissolve in the camelback and the flavours make the water more pallatable. However, these are very expensive and Tesco on the UK have a cheaper alternative.
I used a 3 litre Source hydration bladder on the Vdlp and there was no problem in carrying it in my 38 litre Osprey Kestrel backpack. It has a hydration bladder sleeve (as do most if not all the Osprey packs) which is located between the foam back and the main compartment. I also carry a 2 litre bladder in my 22 litre Osprey Talon with no probs. It means the load is best placed for balance ie central and close to the back. It's not perfect - try getting a full camelback into a full pack -it's impossible. Also an over-full pack puts a lot of pressure on the camelback and it might burst, mine did!! See here: http://spanishfootsteps.blogspot.com/20 ... ntara.html (scroll down for text)
The camelbacks have 2 functions. One is to allow you to carry a lot of water if you need to which is not so important on the Camino Frances etc but is on the Via de la Plata.The second to me is more important and that is to allow one to sip water little and often which doesn't happen when the water is in a bottle in my pack. I don't think this system encourages me to drink too much water and I always carry spare water in a small bottle in case I run out as you cannot easily see how much water is left with a camelback buried in you pack.
If you do lots of long distance walks you might wan't to get the 3 litre which at 205 grams is only 15 gms heavier than the 2 litre and you don't need to fill it completely if your doing a walk such as the Camino Frances where drinking water is plentiful. You don't have to fill it: as Tamtamplin said it gives you options.
Because I get cramps through loss of magnesium and sodium I use something like 'nuun' tablets which dissolve in the camelback and the flavours make the water more pallatable. However, these are very expensive and Tesco on the UK have a cheaper alternative.
