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I was in the Military in the days of "water discipline". I carried a one liter bottle of water from SJPDP to Santiago and never opened it. I also had an empty Coke bottle (500 ml?) that I filled with water each morning and put in my vest pocket and very rarely emptied it by the end of the day. Walked a lot with an old ex-mortar man who never drank anything during the day while walking from SJPDP to Santiago.
I was in the Military in the days of "water discipline". I carried a one liter bottle of water from SJPDP to Santiago and never opened it. I also had an empty Coke bottle (500 ml?) that I filled with water each morning and put in my vest pocket and very rarely emptied it by the end of the day. Walked a lot with an old ex-mortar man who never drank anything during the day while walking from SJPDP to Santiago.
Currently putting the equipment list together for my Camino.
I've even found the actual weights to all of the products that I want to pack, however, the pack weight came out as 8.9kg including the pack.
So im looking at which areas to scale back on, or to forget about completely.
For now, forget all other equipment, im just focussing on water in this thread.
So I get to the water bladder on my list, and im wonder whether it's worth taking one.
The 2L water bladder weighs 150g + 980g of water at capacity, this is more than a kilo in addition to the rest of my pack.
So im thinking, do I really need one?
Should I take a 1L version instead?
Or, fill up on fluids at breakfast, and just take a 500ml water bottle instead, and buy bottles of 500ml water along the way?
I reckon over the course of an average day walking one stage to another I'd want to drink about 2 litres.
Any thoughts or ideas would be welcomed on the water issue?
Lol, thanks MTtoCamino.I carried a 750 ml bottle, that worked just fine, there are for the majority of time places to stop take & take your boots off & have a beverage at a cafe or bar. You will know from your guide book what villages are in route. So you learn to keep a minimum of 500 ml with you. Easily said as there will be times this will not always work. So I recommend with a bladder fill it 3/4 full. Until you get comfortable with what works for you. The big thing is the temp, & the time of year you walk.
In some ways a bladder may be good as it will force you to take your pack off to refill it.
Yep I can type as I think
Like the initial vets who replied, the only reason I went with a bottle was I carried on my web belt for 22 years. But like Anniesantiago, the bottle is very easy to clean & access. But I had to search hard for a bottle holder that would fit on my pack straps by my hip. Many folks get by just fine with bladders. I walked with a German woman who had the same pack I did only 38L using the bladder system. But she was concerned about clean water & purchased bottled water to fill it. I don't think it was due to potable water. I think it was her way of ensuring she kept the bladder clean.My opinion - knowing everyone is different lest I start a firestorm:
I am a 62 year old female.
I walk the Frances every year and I never take more that an 8 ounce bottle with me.
I've walked 7 times so far.
In May and early June all the fountains are running in my experience.
I fill my bottle up at each fountain along the way.
If you are walking in summer months, you might need to take more, but my bottle and a couple of oranges seem fine for me.
I am not a big water drinker, however.
For me, the bladder is more than I want to deal with because you are getting water from fountains and will have to be sure the bladder stays clean.
On the VDLP, I would take bladder, but not on the Frances.
I would not buy water unless it's raining hard and the creeks are muddy, unless you have a fragile internal system.
The water from the fountains is very good, in my experience.
Like the initial vets who replied, the only reason I went with a bottle was I carried on my web belt for 22 years. But like Anniesantiago, the bottle is very easy to clean & access. But I had to search hard for a bottle holder that would fit on my pack straps by my hip. Many folks get by just fine with bladders. I walked with a German woman who had the same pack I did only 38L using the bladder system. But she was concerned about clean water & purchased bottled water to fill it. I don't think it was due to potable water. I think it was her way of ensuring she kept the bladder clean.
Pete I am curious what pack you end up taking.
Keith
Doesn't the water weigh the same when put into bottles?a 2L bladder as the weight when full is over a kilo.
Wide mouth is easy to drain and clean:keeping the bladder clean is a very good point
Me to Keith.
As you know i'm possibly getting this tomorrow, however, I had a stark realisation last night that I seriously need to cut weight down.
My current equipment list (packed weight), and my walking weight combined is close to 10kg!!
I'm need to slice 2kg off of this if possible. Hence my thoughts of ditching a 2L bladder as the weight when full is over a kilo. Don't need to increase walking weight.
And the point raised about keeping the bladder clean is a very good point. I'm up for washing clothes each night, but don't want to be concerned whether i'm cleaning the bladder enough.
I think I might ditch the bladder and get well hydrated at breakfast, carry a 500ml bottle and buy as I need enroute, and top ups at fountains.
Any long stages i'll pack an extra bottle of water and check at what distance the next chance to refill is.
Keith i'll let you know what pack I buy.
Yes, the WATER weighs the same, but the water bladder & hose weigh a lot more than the retail bottles that are sold filled with water.Doesn't the water weigh the same when put into bottles?
Doesn't the water weigh the same when put into bottles?
For your situation after you decide on the pack & load it I would put your list on here. it might be kind of painfull to get all us arm chair opinions. Yet there are some folks who really go lean. May not be the most comfortable but it may help make your walk doable. ( yep that doesn't look like a word)
Hi Pete, I was a bladder sceptic but am now a firm convert! The first part/two weeks of my camino were hotter than I expected in September 2013 and I definitely got dehydrated, the masseur in Los Arcos told me he could tell by my muscles I was underhydrated and should aim for 3 litres a day. I didn't always manage but felt better when I did drink more, this is just water in addition to other fluids. Many people do not need this much but it seems that I do.
So the second part of my trip in 2014 I took a bladder and would now never go back, I love the ease of it and drink loads more, still carry a small bottle for juice etc. Don't forget you don't always have to carry 2 full litres just because that's your capacity. Will be using my Osprey bladder to its full advantage again this year.
I think as with many subjects you may find as many answers as there are pilgrims.
Buen Camino
Sarah
For May I think a bladder no larger than 1000ml would be the most you would need other wise you are packing more weight than needed. One other issue is if you store the bladder inside the pack it is hard to know unless you pull it out how much is left. On my pack to get it back in is not easy especially after refilling it. That is another reason I chose the bottle over the bladder. But if I had walked in late June thru Mid September I might have brought & filled both bladder & bottle. As the heavy bladder when stored as designed rides so the weight is distributed perfectly on the back.Hi Pete, I was a bladder sceptic but am now a firm convert! The first part/two weeks of my camino were hotter than I expected in September 2013 and I definitely got dehydrated, the masseur in Los Arcos told me he could tell by my muscles I was underhydrated and should aim for 3 litres a day. I didn't always manage but felt better when I did drink more, this is just water in addition to other fluids. Many people do not need this much but it seems that I do.
So the second part of my trip in 2014 I took a bladder and would now never go back, I love the ease of it and drink loads more, still carry a small bottle for juice etc. Don't forget you don't always have to carry 2 full litres just because that's your capacity. Will be using my Osprey bladder to its full advantage again this year.
I think as with many subjects you may find as many answers as there are pilgrims.
Buen Camino
Sarah
I am glad to hear someone else packed a bottle of wine for there lunch?I carry 2 x 500ml plastic bottles, one full, the other empty except on long dry stretches. I don’t drink a lot of water, and I’ve learnt that if I’m thirsty it probably means I could do with a short rest as well, so I LIKE having to take my pack off to get at my water bottle, because at the same time I sit down and take a 5 minute rest. The empty 500ml bottle is also useful for decanting any leftover vino tinto from the evening before, and goes great with a picnic lunch
I am glad to hear someone else packed a bottle of wine for there lunch?
I will respond I copied it, your metric weights I will make a spreadsheet & convert so I know what you have.Hi Keith, I;ve just published my pack list on a new thread.
Be brutal and tell me what you think?
So I get to the water bladder on my list, and im wonder whether it's worth taking one.
The 2L water bladder weighs 150g + 980g of water at capacity, this is more than a kilo in addition to the rest of my pack.
Currently on the Camino Frances and using the Smartube system and loving it . Search on this site as someone else has a link to it . It is really somewhere between bottles and bladders. It is really a long plastic drinking straw with adapters for standard bottles ( Nalgene, regular commercial bottles, etc). It weighs next to nothing.
My daily routine is to get a 1.5L bottle of water from a tienda in the morning, fill my 1 L Nalgene which I drink from using the Smartube and put the large bottle in my other pack pocket and use it to fill up the Nalgene during breaks. You can also just use the commercial bottle (have an adapter to fit) and fill it up at fuentes along the way.
I HATE having to take off my pack to get a drink and am walking alone so no one to fish a bottle out of my pack for me. Also somewhat turned off by descriptions of full-size bladders (cleaning procedures, ?fungus, etc)
Give it a look. I think I got mine on Amazon.
Currently on the Camino Frances and using the Smartube system and loving it . Search on this site as someone else has a link to it . It is really somewhere between bottles and bladders. It is really a long plastic drinking straw with adapters for standard bottles ( Nalgene, regular commercial bottles, etc). It weighs next to nothing.
My daily routine is to get a 1.5L bottle of water from a tienda in the morning, fill my 1 L Nalgene which I drink from using the Smartube and put the large bottle in my other pack pocket and use it to fill up the Nalgene during breaks. You can also just use the commercial bottle (have an adapter to fit) and fill it up at fuentes along the way.
I HATE having to take off my pack to get a drink and am walking alone so no one to fish a bottle out of my pack for me. Also somewhat turned off by descriptions of full-size bladders (cleaning procedures, ?fungus, etc)
Give it a look. I think I got mine on Amazon.
Apparently it is a secret among Camino walkers while it is pretty much common knowledge among American backpackers, but you can refill your bladder while it is still INSIDE your pack.... On my pack to get it back in is not easy especially after refilling it. That is another reason I chose the bottle over the bladder. But if I had walked in late June thru Mid September I might have brought & filled both bladder & bottle. As the heavy bladder when stored as designed rides so the weight is distributed perfectly on the back.
That is pretty much the same thing that I provided a link for earlier in this thread. There are several different brands of these things, they basically turn just about any bottle into a bladder.Currently on the Camino Frances and using the Smartube system and loving it . . .
Where are you getting this magic water from that only weighs 500g/litre?Me to Keith.
As you know i'm possibly getting this tomorrow, however, I had a stark realisation last night that I seriously need to cut weight down.
My current equipment list (packed weight), and my walking weight combined is close to 10kg!!
I'm need to slice 2kg off of this if possible. Hence my thoughts of ditching a 2L bladder as the weight when full is over a kilo. Don't need to increase walking weight.
And the point raised about keeping the bladder clean is a very good point. I'm up for washing clothes each night, but don't want to be concerned whether i'm cleaning the bladder enough.
I think I might ditch the bladder and get well hydrated at breakfast, carry a 500ml bottle and buy as I need enroute, and top ups at fountains.
Any long stages i'll pack an extra bottle of water and check at what distance the next chance to refill is.
Keith i'll let you know what pack I buy.
Either I wrote it wrong, or you read it wrong lol.Where are you getting this magic water from that only weighs 500g/litre?
A full up 2 litre bladder would weigh over 2 litres, seeing as water weighs 1kg per litre.
Apparently it is a secret among Camino walkers while it is pretty much common knowledge among American backpackers, but you can refill your bladder while it is still INSIDE your pack.
Just use a simple piece of 1/4" I.D. hose, a nozzle adapter, and install a "CamelBak Filter Adapter" onto your drinking hose. The Filter Adapter allows you to 'pop' off the bite valve, you then snap in the fitting from the filter adapter (which is attached to your hose) and stick the other end up to a faucet, turn on the faucet and the water will flow into your bladder. The whole assembly only weighs a couple ounces and you can make the hose length as long as you want or need. I use about 32" of hose.
No need to remove the bladder from your pack!
Just don't over-fill your bladder and pop it while its inside the loaded backpack
That is pretty much the same thing that I provided a link for earlier in this thread. There are several different brands of these things, they basically turn just about any bottle into a bladder.
Here is a link to the SMART TUBE from Amazon.Com => http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GM6LWS/?tag=casaivar02-20
Here is a YouTube of Convertube system >>>
Well, my days in the military we were told to drink a lot of water and we did.I was in the Military in the days of "water discipline". I carried a one liter bottle of water from SJPDP to Santiago and never opened it. I also had an empty Coke bottle (500 ml?) that I filled with water each morning and put in my vest pocket and very rarely emptied it by the end of the day. Walked a lot with an old ex-mortar man who never drank anything during the day while walking from SJPDP to Santiago.
I don't like hydration/water bladders and didn't use them on either Camino. I carried two 1/2 liter water bottles with me. The only days I carried a third was the first day over the Pyrenees out of St. Jean and the day out of Burgos across that section of the meseta. Otherwise the two bottles worked perfectly. I used the same two bottles the entire way. Just kept refilling them (I try to contribute as little as possible to the zillions of them discarded in the world).Currently putting the equipment list together for my Camino.
I've even found the actual weights to all of the products that I want to pack, however, the pack weight came out as 8.9kg including the pack.
So im looking at which areas to scale back on, or to forget about completely.
For now, forget all other equipment, im just focussing on water in this thread.
So I get to the water bladder on my list, and im wonder whether it's worth taking one.
The 2L water bladder weighs 150g + 980g of water at capacity, this is more than a kilo in addition to the rest of my pack.
So im thinking, do I really need one?
Should I take a 1L version instead?
Or, fill up on fluids at breakfast, and just take a 500ml water bottle instead, and buy bottles of 500ml water along the way?
I reckon over the course of an average day walking one stage to another I'd want to drink about 2 litres.
Any thoughts or ideas would be welcomed on the water issue?
Exactly! Great advice Mark.If your not peeing often and if your urine is not clear, you are dehydrated.
You don't put the filter adapter under the faucet, you attach a hose to the filter adapter and then put the other end of the hose up to a faucet.Melensdad I have a filter adapter I had no idea you could put it under a faucet to fill as in the backcountry there arn't any faucets... But good to know.
The water in the bladder may be very slightly insulated by the clothing that is in your pack, but in real terms, after an hour or 2 on the trail the water in the bladder is going to be pretty much the same temperature as the ambient air temperature.It's prob. too late for me to change anything for this coming camino but could you tell me: does the bladder keep the water cooler than in a bottle? Thanks. That would be a big plus for me.
I have found the insulating effect of the pack, clothing etc more significant that that, particularly in very hot or very cold conditions. It might also depend upon whether a bottle is kept in an insulating sleeve. It might be that a bottle carried on the outside of a pack or on a belt is exposed to the radiant heat of the sun as well as the convective effects of air circulation, and heats up more because of this.The water in the bladder may be very slightly insulated by the clothing that is in your pack, but in real terms, after an hour or 2 on the trail the water in the bladder is going to be pretty much the same temperature as the ambient air temperature.
I'd say we are in rough agreement.I have found the insulating effect of the pack, clothing etc more significant that that, particularly in very hot or very cold conditions. It might also depend upon whether a bottle is kept in an insulating sleeve. It might be that a bottle carried on the outside of a pack or on a belt is exposed to the radiant heat of the sun as well as the convective effects of air circulation, and heats up more because of this.
Yes. The same thing happens to the tube. If, after drinking, the water in the tube is no blown back, it will heat up. I know that there are insulating sleeves available that address this or the water in the tube freezing in very cold conditions.A bottle on the "sun side" of the pack will heat up quickly.
It's prob. too late for me to change anything for this coming camino but could you tell me: does the bladder keep the water cooler than in a bottle? Thanks. That would be a big plus for me.
Easy enough but you need to pack it into your "check through" luggage.What I want to know is has anyone figured out how to get 1906 Cervaca in the U.S. ? That is a liquid...
My water bladder was useless. The water tasted of plastic, and the bulk was a hindrance. My recommendation, don't take a water bladder, better to carry small bottle of water on the side of your pack.Currently putting the equipment list together for my Camino.
I've even found the actual weights to all of the products that I want to pack, however, the pack weight came out as 8.9kg including the pack.
So im looking at which areas to scale back on, or to forget about completely.
For now, forget all other equipment, im just focussing on water in this thread.
So I get to the water bladder on my list, and im wonder whether it's worth taking one.
The 2L water bladder weighs 150g + 980g of water at capacity, this is more than a kilo in addition to the rest of my pack.
So im thinking, do I really need one?
Should I take a 1L version instead?
Or, fill up on fluids at breakfast, and just take a 500ml water bottle instead, and buy bottles of 500ml water along the way?
I reckon over the course of an average day walking one stage to another I'd want to drink about 2 litres.
Any thoughts or ideas would be welcomed on the water issue?
Currently putting the equipment list together for my Camino.
I've even found the actual weights to all of the products that I want to pack, however, the pack weight came out as 8.9kg including the pack.
So im looking at which areas to scale back on, or to forget about completely.
For now, forget all other equipment, im just focussing on water in this thread.
So I get to the water bladder on my list, and im wonder whether it's worth taking one.
The 2L water bladder weighs 150g + 980g of water at capacity, this is more than a kilo in addition to the rest of my pack.
So im thinking, do I really need one?
Should I take a 1L version instead?
Or, fill up on fluids at breakfast, and just take a 500ml water bottle instead, and buy bottles of 500ml water along the way?
I reckon over the course of an average day walking one stage to another I'd want to drink about 2 litres.
Any thoughts or ideas would be welcomed on the water issue?
I am not sure I understand what point you are trying to make here. Polite terminology for what? Camelback is a trade name for a water bladder, and there is no particular reason that I can see not to call it a water bladder if one wants to avoid using a trade name. It's not like the various names used for waist bags, one of which is offensive to about half the forum members, and the other offends the other halfThe polite terminology is a generic term.... Camelback!
I admit that I had always thought of the hydration pack as the small, specialist pack in which one carried one's water bladder. I must remember to omit the 'c' next time. Thank you for pointing that out.CamelBak Products, LLC is an outdoors equipment company based in Petaluma, California, best known for its hydration products, such as hydration packs and water bottles.
No "c"!!! They seem to prefer "hydration pack" to bladder.
They are not squeamish here: http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Hydration-Bladder-Reviews
1 litre of water weighs 1 kilo. That is a given. So carry 2 kilos of water. You can easily get used to that extra weight if you are relatively fit; if not that fit, should you even consider doing the Camino? Rhetorical question perhaps. However, bladder wins over bottles every time. On many long distance walks done throughout UK and France, of which I was part, those that used bottles ended up getting ill, those using bladders didn't. Odd maybe but other long distance hikers & cyclists of my acquaintance over many years agree. I can only draw the conclusion that one tends to wash bladders and tubes really well, and they are often in packs out of sun, bottles often in sun, less well washed and open to dust, germs etc., hope that helps and good luck.Thanks for the comment xin, but it wasn't of much assistance to me.
I wouldn't want to risk dehydration, I know that when I'm in a hot climate and/ or active I do need to drink fluids.
Hi there, in my opinion you defenitly don't need a bladder of any kind. If you have a 500 ml bottle somewhere, there are more then enough places where you can fill it up ( do it every time there is an opportunity)Currently putting the equipment list together for my Camino.
I've even found the actual weights to all of the products that I want to pack, however, the pack weight came out as 8.9kg including the pack.
So im looking at which areas to scale back on, or to forget about completely.
For now, forget all other equipment, im just focussing on water in this thread.
So I get to the water bladder on my list, and im wonder whether it's worth taking one.
The 2L water bladder weighs 150g + 980g of water at capacity, this is more than a kilo in addition to the rest of my pack.
So im thinking, do I really need one?
Should I take a 1L version instead?
Or, fill up on fluids at breakfast, and just take a 500ml water bottle instead, and buy bottles of 500ml water along the way?
I reckon over the course of an average day walking one stage to another I'd want to drink about 2 litres.
Any thoughts or ideas would be welcomed on the water issue?
I would be very cautious about taking so little water, particularly where there are longer distances between towns. I won't repeat the analysis here, but over 40% of places are over an hour away from the previous location. It might be that 500 ml is enough in many cases, but it is unlikely to be enough for the longer legs. You can read the analysis here.Hi there, in my opinion you defenitly don't need a bladder of any kind. If you have a 500 ml bottle somewhere, there are more then enough places where you can fill it up ( do it every time there is an opportunity)
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