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Water Bottle Holders

HikingGeo

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2017-Sarria to Santiago and Lires to Finisterre
Any new creative options for attaching the water bottle(s) to the backpack straps or to some location where you can easily reach them? I'm thinking I would rather do .75L bottles than have to pull the bladder out of the backpack to refill it. Google has provided few viable options. Thanks!

George
 
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I have been chasing something down as well. I used a ring that attaches around the top of the bottle on my last (Sept 2015) Camino. It worked good but the quality was not very good and it broke soon after I started.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Source bladders can be fitted with a refill attachment that replaces the mouthpiece so they can be refilled without removing them from the pack. Details can be found here.
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
I used the product below on this year's Camino. Having tried many options on previous caminos, this was the perfect solution for me. Water was literally available at the turn of my head, no scrabbling around for bottles or tubes, I just needed to turn my head a few degrees and open my mouth. I kept much better hydrated using this convenient system and could even refill on the move if I wished. It is a little pricey (perhaps around £20) and the postage charges were rather high, but I would recommend it without hesitation.

Made by Raidlight and available in Europe and possibly elsewhere
image.jpeg
 
Therés something called the Smartube. You still carry the bottle on the side of you backpack, but with an adapter as the lid and a tube, you get water like you would from a bladder without the difficulties at refill time.
 
I bring 4 x 250 ml. plastic water bottles. I make a little pocket out of light material into which a bottle fits, with a wide (3cm.) strap vertically on the back of the pocket which goes over the waistband of my rucksack. The pockets fit snugly on to the waist band, in fact I have to remove the buckle to get them on. So two bottles sit at waist level on my front. I can sip water regularly and easily. I pass my right hand pole over to my left hand and pick out the bottle and drink and replace the bottle without altering my step.

When I make the bag I enfold a piece of lightweight 'plastic' such as the plastic on the outside of a project folder. This helps the pocket to retain it's circular shape so that it is easy to replace the bottle.

Sorry that I cannot upload a photo, but my skills are sewing not technology !!
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Here is the short answer, if you live in the US, Canada, or Europe, I KNOW you can obtain these over the internet. I have used them on three Caminos. They are so good that people stop me to ask about them.

Here is the product: http://www.niteize.com/product/Drink-N-Clip.asp

I recommend buying at least four for each person. They weigh "virtually nothing" LOL.

They are available at many places online, and cost about USD 4.00 each. Do a Google or Bing search. You will find a vendor that suits you. In the EU, I know they are available online. A fellow pilgrim from the Netherlands found them on the web last summer and was thrilled. I recall they were EU 3.50 each, about the same as in the US.

The first time I used these, I found that a rubber band, doubled or tripled, or more, around the bottle throat would vastly improve the clip's hold on a full bottle of liquid. Using the clips on the slightly larger diameter European specification water bottle usually resulted in the bottle slipping out of the clip if the bottle caught on anything, and sometimes from just bending over. A one-liter bottle weighed enough to stretch the rubber bands and the clip would slip off. So, I decided a better solution was needed. But the Niteize-Clips were the best thing I ever saw for this purpose.

Starting with my second Camino in 2014, I improved the attachment by obtaining a blister pack of #33 silicone ring sink fixings from the local Home Depot (Brico) DIY store, plumbing section, sink repair. You stretch each ring over the bottle neck and partially over the clip. That bottle is NOT going anywhere. The rings are nearly indestructible. The rings are about 3 cm in diameter, mas o menas...

This allows you to use what many of us on the forum consider the BEST water bottle, the ubiquitous .5 liter mineral or spring water bottle that comes free with the first bottle of water you buy on arriving in Europe. They are available in varying sizes. However, hanging anything much larger than a full 750 ml bottle from your harness or belt will cause other weight-related issues. For that reason I use four (4) of these .5 liter bottles distributed more or less evenly on the front of my harness. I wear two high up (chest height) and two lower down (waist belt). My brand of preference is Vittel, as their bottles seem to be a bit more sturdy.

The bottles are free, reusable, and when they get too "icky" for cleaning and reuse, can be appropriately recycled. I typically buy four at the beginning and use them, for the month or more that I am on Camino. When I enter a town, if I want to refill them with spring water, I buy a large 3 - 5 liter jug as it is cheaper. I refill my carry bottles and use the rest of the water for my drinking and hygiene needs. If you are able to rely on the local water source, go for it. Just rinse and refill as needed.

I hope this helps...
 
I use two 28 oz. bottles used for running or cycling and an attached hose system with a bite valve attached to the pack’s shoulder strap. The bottles go into net pouches on the sides of my pack; thus, convenient to refill unlike a bladder but with easy access of your water. Check out Convertube and BlueDesert SmarTube on the web. They come with adapters that work with all kinds of commercial water and soda bottles, too.
419Jh5KcdRL._AC_UL115_.jpg
 
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I swear by a small front pack I wore around my waist. It had a decent sized pocket for credential, wallet, snacks, and small first aid kit. And it had two pouches on either side that held water bottles. It was perfect. You may be able to see it in my photo. It looks cumbersome but was ideal. I walked with people who either could not reach home their water bottle without taking their pack off, or they had to ask someone to pass their water to them. And that is a real pain.
 
I want easy access to my water so I kept that in mind when I was shopping for a new pair of pants. I found a pair of ex officio zip off pants that have deep front pockets. I usually only wear them as shorts and a refillable store water bottle fits nicely into each front pocket. I don't have to stop to take out the bottle or to return it, the weight is on my thigh muscles, I always know when the bottle is running low and I keep an spare bottle inside my pack. This is not for the fashionistas but it works great!
 
Down bag (90/10 duvet) of 700 fills with 180 g (6.34 ounces) of filling. Mummy-shaped structure, ideal when you are looking for lightness with great heating performance.

€149,-
Thanks for all the replies! Looks like there are a number of options out there, and I have nearly a year and a half to figure out which will work best for me.
 
REI sells a carabeener + water bottle holder for about $7. It uses a oda bottle type top.
Sally I went to REI in Jacksonville this afternoon and saw these and picked up 6 of them for next year's Camino. Quality looks much better then the ones I got on the internet this past year.
 
Any new creative options for attaching the water bottle(s) to the backpack straps or to some location where you can easily reach them? I'm thinking I would rather do .75L bottles than have to pull the bladder out of the backpack to refill it. Google has provided few viable options. Thanks!

George
Hi George,

I posted a how-to on attaching bottles to your pack straps a while back.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/carry-water-bottles-on-front-of-pack-how-to.34569/

Has worked well on 1000 miles of walking.

Buen Camino,

John
 
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St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
IMHO, JAL's post (above) represents the lightest weight, least expensive, most flexible, and likely most durable approach out there. However, regardless of which way you opt to go, WEIGH each complete; clip, harness, pouch, or holder. Remember, every gram COUNTS!

I hope this helps.
 
IMHO, JAL's post (above) represents the lightest weight, least expensive, most flexible, and likely most durable approach out there. However, regardless of which way you opt to go, WEIGH each complete; clip, harness, pouch, or holder. Remember, every gram COUNTS!

I hope this helps.
Thanks again to all for the responses!
 
Therés something called the Smartube. You still carry the bottle on the side of you backpack, but with an adapter as the lid and a tube, you get water like you would from a bladder without the difficulties at refill time.
I used the Smartube this spring on my Camino and it worked great for the most part. I appreciated the easy availability of water anytime I wanted. I bought it on Amazon. The only difficulty I had was that I lost the valve at some point along the way and couldn't find a replacement while on the trail. I had some interesting spills when the tube got away on me. :oops:
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Source bladders can be fitted with a refill attachment that replaces the mouthpiece so they can be refilled without removing them from the pack. Details can be found here.

Doug, do you know whether the UTA is compatible with other hydration bladders (specifically Ospreys)?
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I use two 28 oz. bottles used for running or cycling and an attached hose system with a bite valve attached to the pack’s shoulder strap. The bottles go into net pouches on the sides of my pack; thus, convenient to refill unlike a bladder but with easy access of your water. Check out Convertube and BlueDesert SmarTube on the web. They come with adapters that work with all kinds of commercial water and soda bottles, too.
View attachment 22556
Thanks for the heads up on this nice piece of kit BrienC. I ordered one and now use it with my osprey sack it works brilliantly and avoids the struggle to replace the bottle into it's side pocket after drinking.
 
Any new creative options for attaching the water bottle(s) to the backpack straps or to some location where you can easily reach them? I'm thinking I would rather do .75L bottles than have to pull the bladder out of the backpack to refill it. Google has provided few viable options. Thanks!

George
Hi, George

As I read all the replies I wonder one thing: do you people really have to have a hose in your mouth and drink all the time and never stop. Relax.
What I did was that I bought two 1L bottles of water when I started from Irun and put them into my hiking boots which were hanging
outside my backbag.

I used Keen sandals all the way to Santiago and was happy to have boots to keep my water fresh and cool. No problems to refill easily.
I stopped every 1-2 hours to rest and drink and still made the way in 35 days which I think is a reasonable time to walk about 830 km.

About the packing list. My son gave me a good advice KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid! I didn´t and sent a lot of things back home.
If you need something you can always buy, you are not on a North Pole, there are shops all over.

Next year on Camino Portuguese I know what I´m doing.

I hope you enjoy your Camino.
 
Hi, George

As I read all the replies I wonder one thing: do you people really have to have a hose in your mouth and drink all the time and never stop. Relax.
What I did was that I bought two 1L bottles of water when I started from Irun and put them into my hiking boots which were hanging
outside my backbag.

I used Keen sandals all the way to Santiago and was happy to have boots to keep my water fresh and cool. No problems to refill easily.
I stopped every 1-2 hours to rest and drink and still made the way in 35 days which I think is a reasonable time to walk about 830 km.

About the packing list. My son gave me a good advice KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid! I didn´t and sent a lot of things back home.
If you need something you can always buy, you are not on a North Pole, there are shops all over.

Next year on Camino Portuguese I know what I´m doing.

I hope you enjoy your Camino.
Thanks for the feedback!
 
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Not to be contrarian, but minimalist . . . Easy access to water bottles in the side pockets of my pack are a mandatory requirement for a good pack since I walk solo a lot. Since everything else is intended to compensate for a problem of easy access, the simplest solution is to avoid having the problem in the first place. Nothing to lose. Nothing to break. Nothing extra to carry.

Also, even if I do stop every 5K and take the pack off for 30 to 60 seconds to drink, eat some nuts and chocolate and dried fruit, etc., that also gives time to stretch, which is a good thing (except in the rain, when I find I need far less water in the first place, and things like ponchos are potential obstacles to access anyways).
 
Thanks for the feedback!
George.

Minimalism! Yes, that is the word as koilife said and the best quality.

You can not imagine (or believe) how few things you really need on Camino. I didn`t.
It is difficult because at home you live surrounded by things you have bought during many years.

The less you have to pack every morning and repack every evening the more you will enjoy the Camino.

Minimalism is the brightest star in the Camino sky. It makes you feel really free. You will see.


Have a nice Christmas.
 
George.

Minimalism! Yes, that is the word as koilife said and the best quality.

You can not imagine (or believe) how few things you really need on Camino. I didn`t.
It is difficult because at home you live surrounded by things you have bought during many years.

The less you have to pack every morning and repack every evening the more you will enjoy the Camino.

Minimalism is the brightest star in the Camino sky. It makes you feel really free. You will see.


Have a nice Christmas.
I will do my best! You have a nice Christmas likewise.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Any new creative options for attaching the water bottle(s) to the backpack straps or to some location where you can easily reach them? I'm thinking I would rather do .75L bottles than have to pull the bladder out of the backpack to refill it. Google has provided few viable options. Thanks!

George
I use a smaller bottle in a front pocket for easy access. Often just a juice bottle purchased along the way and reused until I get another.
 

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