Water

[johnsondav]

We are considering carrying a water bladder on our Camino. Any thoughts on that? I've read several different insights. The bladder is easy to use & can be filled according to the distance or availability of fountains. :?:

 

[NicoZ]

Assuming your pack has a place for the bladder and hose then it's all fairly easy. They tend to have big filler spouts. Then the hose to suck on.

 

[AML]

Yeah, I just got a 2 litre Platypus hydration bladder recently....seem a good piece of kit. I'm going to run some fresh water through it for a while to get rid of an residual taste..

 

[NicoZ]

May sure when you take your pack off that you turn the valve (if you have one off) and you position the hose "UP" I didn't one night and had a very soggy camera the next morning...(thank goodness it was a hot day as it dried out really well)

Seriously? If you don't suck on mine it doesn't move. If you mount it right the hose is at the top of the bag.

I guess if you put pressure on it the water might flow :shock: But it shouldn't travel up the hose on it's own.

 

[Tia Valeria]

We still prefer our bottles as they are easy to use, we can see how much is left and can have a short stop while drinking, looking at the scenery. The bladder pocket is then used for papers, guides, credenciales etc while travelling (they go in a map case when walking). The bottles fit in external pockets on our packs, one each side for balance. They are also easy to keep clean, which worries us about the bladders over a long period. The water stays surprisingly cool too.

 

[Tortuga9]

I also use a bottle and have figured a good way to keep it close so I don't have to take my pack off. It is positioned between my body and the left strap of my bag. On my first Camino I didn't like carrying the weight of the bladder filled with water and I also like to see how much I have left. Most important, I got disgusted by my hose after two weeks, knowing that it had hit the floor every time I put my bag down in an Albergue or cafe...

 

[dougfitz]

I got disgusted by my hose after two weeks, knowing that it had hit the floor every time I put my bag down in an Albergue or cafe...

So disgusted that you never thought to wash it in the meantime? Both bladders and bottles need cleaning from time to time.

My preference is for a bladder, but do acknowledge there are limitations. Last year I supplemented the bladder with a 750ml bottle, so if I did finish the water in the bladder, I could decant the bottle into the bladder, collect water and treat it in the bottle and if necessary, repeat this.

I also found that if I didn't replace the bite valve cover, and I wasn't careful about how I put my pack down, it would rest on the bite valve and water would leak out. My first thought was that the valve had failed, but it just took a small change to make sure the cover was on before removing my pack.

 

[gerardcarey]

Started the CF with a bladder, then, on the advice of a long distance pilgrim, tried a 600ml bottle in each of my cargo pants lower side pockets. Took about a half hour to get used to it.
I really enjoy not having that weight on my back in the mornings.

Regds
Gerard

 

[Laliibeans]

I prefer a bladder as it keeps my hands free, and so far on our practice walks my mum has been getting very frustrated having to ask one of us to get her water bottle out of her bag for her while we walk, so we're going to invest in one for her too. I think for her we're getting a central bladder that sits evenly on your back, instead of the side mounted ones like my sister and I have. It'll be better for her hips.

My friend nearly tore her bladder apart when we did the Overland as every time she put it down she'd manage to land it on the nozzle and start the pressure flow. I don't know how, but without fail she'd do it and lose lots of water before realising.

NicoZ, the hose should be at the bottom of the bladder when sitting in your bag on nearly all designs. It's a pressure based system so you don't have to suck too hard on the hose. The hose should always be filled with water.

 

[NicoZ]

NicoZ, the hose should be at the bottom of the bladder when sitting in your bag on nearly all designs. It's a pressure based system so you don't have to suck too hard on the hose. The hose should always be filled with water.

On my pack the hose exit is at the top of the pack. It would be impossible to mount the bladder with the hose on the bottom and still be long enough to exit the top hose opening of the pack. Both of my packs are like this. The hose comes out at shoulder level.

 

[NicoZ]

I wonder if when I used the word bag I should have used backpack? :shock:

I meant like that. The hose comes out over the top. Water shouldn't travel up hill.

No?

 

[Former member 19626]

Started the CF with a bladder, then, on the advice of a long distance pilgrim, tried a 600ml bottle in each of my cargo pants lower side pockets. Took about a half hour to get used to it.
I really enjoy not having that weight on my back in the mornings.

It's good to remember though that 600ml of water weighs 600g plus the weight of the bottle and having this weight attached to your swinging legs requires some extra effort/energy to keep it moving. Better to have water carried on the hips I think.

 

[Laliibeans]

I wonder if when I used the word bag I should have used backpack? :shock:

I meant like that. The hose comes out over the top. Water shouldn't travel up hill.

No?

Oh, I thought you meant just the bladder, but no, that's normal, it's just when a heavy pack leans against the nozzle and squeezes it it can flood water everywhere, as it's still under pressure in the bladder itself.

 

[gerardcarey]

Better to have water carried on the hips I think.

Having to do my belt up a couple of notches tells me it is being supported by my hips.

 

[Former member 19626]

My point is that the weight of water is moving, not where it is supported. Might not seem like much but multiply by a million steps and .......!

 

[daviddephillips]

I allowed the bladder to attach to outside of pack, takes up too much room if stuffed inside,

 

[NicoZ]

My point is that the weight of water is moving, not where it is supported.

I'd disagree that it doesn't matter. Your body will try and compensate. This can lead to injuries in strange places/ways. The same way your dominant hand will lead to a bigger/stronger arm carrying weight on the side will cause your body to compensate. Carry a shoulder bag on one side and you will end up with problems over time.

Now a water bottle isn't that big but if things can add up.

 

[Tia Valeria]

That is why we carry 2 bottles, one in each side pocket of our packs, and keep our packs balanced.

 

[Rambler]

We carried 1L bottles that we would buy along the way and an old Gatorage bottle from the States. You can recycle the bottles after a few days and not worry as much about cleaning the bladders.
I also got a holster for the bottle that attached to my pack waistbelt so I would have water readily available.
A month + is a long time for a bladder being used everyday to go with out a really good cleaning.

BTW, the best was to clean a bladder;
1 fill it with water.
2 place one denture cleaning tablet in the bladder
3 leave it sitting uncapped till the water turns from blue to clear.

Much better and easier than soap and water.

Rambler

 

[hecate105]

Like Lise T says - all water containers should be cleaned quite often, at least weekly in hot weather - to avoid stomach upsets. Just dissolve sterilising tablets in your bottles, either overnight or for an hour or so. (my litre bottles needed half a tablet each - not much to carry!) Rinse well afterwards before refilling.
Don't do like I did - forgot I had filled one with sterilising fluid and took a big swig - it was disgusting and made me feel sick... But I never got a tummy upset!!

 

[dougfitz]

With the denture tablets is there an after taste?

The bladder should be rinsed afterwards, as one would do with dentures. That will remove any residual cleaning solution, or leave it in such low concentrations that it won't be a problem.

Regards,

 

[Tia Valeria]

We carry a single card of 'Puritabs', they are really to sterilize water but are useful for cleaning bottles if necessary so should clean a water-bladder too. So far we have never had to use them for the water itself but the strip is a useful 'double use' addition to our packs

 

[KinkyOne]

Reading this post I'm thinking why there's such a problem with sterilizing the water, camel-back, backpack-bladder etc... I guess that's mostly because people come from larger cities and are not used to drink water from the faucet, instead they're buying water in plastic flasks in the malls. Well, the water in Spain is mostly drinkable allover the country. Just try to forget neo-liberalistic dreams of privatising the water sources (and later on even the air I suppose :evil: ) and just drink it if there's a sign "potable".

Ultreia!

 

[JohnMcM]

Hi Kinkyone,
I think the discussion is about keeping water bottles and such-like clean and hygienic rather than is the water safe.
Buen Camino

 

[NoorvanderVeen]

I like drinking from a bottle better than from the bladder, because the bladder always gives water this 'plastic' taste. But on the other hand: it starts to be annoying when you constantly have to stop to get your water bottle from your backpack. I like the suggestion of carrying a bottle on the waist. Just trying to figure out how.

 

[KinkyOne]

@JohnMcM

Yes, yes, yes, I know, it was off topic. I appologise!!! But simply had to say it :wink:

Ultreia!

And drink good water

 

[Rambler]

Lise:
Didn't realize about the question.

No, I have absolutely no aftertaste from cleaning bladders in this way.
Yes, DON'T DRINK the used water! You pour it out and refill it.

Also, longterm, it is recommended to put your bladders empty in the freezer to keep organisms from growing between trips.

I have several bladders that i have used for years with no mildew issues.

Rambler

 

[David]

I am pretty much against those water bags, we aren't camels ... I prefer plastic bottles. You can buy 750 cl size and have one on each side of your backpack.

The main reasons are that using a tube to drink as you go - apart from being a little too Star Wars for me - is that you don't stop walking! Also, you don't know when you are going to run out of water, then there is all the opening of the pack and removing it to refill it, then the cleaning of the nozzle and so on -
With a bottle you can find a nice spot, heave off the pack, take off the boots and socks and let your feet breathe .. then whilst you look back to where you've been take a big swig and look around, smile and wave at passing pilgrims ... so much better than this para-military 'don't stop, keep going' mentality.

Also - you can share a bottle .. lots of other pilgrims on the Camino you know.

You can wash fruit with a bottle, pour water over your head or down your back with a bottle ... pour some out for a hot dog or cat ..... water a Camino-side plant that looks dried out and gasping ...

You can balance the weight by drinking alternate sides - wrap them in baco-foil to keep them cold if you want. Easy and fun to fill at fountains - an excuse to stop, to enjoy, to be there

so, for me, bottles every time!!! :wink:

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I hydrate much more poorly with water bottles than my tube. With the tube I drink a few sips every few minutes. I have not had a problem with mold on a minimum maintenance level. Chlorine may be a bad idea, but lemon juice along the pilgrimage kills bacteria but does not leave a residue or taste.

 

[David]

back in the late 1800's American cowboys kept a silver dollar in their canteens - silver purifies water.

 

[newfydog]

back in the late 1800's American cowboys kept a silver dollar in their canteens - silver purifies water.

You sure they didn't use a dime (they used to be silver too)? A silver dollar in 1890 was worth $80 today

 

[NicoZ]

I hydrate much more poorly with water bottles than my tube. With the tube I drink a few sips every few minutes..

+1

 

[David]

back in the late 1800's American cowboys kept a silver dollar in their canteens - silver purifies water.

You sure they didn't use a dime (they used to be silver too)? A silver dollar in 1890 was worth $80 today

They were paid a dollar a day - standard going rate back then :wink:

...............

Lisa T - well, thank you you have wonderful Camino Peregrina!