Hydration Pack
 

Just picked up a PlataTac Bravo 3 litre hydration pack. Pretty good, great build quality, cost about $80 USD. Was marked down from around $100 USD.

Got the non-camo version as it was all they had, doesn't matter as it will
most likely go under an Alice pack and frame

http://www.platatac.com/www/182/1001..._1001570_.html

Rinsed it. Filled it up with filtered water. Happy as a clam now for my upcoming desert trek to a mine site.

Re: Hydration Pack
 

I bought a 2L hydration pack from Outdoor

http://theoutdoorworld.com/products2.cfm?id=42055

I hop to try it out in a few days on a day hike in the woods w/ some friends. I expect it has to be periodically cleaned with bleach. Not sure how to get it to dry out.

Re: Hydration Pack
 

Should have bought an extra bladder and bite valves. Biggest pain is getting everything dried out between uses. Definitely a get up you want to have used before SHTF. Never had anything with so many adjustable straps. It olds about 66-68oz of water.

BTW, it is recommended to clean w/ lemon juice (I thought bleach would be right but maybe it is too strong for the bladder liner). Having trouble coming up with a solution to keep the bladder away from the opening when trying to dry it. Have you figured out a way to keep the lining expanded so air can flow through and dry it faster??

Re: Hydration Pack
 

I've used rolled up paper towels to hold it open... CamelBak makes a drying rack that opens up inside it and can be hung from a peg.

I just splash a little silver in mine from time to time.

$9
http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/...resized200.jpg

Re: Hydration Pack
 

Thank you melbo, that is the type of contraption I am looking for. For now I have a flexible straw holding it open a little, very precarious setup (read - not a long term solution).

Re: Hydration Pack
 

When you say splash silver - are you making collidal silver solution or buying?

Re: Hydration Pack
 

Re: Hydration Pack
 

Sure thing... :wink:

Photography on the site itself may be restricted, but I can get shots of the trip.

Re: Hydration Pack
 

Yep, having a second bladder is a must, just in case the first one ruptures.

I find the best way to keep it clean is to keep it constantly full of water and flush it occasionally. You only need to hang it up and dry the bladder out if you haven't used it in ages.

The plastic and tubing is treated somehow to prevent bacteria formation, and the plastic that makes up the bladder is non-porous so that algae etc. can't establish a foot-hold, along with your movement.

I filter all the water accordingly before filling it, however, in an emergency, you will fill it with whatever water you can find obviously. Hopefully boiling it first if possible.


Thanks for the lemon juice tip, that's an interesting one. Vinegar will also do the same thing with acetic acid which does a great job of breaking down proteins, but you have to flush it thoroughly to get rid of the vinegar taste, maybe even 3 - 4 times.

Bleach is very aggressive stuff, and it is based on chlorine, so I try and avoid using it around food holding/processing items, as chlorine is a known carcinogen.

Re: Hydration Pack
 

Thanks for the info Shades. This Outdoor model seems to be of good quality. Did not know about the bacteria resistent bladder and hose - do you think that is unique to the maker/manufacturer of the bladder?

Re: Hydration Pack
 

This particular bladder (by Source) funnily enough is made in Israel. It has an impregnated substance in the bladder and tubing that is designed not to leech into the water, designed to prevent bacteria and mould growth.

It could very well be unique to the manufacturer, as the bladders vary in quality. It's a nice-to-have, but not essential. If you keep the bladder full, with filtered water, and flush it on occasion, that is going to be the main way to keep it clean. If your local water has a fairly high salt content, that is also going to slow growth of any bugs.

When you're actually out in the boonies sweating out lots of salts, a little bit more in the water is certainly not going to hurt you.

Re: Hydration Pack
 

Mine has a Cyclone bladder - made in China:banghead:. Not likely to retard designed anything.

Re: Hydration Pack
 

Luckily it's usually an easy thing to swap a bladder out. They tend to be expensive though for what they are, from what I've seen. Roughly half, or just under half the cost of the whole hydration pack.

Re: Hydration Pack
 

They are the majority of the cost from what I have seen. Although I did find a site where the costs seem lower but maybe it was a currency thing.

http://www.clubtread.com/gear/produc...spx?groupID=16

Re: Hydration Pack
 

I make a 20ppm solution with a home made generator.
Radio Shack Power supply, .9999 wire, distilled water and I check it every 30 minutes with a TDS meter. I make a gallon in each batch, filter it through a coffee filter and pour into Grolsch flip top bottles for storage.

I just washed out my Camelbak and filled it back up. We are heading out in the morning on a 3-4 day backpacking trip as well. Have a great weekend

Re: Hydration Pack
 

awesome. man GIM is filled w/ smart and resourceful people. I am way behind the curve. Gotta catch up.

Re: Hydration Pack
 

Shades, when you get back from your trip I would like to know which Source you are using.

Re: Hydration Pack
 

Not going away just yet. In a week or so. :) Just getting prepped.

Here is the Source 3 Litre olive bladder:-

http://www.platatac.com/www/182/1001...t/1001808.html

I looked through about 10 hydration packs before I bought this one, the design of the pack and the bladder looked rugged enough, and appealed to me as something fit for more extreme use. Some of the cheaper ones had really flimsy bladders, and they are generally only 1.5 litres. Some of them are obviously pitched at just the hiking market, but this one is more combat-orientated in design, and designed to integrate with an Alice pack etc. which I hope to get later for a hunting trip.

That one is about half the cost of the original total pack, but I got it at a slight discount. :)

I figure a 3 litre hydration pack would last me 2 days or longer in the deep desert. If forced to move across desert (usually a big no-no if you don't know the place), I would move at night to conserve water, and rest up during daylight.

I'll be in a vehicle on a pretty busy road, so the risks are very slight, but accidents happen, and I don't want to not have water right by me at a moment's notice. The procedure for vehicles is different in that you notify people where you are going and when you should arrive, and you STAY with the vehicle, and wait for help. If help doesn't arrive after a certain cut-off point then you are on your own.

Same sort of thing for an aircraft.

The vehicle itself represents a lot of useful resources, fuel, tires, and oil for starting fires / signal fires etc. If you know what you are doing, you can cook / boil water with just motor oil. As a shelter or materials for constructing a shelter. Side mirrors and rear to signal aircraft with. All sorts of uses. Obviously the vehicle has to have had an accident, or have broken down completely to the point where it won't run, otherwise you would be mobile.

One thing you must not do, is drink the ethylene-glycol mixture in the radiator without first distilling it, as it will damage your liver or kidneys (can't remember which). You can also distill water from the washer bottle. Important to check all that before leaving on a trip, not to mention petrol/diesel.