Backpacker: For Ultralight Hikers, Water Bladders Are Better Than Bottles. Here’s Why.
Backpacker: For Ultralight Hikers, Water Bladders Are Better Than Bottles. Here’s Why.
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A review of the myths and facts about carrying water bladders on an ultralight hike.
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For Ultralight Hikers, Water Bladders Are Better Than Bottles. Here’s Why.
The Smartwater bottle and Sawyer Squeeze filter combo is a mainstay of the ultralight hiking kit. The bottles are cheap, replaceable, and lightweight. The screw-on filter means you can collect water and filter on the move. In comparison, my preferred water-carrying system, the once-ubiquitous water bladder and hose, is now considered tedious, fragile, and—worst of all—heavy. Let’s bust some myths to explain why I still carry it.
Myth #1: Bladders Are Heavy
First, the weight. I often hear ultralight hikers explain that water bladders are simply too heavy to consider as an option. And if you’re looking at something like a 1.5-liter Camelbak that weighs 7 ounces, that’s fair. But today’s lightweight bladder systems are nearly as weight-efficient as using disposable bottles. A one-liter Smartwater bottle weighs 1.2 ounces, while a three-liter Platypus bladder and hose hits the scale at 3.8 ounces.
Continue reading to learn more, written by Nathan Pipenberg.
For Ultralight Hikers, Water Bladders Are Better Than Bottles. Here’s Why.
The Smartwater bottle and Sawyer Squeeze filter combo is a mainstay of the ultralight hiking kit. The bottles are cheap, replaceable, and lightweight. The screw-on filter means you can collect water and filter on the move. In comparison, my preferred water-carrying system, the once-ubiquitous water bladder and hose, is now considered tedious, fragile, and—worst of all—heavy. Let’s bust some myths to explain why I still carry it.
Myth #1: Bladders Are Heavy
First, the weight. I often hear ultralight hikers explain that water bladders are simply too heavy to consider as an option. And if you’re looking at something like a 1.5-liter Camelbak that weighs 7 ounces, that’s fair. But today’s lightweight bladder systems are nearly as weight-efficient as using disposable bottles. A one-liter Smartwater bottle weighs 1.2 ounces, while a three-liter Platypus bladder and hose hits the scale at 3.8 ounces.
Continue reading to learn more, written by Nathan Pipenberg.
For Ultralight Hikers, Water Bladders Are Better Than Bottles. Here’s Why.
The Smartwater bottle and Sawyer Squeeze filter combo is a mainstay of the ultralight hiking kit. The bottles are cheap, replaceable, and lightweight. The screw-on filter means you can collect water and filter on the move. In comparison, my preferred water-carrying system, the once-ubiquitous water bladder and hose, is now considered tedious, fragile, and—worst of all—heavy. Let’s bust some myths to explain why I still carry it.
Myth #1: Bladders Are Heavy
First, the weight. I often hear ultralight hikers explain that water bladders are simply too heavy to consider as an option. And if you’re looking at something like a 1.5-liter Camelbak that weighs 7 ounces, that’s fair. But today’s lightweight bladder systems are nearly as weight-efficient as using disposable bottles. A one-liter Smartwater bottle weighs 1.2 ounces, while a three-liter Platypus bladder and hose hits the scale at 3.8 ounces.
Continue reading to learn more, written by Nathan Pipenberg.
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Medya Mansyone
43.2% of hikers used the Sawyer Squeeze, the most common hollow membrane squeeze filter (and the most common water treatment overall).
Medya Mansyone
Randy Patton’s late father, Biff Patton, launched the water filter program in 2010.
Medya Mansyone
The most significant being its positive impact on our health after using it, its capacity to reduce our expenses on water treatment and access to safe water, and the time it saves by eliminating the need for boiling or treating water.
