Bottles or a bladder for drinking water?

[John B]

I'm driven by season--in summer/spring/fall (warmer) seasons, I use a bladder.  I think it allows you to drink more and more often, and thus stay more hydrated.   In winter, I use a liter bottle in an insulated carrier--clipped to the bottom of my shoulder strap on my pack with a carabiner.  This system, I have found allows the bottle and carrier to sit behind my hip and stay stable--won't flop around.   Bottom line, whatever it takes to allow you to drink often.  If you prefer a bottle, and find you can drink often enough to stay well hydrated, more power to you, and that's what you should do.  Myself, I find the bladder in warmer season works better for me.

[Dogwood]

For more voluminous heavier water hauls I have a Cascade Designs 2 L Platypus Bottle that stays folded up into about three match book sizes in my front shovel pocket and stores there on my way to camp for night time meals and into the next day.

Getting water logistics continually dialed in with a margin for error is critical in the space and wt saving UL agenda.  To me, it's more important than having the latest greatest techy super pricey new fangled UL super material or a few grams lighter gear AND IT COSTS NOTHING BUT THE WILLINGNESS TO BE TRAIL WISE. This goes hand in hand with your water systems. Drink, AND CARRY, wisely.    

[J-Squared]

I'm a little late coming into this conversation but I am also a "both" person.  I like the convenience of the water bladder for sipping as I hike.  I don't like to stop and find I drink more this way.  I also carry bottles for camp, cooking, and for adding gatorade or drink powders.  Also, the bottles serve as a back-up in case of a (rare) bladder failure.  I've had 2 in all my hiking and backpacking years, both somewhat operator error.  Once, I cross-threaded the cap after filling which leaked when put under pressure of a full pack and another when my daughter managed to puncture her water bladder by falling on a cactus.  Honestly, better the pack taking the brunt of the cactus needles and not her!  

[Trailman]

Some people have good experiences with bladders, some don't. If you like using the bladder it is the most convenience and easiest way to get water. I use one on day hikes all the time. My suggestion is to get a 2L bladder and fill it with just 1L of water, that way you don't have any problems with leaks or breaks. Bring a light 1L water bottle for extra water if you need to get some. Also a half cut off one for scooping water in low streams.

[NorcalBowhunter]

Bottles are hard to beat honestly, they are sturdy, reliable and have less to fail on them. However filling them up and purifying water can tend to be tedious with a water bottle and then you have to get it out to drink. Yes some packs have the mesh pockets on the side that you can stick a bottle in but some packs put them in places are are really hard to reach while it is on your back.

Bladders are nice, you can generally carry more with one than you can with one water bottle and you have a nice line that you can drink from that is right there in easy reach and you can drink water while still walking. The down side is though that you have to dig it out every time to fill it up which could mean removing stuff from your pack to get it out, depending on the pack, and cleaning them for storage can be quite the job.

So that aside my preference right now, and into the foreseeable future, is a bladder with a in line filter. I carry a 3L bladder since I tend to drink more water than other people, but I am willing to sacrifice the weight for the knowledge that I have plenty of water to last me to the next watering hole. I also use a in line mini sawyer filter so I filter my water as I drink it instead of filtering it before I put it into my pack.

The down side to this is that my bladder is always going to be contaminated, but the sawyer mini filters up to 100,000 gallons of water with proper maintenance which should last everyone a life time, so since I will always have my filter in line it's nothing to worry about, and since I boil my water to hydrate food it really isn't a problem to me. And at the end of the day, when I get home I could always sterilize it if I wanted to but with the in line filter there is really no point, all I have to do is flush my filter from time to time.

Everyone will most likely have a different opinion, it's like asking a bunch of people which is better, Ford or Chevy. In the end what you should do is try a little bit of everything and see what works best for you. I like my setup because all I have to do is quick disconnect my bladder, fill it up, quick connect it and keep on going without missing a beat. While most people would still be filtering, or sterilizing their water I am back on the trail drinking clean fresh water.

Edited February 16, 2016 by NorcalBowhunter

[ppine]

I have been backpacking for many decades. We started with canteens, then bota bags and Nalgene bottles. I always keep a water bottle in an outside pocket that is easy for a hiking partner to reach.  Last year I finally bought a bladder with a tube that fits in the top of any pack. It is sort of impolite to suck on a tube when having a conversation with someone, but there is no doubt that bladders are handy and very useful in warmer weather.

[ppine]

Now I have taken the plunge and bought a U:LA pack with design features to make water bottles available on the pack straps and the two side pockets without taking off the pack.  Next will be the transition from Nalgene bottles to thin plastic commercial water bottles to save some weight.

[John B]

bear in mind that those light weight plastic commercial water bottles are a source of BPA, which is very NOT healthy.

[ppine]

BPAs at what rate?  

[John B]

that I could not tell you.  Personally, if there is an easy option, I try to avoid BPAs as much as possible.  Even low levels of exposure are not healthy.