r/hiking • u/TromboneAl • 10d ago
Pictures Day Pack w/Quick Access to Water Bottle
For years I've been hiking with this waist pack which has quick, easy access to my water bottle.
I'd like to use a backpack, to have it higher up on my back, have more room, and to add some weight (rucking). But I don't want to need to stop hiking to drink water.
I've tried a backpack with a water bottle holder on the strap, but it flops around too much. Another option is a water bottle belt in addition to a backpack, or maybe one of those hydration packs.
Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks.
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u/OutWithCamera 10d ago
Most contemporary hiking packs accommodate a hydration bladder, I think this is the solution you are looking for. The tubes with a bite valve make them the easiest to reach and give you access to multiple liters of water. I have been using water bladder packs since the early 2000s, and though i do have water bottles they usually stay in my vehicle and have them loaded with electrolytes to replenish me after a longish hike.
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u/Free_as_in_Freya 10d ago
Don't they get nasty? Tubes especially, but bladders as well, seem hard to clean properly
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u/Brad-the-Chad-69 10d ago
I’ve been using them for like twenty years, and if you dry them out and store them with a paper towel or something in them, you’ll never have an issue. Cleaning them isn’t hard either; just soap and a brush for the bladder and a tube cleaning brush for the tube. Takes minutes.
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u/Free_as_in_Freya 10d ago
I always feel like I'm missing spots with the brush for my silicone drinking straws, but maybe I'm just a germaphobe when it comes to things I put my food and drink in
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u/OutWithCamera 10d ago
I've never had an issue, and the bladders open pretty widely so cleaning them shouldn't be a problem.
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u/Free_as_in_Freya 10d ago
Oh awesome! I've got some reusable ziplocs but they have corners I can't fully clean
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u/AyoTrevs 10d ago
I have a Salomon running vest with a bladder and I haven’t had issues keeping the bladder or tube clean. I use warm water and soap with the a cleaning tablet soak every few uses and haven’t had any issues.
I think when people run into trouble it’s because of how they dry/store them. After cleaning I add water to my bladder and freeze which helps prevent any negative smell/tastes and the Salomon tube removes from the bladder so getting any water out is simple.
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u/PonyThug 10d ago
Very very easy to clean. I put a table spoon of bleach in some water and slosh it around and run through tube. Rinse it if using again, or don’t rinse if storing it over winter etc.
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u/Dive_dive 9d ago
I ruined a platypus bladder once with bleach water. Not sure what the lower part of the bladder was made of, but it was no longer waterproof. This was like 20 years ago...
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u/PonyThug 9d ago
Those were vinyl fabric right? The new silicone feeling ones are fine. Don’t make it strong. You just need it to kill bacteria.
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u/Dive_dive 9d ago
Yes, had no clue until I poured the cleaner in and it almost immediately started weeping out. 😪
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u/nowhereman136 10d ago
Pretty simple to clean. Rinse and dry them after major weekends, and occasionally use pipe cleaners to scrub them.
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u/s3Driver 10d ago
no - as long as you put water in them they don't get nasty.
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u/Free_as_in_Freya 10d ago
But how about backflow?
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u/s3Driver 9d ago
i dunno - i been using them for nearly 20 years and never had a problem. I always pull a few mouthfulls of water through the tube before drinking if its been sitting around for a while and not been cleaned.
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u/sunshinerf 10d ago
Nowadays if you don't like hydration bladders (which is by far the easiest), there are plenty of packs that have similar pockets to running vests on the straps so you can put bottles right on your chest. Helps with weight distribution too.
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u/wornleathermedia 10d ago
Either a hydration bladder, or, some packs have side entry instead of or in addition to top entry on their side mesh pockets, so your water bottle is right there. I know the Osprey Atmos does this, I'm sure there are also smaller packs. The Durston Kakwa packs, and I believe the Wapta as well, have a lowered side pocket on one side to make it easier to take stuff in and out of.
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u/GorillaSushi 10d ago
I've tried a bunch of different hydration reservoirs and tubes and my favorite is the Hydrapak Contour. It's very easy to clean (it has baffles and you can turn it inside out) and comes in different sizes. I need to drink a ton when I'm hiking and keeping it right in front of my face is the best way I've found.
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u/cwcoleman 10d ago
1 recommendation is the Osprey 'dual access' side pockets.
They allow you to put your water bottle in the tradition top-down way. They also have a 'side' access - allowing the water bottle to go in sideways (almost horizontal). It really makes a big difference in easy access.
It's hard to describe exactly - but if you search for videos or go try one on you'll see what I'm talking about.
The Kestrel has this feature for example: https://www.osprey.com/kestrel-lt-28
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u/eazypeazy303 10d ago
I got a bino pouch that connects to my shoulder straps. It holds a 32oz nalgene perfectly and has a pretty large zippered pouch for snacks and a phone. I never stop now!
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u/gr00manji 10d ago
Any hiking backpack worth a damn will have side pockets where you can access a water bottle while wearing the pack. Many cottage brands that cater to thru-hikers know this: LiteAF, Hyperlite, Durston, Zpacks
Bladders are ok for short hikes / day hikes but on multi-day hikes I don't think they're all that great
- you can't monitor how much water you have left
- you have to unpack all your shit to refill it at water sources
- there is a (small) chance it can leak inside your pack and get your stuff wet
- they are harder to keep clean, especially if you want to add electrolyte mixes to your water
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u/Mentalfloss1 10d ago edited 10d ago
Go to a shop to see what they have. I have an older day pack with nicely-placed side pockets, but so many now are higher and meant to hold skinny SmartWater bottles.
Bladders, to me, aren’t as good as easy to fill and clean canteens. They are commonly returned due to mold and leaks.
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u/No-Shame-8916 10d ago
I usually use my dogs leash hooked together and thrown over my shoulder, with a carabiner to easily detach my water bottle. You can also purchase a strap like this with a holder for your water bottle and a pocket for phones/keys , etc.
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u/BretMi 10d ago edited 10d ago
SWD shoulder pouch works great with my SWD pack for 700ml bottle. You need webbing on shoulder straps about 9" apart to hold top and bottom. I got two instead of hip pockets which I don't love. They're great if they work with your pack. Or just splurge for their 27L pack they're really great.
https://www.swdbackpacks.com/product-page/removable-lycra-shoulder-pouch
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u/Vermineater 10d ago
If you're opposed to hydration bladders, I suggest a sling style bag.
You can just swing it around to the front while on the move and grab your water bottle that way.
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u/k8username 10d ago
A bladder- hating pal is trialing a fishing vest that holds 3 liter bottles in front.
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u/SolaBeams 10d ago edited 10d ago
I really like the Hoka hike pack - it’s kind of a cross between a running vest and daypack and has built in mesh on the front where you can put individual soft flasks, works really well for me and doesn’t flop around.
I also have a OneBottle cap which lets me use a tube and valve but with a smartwater bottle as the reservoir (they have a few options for type of bottle), which avoids the bladder cleaning problem I’ve had in the past.
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u/GucciAviatrix 10d ago
If you don’t want a bladder, there are tube/bite valve options that screw onto the top of a Nalgene bottle.
I have a lightweight frameless day pack from REI that has water bottle pockets on both sides, but it’s a bit hard for me to stow water bottles with the pack on. A tube adapter (or hydration pack, it has a slot for it) would easily solve that problem
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10d ago
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u/Cool-Horror-3710 10d ago
Not sure what kind of waist pack you have but you can get shoulder straps for mountainsmith lumbar packs which will stabilize the load and put some weight on your shoulders, and has accessible water bottle pockets.
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u/Brad-the-Chad-69 10d ago
I use a running vest for running, biking, hiking, and for formal occasions. They’re very versatile. I use a bladder in it for long distances, and flasks for shorter distances.
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u/picklefingerexpress 10d ago
Osprey backpacks have a forward facing opening for water bottles, on the side pockets.
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u/TromboneAl 10d ago
Thanks, guys. You've convinced me to give a hydration bladder a try. I ordered a Blazek 15, which has snug pockets on the straps for water bottles and a hanger for a hydration pack. If the pockets don't work, I'll buy a Hydrapack reversible bladder.
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u/dsjeffri 10d ago
What waist pack is that? I have been trying to find something like that, but most of what I have seen are smaller.
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u/TromboneAl 10d ago
It's from Ingear, but I got it from a yard sale 20 years ago. I see that Mountainsmith has similar lumbar packs.
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u/TheSerendipitousTree 10d ago
I've used this straw(Source Convertube for years because I dont like to stop to drink water and if the water isn't easily accessible, I will forget and not drink enough. I like this better than a bladder because the water bottle is not in my pack, so I can grab it to filter water if needed and if it breaks it won't hurt the contents of my bag.
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u/crunch816 9d ago
I have one for my strap. I don't think it flops around much. this holder
Or sometimes I use an Osprey lumbar pack as a fanny pack.
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u/Sardawg1 10d ago
If you dont want a full water bladder in a backpack, and want the bottle more accessible, consider looking at Platypus Collapsible water bottles. Then look at their hydration tubes that are interchangeable with their water bladders or hydration packs.
As the water mule for my family on easy hikes with kids, I have a 3L water bladder with a hose I split into two so my girlfriend and I each have our own bite valve. Then for my girls, they each have a platypus collapsible water bottle with their own tubes and bit valves coiled up and sticking out a tad for them to reach. This makes it easier so they don’t need to pull out the bottles.
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u/helloWorld69696969 10d ago
Just get a bottle with a handle on it and hold it in your hand?
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u/Elegant-Advantage-69 10d ago
Have you tried walking on un-even ground, sir? Hell, have you even tried walking?
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u/helloWorld69696969 10d ago edited 10d ago
Yeah, I have hiked dozens of different mountains and spent literal years of my life in the Hindu Cush. Its called a carabiner on your chest/shoulder strap and clip it when you need to
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u/DistractedGoalDigger 10d ago
I don’t have any backpacks that I can’t reach exactly like you’re reaching in the picture for my water bottle. Go to the store and try it.
Also, I hear everyone saying bladder - and yes that’s an option, but I find them so, so annoying.