external bladder pocket

Ask questions and share your experiences with hiking & backpacking gear, and share trail recipes and gadget tips. Please see classifieds forum for buying/selling stuff.
pcg
Posts: 372
Joined: May 31st, 2011, 7:46 pm
Location: Chehalem Mountain

external bladder pocket

Post by pcg » August 5th, 2019, 9:43 am

Does anyone have experience carrying a water 2L bladder externally (non-winter use)? I keep going back and forth between bottles in pockets (hard to reach) and an internal bladder (hard to refill). I'm getting ready to add to my ridiculous collection of packs and would like to come up with a solution before I buy a new pack.

User avatar
jessbee
Posts: 877
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Contact:

Re: external bladder pocket

Post by jessbee » August 5th, 2019, 12:04 pm

Externally? What does that mean exactly?

I have a pack that has a water bladder pocket between the main interior compartment and my back, making it easy to pull out and refill (instead of emptying the contents of my pack). It's a cragging bag though, I don't think I've seen hiking packs with the same system, I don't know why. Seems like an elegant solution.
Will break trail for beer.

Blog and photos

User avatar
kepPNW
Posts: 6411
Joined: June 21st, 2012, 9:55 am
Location: Salmon Creek

Re: external bladder pocket

Post by kepPNW » August 5th, 2019, 1:50 pm

jessbee wrote:
August 5th, 2019, 12:04 pm
Externally? What does that mean exactly?
Wondered the same.
jessbee wrote:
August 5th, 2019, 12:04 pm
I have a pack that has a water bladder pocket between the main interior compartment and my back, making it easy to pull out and refill (instead of emptying the contents of my pack). It's a cragging bag though, I don't think I've seen hiking packs with the same system, I don't know why. Seems like an elegant solution.
I've had one daypack with that sort of pocket, and the bladder was so easily accessible! Most of my packs still have that inner pocket for them. Carrying a 3L bladder means rarely needing to refill, but generally (if I don't want to refill to full capacity, anyway) I just undo the top and squeeze right into it.
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

User avatar
texasbb
Posts: 1174
Joined: July 26th, 2008, 8:16 pm
Location: Tri-Cities, WA

Re: external bladder pocket

Post by texasbb » August 5th, 2019, 3:31 pm

pcg wrote:
August 5th, 2019, 9:43 am
Does anyone have experience carrying a water 2L bladder externally (non-winter use)? I keep going back and forth between bottles in pockets (hard to reach) and an internal bladder (hard to refill). I'm getting ready to add to my ridiculous collection of packs and would like to come up with a solution before I buy a new pack.
My solution: A pack with sensible bottle pockets.

It's appalling how many packs come with bottle pockets made from spandex or a similar idiotic stretchy material. The absurdity of such designs defies description on a family-friendly forum. If it has to stretch out to get the bottle in, it requires two hands to get the bottle in. Lunacy. Stupidity. Imbicility. Asininity.

Webfoot
Posts: 1759
Joined: November 25th, 2015, 11:06 am
Location: Troutdale

Re: external bladder pocket

Post by Webfoot » August 6th, 2019, 2:59 am

texasbb wrote:
August 5th, 2019, 3:31 pm
It's appalling how many packs come with bottle pockets made from spandex or a similar idiotic stretchy material.
I use 1L soft bottles and can stow them one handed in stretch pockets by squeezing the bottom flat, as long as there is a little headroom i.e. after the first good drink. Since I don't always use the side pockets for water I'm glad they are elastic. It's really nice not having rigid bottles when empty, too. Have you tried these?

pcg, many Gregory packs have a "front stuff pocket" that looks like it could take a 2L bladder but I have not tried this. I don't like the idea of water weight that far from my back however.

Image

User avatar
texasbb
Posts: 1174
Joined: July 26th, 2008, 8:16 pm
Location: Tri-Cities, WA

Re: external bladder pocket

Post by texasbb » August 6th, 2019, 5:32 am

Webfoot wrote:
August 6th, 2019, 2:59 am
texasbb wrote:
August 5th, 2019, 3:31 pm
It's appalling how many packs come with bottle pockets made from spandex or a similar idiotic stretchy material.
I use 1L soft bottles and can stow them one handed in stretch pockets by squeezing the bottom flat, as long as there is a little headroom i.e. after the first good drink. Since I don't always use the side pockets for water I'm glad they are elastic. It's really nice not having rigid bottles when empty, too. Have you tried these?
Image
Yes, I've tried a few soft bottles, and for various reasons don't like them (don't stand up; some are too soft and floppy to handle easily while others are stiff and crinkly and have sharp edges; most have a mouth way too small, etc.). And that pack you show there...whose idea was it to put the side load cincher right across the bottle pocket? Someone who's never used a bottle I'm guessing.

At any rate, to the OP's question, I have no answer other than something like ULA's packs that hold the bottles securely yet make grabbing and returning a bottle trivially easy. Bladders are a pain for many reasons, just one of which is being buried in the pack. I do have a pack (it was my son's when he was a teenager) that mounts the bladder on the outside, where the "front stuff pocket" should be. It's a gimmicky thing that you can unbuckle and wear as a standalone hydration pack. But as you say, it puts the weight waaay back there.

Webfoot
Posts: 1759
Joined: November 25th, 2015, 11:06 am
Location: Troutdale

Re: external bladder pocket

Post by Webfoot » August 6th, 2019, 5:58 am

texasbb wrote:
August 6th, 2019, 5:32 am
And that pack you show there...whose idea was it to put the side load cincher right across the bottle pocket? Someone who's never used a bottle I'm guessing.
I have an older Gregory pack and it also appears to have the strap running on top of the pocket, but there's a small slot in the pocket that lets you thread the strap inside so you can have it either way. I cannot see in the photo if the new packs have this too.

Jeff71
Posts: 6
Joined: July 28th, 2019, 6:53 pm

Re: external bladder pocket

Post by Jeff71 » August 6th, 2019, 2:52 pm

I have a new Osprey Talon pack and the bladder pouch is between the main bag and the harness, accessed externally. So you can stuff the bag as much you want and still get the bladder out and in without ever opening the main bag or moving other items.

This is just a day pack but I would assume all the larger Osprey bags have the same arrangement. It also has side water bottle pockets with slight amount of elastic. But the bottom cinch straps can be run outside over the pockets or inside the pockets.

Image

pcg
Posts: 372
Joined: May 31st, 2011, 7:46 pm
Location: Chehalem Mountain

Re: external bladder pocket

Post by pcg » August 6th, 2019, 8:09 pm

jessbee wrote:
August 5th, 2019, 12:04 pm
I have a pack that has a water bladder pocket between the main interior compartment and my back, making it easy to pull out and refill (instead of emptying the contents of my pack).
All of my packs have bladder pockets between the main interior compartment and my back. I can pull an empty bladder out fine (after removing the lid), but then I have to have to pull everything else out of the main compartment to get the full bladder back in.

User avatar
jessbee
Posts: 877
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Contact:

Re: external bladder pocket

Post by jessbee » August 7th, 2019, 5:03 am

pcg wrote:
August 6th, 2019, 8:09 pm
jessbee wrote:
August 5th, 2019, 12:04 pm
I have a pack that has a water bladder pocket between the main interior compartment and my back, making it easy to pull out and refill (instead of emptying the contents of my pack).
All of my packs have bladder pockets between the main interior compartment and my back. I can pull an empty bladder out fine (after removing the lid), but then I have to have to pull everything else out of the main compartment to get the full bladder back in.
Upon reading that again I guess I wasn't clear. The pocket is separate from the main compartment so that it is easy to both get out empty and put back in when full, no unpacking required.
Screenshot_20190807-061003.png
The downside is there is no suspension system like most modern packs have.
Will break trail for beer.

Blog and photos

Post Reply