hydration packs ?

do any of you use a hydration pack?

if so what ?

I can tell when I am getting / gotten dehydrated and I carry water most of the time.

Saturday I was out working on the yard and stopped for water every time the string trimmer needed a refill , when I am running chain saw even int he winter I am making sure every time I fill the saw I fill me with water at 30 degrees I am soaked through most of the time when cutting wood. even worse in the summer I try to avoid cutting but had a few trees to do 2 weeks ago had a gallon jug of water and kept drinking when I filled the saw but I still get behind on the water.


I was out for 4 hours Sunday at a service rifle shoot 88 in the shade (hot for WI but i get it not hot for much of the country)but humid and I am wearing a shooting jacket which as they go mine is just a cotton one , some of the guys in leather shooting jackets were a lot warmer than I.

like a fool I only brought a liter of water , it didn't feel that hot when I left the house.


not wanting to hi-jack the best fluid for hydration thread I started this one.

I am thinking if I have it right on me I can better keep ahead of de-hydration.

a pack with bladder would be out of the way and not slosh.

I could easily drink while filling mags or in prep.

stage 4 gets might hard to see that target when your eyes are getting bury from dehydration.

but what pack to get , I am thinking 2 or 3 liters so that I don't have to fill as often.

and I am not a small person I need one that fits XXL to XXXl

thinking to wood cutting I could take more frequent drinks and not just when I gas up

hunting I walk nearly all day and I carry a canteen now but this would eliminate slosh.

these are my thoughts what have your experiences been?

what brands have you used?

what would you get?

I just think about the hot wet environment of an empty hydration pack and the potential for proliferation of bacteria. Not for me. I just use a series of quart water bottles.

I usually buy 3 liter bags or packs. Last year I got a 3 liter bag (bladder) on Amazon for Prime Day.
Depending what I am doing I will use the pack the bladder came with or I toss it into my backpack. Make sure you get where the hose has an insulation sleeve. I've had my hose freeze while hunting and on the line and it was not fun.

I won't spend the big bucks Camelback charges. Big5 ones have served me well. Forgot to mention I'm very rough on my equipment and most have held up great.

In my wildlife service business, tree farm, cutting firewood, mowing, hunting, fishing, trapping, and the all the rest, I work outdoors nearly everyday. Well, except for when I have to be responsible for something else.

Working hard, I get dehydrated easily and need to drink a lot of water. To make carrying the water easier and therefore drinking frequently and regularly, I use an Eberlestock Mini Me hydration pack. Yes, horribly stupid name. It holds 3 quarts of water and a little bit of extra room. I have a few Eberlestock packs and they are nearly indestructible and very well designed. I add some flavoring - Walmart sugar free drink mix packs. Cheap and good iced tea with lemon or peach.

From sweating out the electrolytes, I have to take supplements or the muscle cramping is agonizing. I have to use an iron on a towel to relieve the leg cramps. Potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Sweat and drink water all day and not need to open the drain until bedtime - not good for the plumbing system.

Wash, rinse, and dry the bladder. Easy to keep sanitary.

I am now going to rehydrate myself with some ice and Forty Creek Barrel Select Canadian Whisky.

I hope this helps.

I prefer carrying and drinking water from a Nalgene or stainless bottle.

I have nalgene bottles now , I like the Oasis canteen shaped narrow mouth bottles and they do tuck in bags and coat pockets well

when at service rifle I like to get all ready in prep , some times have extra time , if I had the water attached to me in a way I could easily take a drink without moving , getting up to grab my water bottle I think I would drink more and keep my eyes better.

when I am cutting wood I stage my water with my gas and oil , but I am thinking would be better off to drink a little every time I stand up and survey where I am cutting next rather than wait for an empty saw.

We have a bunch of Nalgene Lexan bottles with lids on tether. They work great too. I don’t like the old Nalgene bottles.

I use a camelbac brand that has a 70 ounce reservoir with a nylon cover,believe it was new military surplus because they went to 100 ounce.works for me,I can carry just it on it's own or it fits in my hunting pack that has a hydration space built in.
came with the covered tube and covered bite valve for less than 20 bucks because I was patient on eBay.

I keep a soft cooler with water bottles handy. Staying hydrated is pretty important. We start to get overheated at work and I shut down for a few minutes to sit and drink/relax. Been a hot summer.

This is something that I seem to struggle with every year. I have tried multiple ways of keeping water with me, and the two biggest things that I have issues with our durability and keeping water cold. Seems like I just have to force it down and don't stay as hydrated if it's warm. This year I have discovered a water bottle sold at Walmart that is a half gallon. I have been very impressed with these containers!

The only issue that I've had with them is that they seem to Dent easily,. I will put a gallon of water in the fridge overnight and use it to fill my jug up in the morning. Even after sitting in a hot car all day they are still ice cold. They also come in stainless steel and black at my location.

[url=https://www.walmart.com/ip/TAL-Teal-64oz-Double-Wall-Vacuum-Insulated-Stainless-Steel-Ranger-Pro-Water-Bottle/251284178

yes it helps

Sweat and drink water all day and not need to open the drain until bedtime - not good for the plumbing system. no not good at all

in the boy scouts we told the boys if you hadn't taken a leak in 2 hours you weren't drinking enough ,and headed for plumbing problems, but the truth is sometimes you just can't drink it fast enough when your trying to get work done.

when I worked construction everyone had one of these , I still have one and use it , but it is not convenient to have with you it is left back at the truck and when I fill up the saw take a drink.

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-3000000JUG-1-Gallon-Jug/dp/B00363RSXU

As one of my old buddies would say ( hydrate or die). In my work gear pack I have a 106 ( can't remember for sure but know its over a 100 oz) camel pack bladder plus a quart canteen and a gator aid bottle. In the truck I carry my hydraflask that I fill with ice water in the morning. On a normal day just the water in my pack keeps me good. If I am on the saw teams there better be extra water on the line behind me. I have spent a fair amount of time in AZ,NM,NV,and southern UT and watched a lot of folks go down from dehydration. For every 3 quarts of water I drink some sports drink for replenishing electrolytes. This is the same speech I tell my crews every year. I am really hard on gear and the bladders have held up for me. I know it sucks but warm water is easier for your body to soak in and if you are in or starting to get in bad shape drinking something ice cold can put your body into shock( seen it multiple times).Just my observations and what I have been taught and I teach. Jon

Pete - I go thru a couple similar gallon jugs each year. They get beat up, cracked, and leak. I have looked at a Yeti gallon jug but too expensive. If I attached a rack on the tractor roll bar it might be handy. Still too much $. I bought a 1/2 gallon stainless jug copy at Walmart. It did not keep anything cold, leaked, and finally I could not unscrew the top - all within about 6 weeks. I would really like to have a rack for each tractor and a jug, but $130 for the jug and $45 each for 2 racks = $220. I am not worth that much! I can’t even deduct it from my pay because I don’t pay myself - lousy boss!

I think the best place to carry water is in your belly. It seems like folks with hydration packs want to have a little sip every now and then. But I think the best way to do it is to guzzle down 32-48 oz. at a time. If the water isn't too cold, it takes far less than a minute to chug down that much water. That should keep you well hydrated for at least an hour or two. When you need to fill the saw or between strings, pour another quart down you gullet. Having to suck all that water through a tube would only make it take longer to fill 'er up.

Today was another wicked hot and humid day. I drank nearly everything I had with me.

I agree the water should not be too cold. High temperatures and high humidity, then chugging ice water is dangerous. I have seen guys drop on the spot. It took them a few minutes to recover.

For me a gallon jug, or quart size lexan Nalgene bottles, or the hydration pack all work very well. A cooler of water bottles works well unless there are moochers around. It seems there are always guys who put no effort into being even a little bit prepared. I will gladly share water but not with the guys who take advantage. Maybe they just didn’t think they would get thirsty! They need to get responsible somehow.

The Forty Creek on ice really helps rehydration and helps me fall asleep. Zzzzzzzzzz.