Water Storage

[Thomas Conly]

When winter camping this year I plan on using the GoLite Gust which is a frameless backpack. I was planning on using two Nalgene bottles as my water storage but they're really hard to pack in a soft sided bag (especially when I often put the bottles in foam cozies because they make them bigger). I was thinking about carying a lightweight MSR Dromidary water bladder instead. What do you think? I chose the Dromidary because I don't trust the plastic Platypusses at -20F.

[Al Shaver]

I'm a big fan of hydration bladders. I use a Camelbak in a silnylon sleeve that I stitched to the the side of my Gust on the outside. In winter I hang it inside my pack against my back (to keep the fluid warm.)

In subfreezing conditions after drinking I raise the bite valve and open it and the fluid drains from the tube back into the bladder. The next time that I drink I suck the air out of the tube, drink and drain the hose again. Some report success with blowing the fluid out of the tube. I find gravity to be more thorough. If the valve does freeze, it's usually a small amount of fluid that can be thawed by holding the valve in your mouth for a minute.

In camp and at night I empty the bladder or put it in my sleeping bag or most commonly immerse it in a lake or stream at night or bury it under a few inches of snow all of which will keep the contents from freezing.

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