I'm just so happy with my hydration setup I wanted to share.
I use a Nathan 2L zip-top bladder with an in-line Sawyer filter. I also take a 2L Platy bag and a Nathan 8oz sucky bottle.
I use the sucky for sports gel (MyoGel based on Hammer Perpetuem, 1/8 lb per 8 oz). I used to use a 10oz baby bottle, but at 10g more it wasn't worth it. The extra 2oz capacity also weighed down my pants more. I do miss the odd looks I'd get though…
The 64oz Platy I've only ever used for pre-mixing a lot of MyoGel. It's there for convenience or known long dry hikes and would be ditched for SUL flights. It replaced a slightly lighter 32oz Gatoraid bottle. The Platy allows me to quickly break up clumps in the MyoGel – something that took forever in the bottle.
With this setup I reloaded 2L of water and refilled my sucky in <3 minutes. For fastpacking the short time means I know when I'm being lazy – "Whew! Good thing I get to spend the next 15 min getting out the pump!"
The bladder is 1.2 oz lighter than the equivalent Platy (2.0L bigzip). It isn't as light as a simple Platy with no zip, but those can be hard to fill in shallow water. The zip top can lie flat in the stream. I also use the bladder like a Sawyer Squeeze and it works great.
Only downside is the lack of an automatic shutoff valve when detached for filling. I could add one, but at 9g/0.3oz is it worth it? That's as much as nearly 10ccs of toothpaste!
Looking back, I'm amazed at how long it took me to get over the idea of "dirty" Sierra mountain water in my pack. And to think I used to pump too…
Bladder/Hoses 123g/4.3oz
Sawyer Filter 96g/3.4oz (wet, which is the true travel weight)
2.0L Platy 38g/1.3oz
8oz Sucky 32g/1.1oz
Total: 289g/10.2oz
