There's a question at the end of my ramble, so skip there, or bear with me for a moment…
Staying hydrated while I cycle has never been an issue with mounted bottle bracket bosses, but the last couple years of my new venture into hiking, have left me less than optimal. I tried my first hoser 15 years ago, and despite some filtration advances, they haven't really gained any appeal with me yet, so I doubt I'll ever be a true convert.
I've tried in vein to use water bottle pockets on my backpacks, but short of dislocating my shoulder every time I get thirsty, that is becoming a losing battle with me as well.
So this spring, after sitting on my duff for almost six months, I strolled down the road to visit my parents on what's becoming my "warm up" outdoor excursion of the season. It's a six mile flatland walk in the dead thatch and mud along the roadside (the blacktop is unpleasant to walk on for me). So it's a nice 12 mile walk, with a coffee break half way. Good for killing an afternoon and making sure my elderly parents are still getting along alright. So anyway…
This year I found myself stuffing my 500ml SmartWater bottle (new item?) in my cargo pocket on my pants and I really liked the convenience. It was a little bulky, but I liked the location. I thought perhaps a flask might work well, so I looked into flask options, and was unhappy with what was out there. Leaky lids, small sizes, expensive prices, breakable plastics. It was looking grim. So I went to the liquor store. Who would know flasks better than a booze company? I was not dissapointed. For the price of a Nalgene brand bottle that's prone to breakage, I got a 375ml kidney shaped flask of sturdy food grade plastic with standard pop bottle threads for under $10, which was about what they wanted for the less-than-adequate flasks I'd seen online. Oh, and it came with 375ml of free booze to boot. Win win. I chose the Capt Morgan model, as it has a cool ship molded onto the bottle.
So here's my question. How will carrying this weight along my upper thigh affect hiking? As in, joint stress or leg fatigue for example. It was fine for a short 12 miler, but what about longer distances? I know swinging weight around on my thigh with every step isn't ideal, but this is less than 13 ounces when fully topped up, and only gets lighter from there. With the depth of experience on these forums, I'm hopeful that there's some tales from people that have already tried this and what kind of limitations I might expect, or alternatives to this theme, like in a back pocket instead…
