How to get water into collapsible bags?

Start with it collapsed so that no air needs to escape. Then just drag it in the water to sort of force it in. This will fill it within a few drags. I also hold it facing upstream in a faster area.

I don't use any ziplock bag or Sawyer Squeeze.

I had an old 2L Platypus that had developed a leak from old age. I cut it at the leak, and that gives me a 1.5L scoop.

–B.G.–

ziplock works fine for me, so why change it?

I try to keep the current from pulling it out of my hand— or falling in :)

A ziplock sounds good/light/cheap. I like the recycled-Platypus-as-scoop myself. There are lots of 1 liter "promo" bladders out there for $1-$2 that could be cut and used like a Platy of you don't have an old one to sacrifice. My local Goodwill stores are selling new.

i use a gusseted bottom stiffer plastic bag that had sugar in it. Stands up by itself when full. Easy to pour from. Holds about a liter. Was free with sugar. Had a ziploc top that I cut off. Rolls up flat with the water bag.

I use a wide mouth nalogen soft canteen. I got an adapter which I use as a cap and it attaches directly to my sawyer mini. Works great to fill with water because it's a wide mouth. When it's empty..is rolls up small because it's soft..like the sawyer bags of soft platys. If I need to carry extra water I can just fill this and cap it. When I need to filter water my sawyer mini screws directly into the cap and I can squeeze and filter into my bottle. No leaks no drips no problems. Easy to fill with water, light weight, takes up minimal space.

I use a cut off bottled water bottle. It flexes to form a nice pour spout.

Use your pot. No extra item required.

Plus 1 for Andy's method

"Use your pot. No extra item required."

Resourceful, but my pot tends to be buried in my pack with the stove and fuel can stashed inside. A flat bladder can be rolled up with my filter and carried in the top of my pack or outer pocket for quick access. Also, your cookware can be lost downstream— bad berries!

Sawyer 16oz Water Bag – Bottom cut off. Super light water scoop, packs flat.

HTH

KJ

Blow air into the bag. Put one end of the straw into the water and the other end into the bag. Get the fat straws, like for milkshakes. Free, weight penalty of a gram or two, and it works on low volume sources.

OBTW if you use your pot doesn't it make it hard to light later in the day? ;)

Like Kenneth, I use the 16oz bag that comes with the filter, but I cut off the top (the end with the spout and cap) rather than the bottom. When held with one hand with some water in it, the bag buckles a little at the edge to form a perfect spout for pouring.

When I read all the techniques above I can't help wonder why more people haven't discovered or use the wide mouth platypus bags. They are so versatile, efficient and incredibly durable.

See link: http://www.cascadedesigns.com/platypus/hydration-systems/big-zip-lp/product

I have attached quick release fittings to my sayer mini and to the platy bag so that I can collect water in the platy and squeeze it through the filter into whatever container I am using (either a gatorade bottle or a clean sawyer bag). Mine it is a 1.8L. I never drink directly from it but could with the sawyer inline between the bag and the bite valve.

The primary advantage is your collector bag can also carry water.

This seems so easy. Am I missing something.

Derrick

Can you do a similar thing with a squeeze?

it's 5.4 oz for the for the smallest big zip listed.

a sawyer or evernew bag or plastic bottle, plus some cut-off something weighs less, no?

Though not having to transfer the water does improve functionality.

For me, the Big Zip wouldn't work as well as a small rigid "cup" does with small seeps and puddles.

Katherine has a good point about the weight.

Easy, light, one-handed solution. Cut a small bottom corner off a freezer Ziploc. Bonus: Stop pouring before it empties and you avoid getting floaty bits in your water bag.

Yes, I guess I was missing the weight factor. No small oversight on this forum. My platy does in at 4.6oz.

I guess it about overall need, with weight being an important but not determinative factor.

Most of my hikes are 1 to 2 weeks unsupported into the wilderness and reliability is critical, and days are short and time is also critical, so while I am always seeking the lightest option, function and durability are often more determinative than weight. The lightest option is not always the best for me. All of our needs are as different as the varieties of backpacking we engage in.

The only comment I disagree with above is the idea that the curved surface of a cup is more efficient and effective at skimming water than the straight edge of the bag. You can skim a much wider area and at a lower depth of penetration with the flat edge of the bag than with a curve of a cup (the zip is actually rigid). And when you are collecting for a seep you can curve the bag edge to form like a cup – but you can't make the cup flat.

Thinking about it, my total weight would be the weight of the platy, two 750ml gatorade bottles and the sawyer squeeze – which give me a 3.3 litre carrying capacity and a squeeze filtering system that is much more reliable that the sawyer squeeze bag, and faster for collecting than I've seen with others.

Derrick

Derrick,

Thanks for the reminder of your zip lock bag idea. I recall that you posted it before. I meant to give it a try but I forgot to do so on my last trip.

Looks like the slight stiffness of the zip lock would also allow me to dip the bag into still water (or collect moving water) as I hang nearly upside down at the lake or stream edge. I'd lose some of the bag's water as I pull myself back up and get to my waiting "dirty" dirty water bag, however. I'll have to see how this compares to my existing system. I like the foldability and lightness of the zip lock.

This is a great discussion and I am liking the ideas it is producing. I have an old MSR Hydromedary 3L and I could see myself using that, the Squeeze and the adaptor for the Squeeze to create a system about 10oz that is very durable and squeeze able. By the same token I can use the ziplock with a cut corner, the Squeeze, a 1L platy bag and the 2L bag that came with it. Neat options!

I also use the bottom half of a 16oz sawyer bag. It works great as a chute/ funnel when the water is running low. I fold it in half along where the gusset is to make a long chute. You can hold the upstream part flat and wide to catch the most water, and pinch the other end to point it into your bag. Works great as scoop too, and a wash basin for my midday sock washing.

I'm surprised by how complicated everyone is making this. At the top of the thread Ben has it right; simply expel any air out of the bag and drag it across your water source. With a bit of practice it usually takes less than 5, 8 tops, swipes across the water to fill a 1 liter bag. If filling from a water source with moving water (e.g. stream, river) let nature do the work and hold the opening upstream. Remember to not submerge the entire opening, but rather leave a small gap to allow pressure to release as water fills the bag.

A cutoff water bottle is about as simple as it gets, because you just dip and pour. It can be filled instantly in either running or standing water, yet collect from even a tiny trickle.
Trying to fill a collapsible container directly is very slow by comparison, doesn't work at all in some situations, and will likely get your hands and/or gloves wet, which is no fun when it's below freezing outside(BTDT@15F-sucks!).