Bladder Trouble.

I had a platypus 4 liter with zip top leak.  Fortunately it didnt matter, I was evaluating it

Yeah, soda bottles are better.  I’ve never had one of those leak

I thought Craig was going to complain about getting up in the middle of the night.

Gatorade bottles are a nice size and allow for a SteriPen to fit in the mouth, but that would be A LOT of Gatorade bottles.

If it is compatible with your pack geometry, I trust 2-liter pop bottles and that’s about as low a container weight / water weight as you can get.

I’d never trust a 1-gallon HDPE milk jug (except maybe in my hand, the first half-day out) because they are so prone to rubbing through and leaking.  But the one-gallon HDPE windshield washer fluid jugs I do use for a variety of water-hauling tasks (after rinsing it out several times).

“I thought Craig was going to complain about getting up in the middle of the night.”

No, that would’ve been posted under Philosophy and Technique. ; )

Never thought about other HDPE jugs.  Windshield washer fluid doesn’t sound good but I trust your chemical/plastics expertise!

Everything in those washer-fluid jugs (methanol, ammonia, blue dye) is VERY soluble in water.  Fill and drain it once and you’d be fine – less risk than smelling the cigarette smoke of another pedestrian.  Fill and drain it twice and you’re down to the risk of getting bit by a rattle snake while scoring a golf hole-in-one.

Like any stored water, it can get a little musky over time.  I make a point of running the tap for a while to get “fresh” (more chlorinated) city water when refilling the earthquake / emergency water containers so it nukes any fungal or algal organisms.  If I got into a really Y2K bunker mentality, I’d put a few drops of bleach in each gallon and then seal it up.  Then I’d feel very comfortable about it a decade later.  And if I didn’t like any residual chlorine smell/taste, just pour it from one container to another a few times.

I’ve never used large bladders for the reason you just experienced.

I have and sometimes still use 1 liter Platys and a single 2 liter Platy. Usually I just roll them up to get water that I will be using that night.

I have used the 1 liter ones as my main water carry in the past. Never had one leak. The 1 liters I always keep in an outside pocket. If I use the 2 liter, it is stored at the very top of my pack with an eye to protect critical gear in case of leak. I worry that the extra pressure of gear pressing against it might cause a seam leak.

For the past 10 years or so, I have primarily used GatorAde bottles. I have at least a dozen of each; 64 ounce and 32 ounce (I have my wife drink the GatorAde in new bottles, when she goes to the gym because I hate the taste).

I had Dan McHale put two water bottle pockets on both of my packs that can each carry a 64 ounce GatorAde bottle. Probably easier to back three 64 ounce bottles that one huge 6L bladder.

yeah, that’s what I was thinking, having to get up in the night?  except it would be more accurate to say prostate trouble

I picked up two of the hydrapak seeker 3L from REI because of the shape and attachment points. I’ve always carried them outside of my pack and they have been to Joshua Tree a few times. I regularly freeze them full of water; I have one in the freezer for convenience now. I’ve left them banging around on the backseat floor of my car for a few months last summer and fall, allowing them to get super hot when the car is left in the sun then roll back and forth hitting the seat rails. A cap came loose and started a slow drip leak until I noticed and tightened the cap; lost about a cup of water before I noticed.

The MSR dromedary looks awesome; disappointing to hear the cap is a weak point; although in my experience I guess the caps on the hydrapaks are potentially a weak point too, although maybe worth a try.

To the OP – yes, my first Domedary had a leak in the cap.  I went back and got it replaced.  That being said, the design is a obvious failure point.  You have the screw cap, then the smaller theaded cap to hook up to a hose and to top it off, a silly flip cap.  3 places for teh cap to fail.  Luckily, the Nalgene cap is a direct fit so I replaced it and everything works fine now.  For a large collapsable bag, the basic Domedary concept (other than the cap) is pretty rock solid.  My 2 cents – Jon

Thanks John…I forgot the Nalgene fits.  Yes, talk about an overcomplicated cap design.  It’s ridiculous.

And thanks for reminding me about the 64oz. Gatorade bottles Nick, I need to go get some.  I remember seeing your bottle/pockets in person and thinking it was a great design for a desert pack.

Gatorade has been phasing out the 64 ounce for a while. Not sure it is still available. You might want to start searching now. Powerade bottles are similar, but I don’t know if they have 64 ounce.

I’ve been using the same Powerade 1 liter bottle for 4 years and it’s still going strong.  From how you describe your requirements, I’d consider 3 X 2 liter drinking water jugs such as Crystal Geyser, plus 2 X 1 liter Gatorade or similar for your outside pockets.  Easy to refill as necessary from your 2 liter jugs.  The advantage of the 2 liter Crytal Springs and some other brands is that they have a square form, which makes for much more efficient use of space in your pack.  I’ve been using them for decades for training hikes;  their durability and storage attributes are hard to beat.

The top of the Platys that transition from bladder to hard plastic at the very top tend to fail after a few years. You just need to be aware of it and change them out when they fail. A new play is super reliable and I even trust a warm one as a bed companion…

I’ve had two Platys fail at the bottom where the gusset creases when it’s flattened. I’m not a fan.

Yeah that sucks :(

I’ve got a slug of Platypus bottles (0.5/1/2 liters) some that are 15 years old and still in service, have never had a single failure with a Platy bottle (knocking on the wood of my desk!!! :) )

I have a couple of Dromedary bags (one thinner, one thicker-but heavier)- I’ve used them hauling water in a pulk (sled) in the winter, but haven’t used them in a pack yet.  I didn’t realize a Nalgene top would fit- that’s good beta for sure!

I use Hydrapak containers from 1L to 3L and have never had a leak – except the time I had one in an outside pocket on my HMG Southwest and decided to bushwhack to a trail I had lost rather than retrace my steps in the Superstition Mountains.  The nasty catclaw and other thorny, sticky items put a single pinhole in the carrier which I was never able to patch satisfactorily.

I only use the Evernew bladders as a backup for long water carries. Those Gatorade or 1.5L Smart or similar bottles are great.

I’m surprised.  I’ve put over a decade of hard use on an MSR dromedary for over a decade.  It serves as my water storage, seat, pillow.  It’s never failed me once.

I’m also surprised by the OP’s bad luck (or possible misuse, but that sounds somewhat unlikely).

I’ve used a variety of collapsible water containers, but mostly Platypus 2L containers and Hydrapak 3L Seeker containers.

The Platys eventually fail at one of the seams, usually the upper hard plastic/soft plastic junction as another person mentioned above.

I haven’t had one of the Hydrapak 3L Seekers fail on me yet, but a 2L Seeker developed a pinhole leak on me last year after heavy (but non-backpacking) use.

Still, I would say I would call a water bag failure a very rare occurrence for me, even after thousands of trail miles.

Not sure what’s going on with the OP, but maybe it’s just some bad luck?

Not the bag, the cap is the weak point.  # modes of failure: Screw cap, Pour spout and Small diamter (1/2″ ) cap.  It is a design that is prone to failure.  The Domedary (IMO) is a solid design, the cap sucks.  My 2 cents.

Domedary cap is pretty awful. I’d be nervous about using one as my only source for water. That said, I use the Domedary daily for training purposes inside my backpack. I’ve had two platypus bladders leak on me near the bottom. Multiple Smartwaters are what I use now, especially when it’s in a predominantly dry region.

I’ve carried my 4L Dromlite a few times filled, and haven’t had a leak, but I never feel comfortable doing it and I don’t think I’ve ever carried it for more than an hour or so while filled.  I have also used it as a pillow or part of a pile of stuff as a pillow. Which in some ways seems more risky, I guess. Who said I was rational?

A good alternative to the 64 oz gatorade bottles is 64 oz juice bottles . Mine are from Trader Joe’s – they have apple juice , lemonade, various. Slightly smaller opening I think compared to the 64 oz gatorade, but bigger than a soda bottle top. Kind of a rectangular shape which is sort of nice – you can lay them down on a granite slab and the don’t roll away.

I could give specific recommendations, but the reality is that like everyone else, I have used dozens of reservoirs of different sizes over the years (although never as large as 6L), and when I find one that I trust, I stick with it as long as possible. I loved my old Nalgene reservoirs, and used them for 15 years. No manufacturer is perfect, they are always changing and “improving” their products. The same goes for fuel bottles. Newer is not necessarily better. Trusted is better. You will find it. You will also discover common failure points and account for them.

You did well. You had your back-up AquaMira and you were fine.