Water and a Single Point of Failure

[Nate Luzod]

I typically carry a 6L MSR Dromedary, plus 2x 1L Gatorade bottles in a front-pouch for easy access and ‘load balancing’. Today I went out with some trail maintenance tools and accidentally poked a hole in the Dromedary right at the beginning of the hike. I carry a machete and loppers often and have never had this happen. First time for everything I guess!

Fortunately I still had a liter of fluid up front, but it got me wondering what would happen a similar accident occurred in the middle of a long trip. I don’t carry any glue to repair and duct tape didn’t stick to the fabric-like exterior of the Dromedary.

Wondering if I should replace the 6L with few 2L bladders so that if one gets punctured I’m not at a total loss. Obviously it would add some weight, but it would eliminate the single point of failure.

Any thoughts or input would be welcome. And apologies if this belongs in the gear forum. First time posting here, I can move this thread if need be.

[Ralph Burgess]

If I’m in desert where loss of water is a critical failure I carry multiple 70oz Platypus bladders, and just use as many as I need.   They weigh 1.3oz, or realistically 1.5oz when empty but wet, they roll up small when not in use, and they are tough.   They are also a good shape & size to fit in outside pockets or inside the pack as needed.    Incidentally, the tall profile is also good for settling out sediment with alum, allowing you to decant of cleared water from the top.

I don’t know what the dromedary material is like, but some possibilities to add to your repair kit:

Superglue mini tubes

— in addition to kit and shoe repairs, these are a good addition to your first aid kit to repair tissue trauma

Exped mat repair kit “textile glue”
http://www.exped.com/usa/en/product-category/mats/mat-repair-kit
I use exped sleeping pads, so this is in my kit anyway.   The “textile glue” is interesting stuff, I’m not sure exactly what it is or what it sticks to – but repairs to small holes are made without patches, and it holds pressure.  In conjuction with some kind of patch, I imagine it would create a watertight seal on many surfaces.

 

 

 

[Alex H]

I with Ralph on this, multiple 2L platypus and one hard sided bottle like an Aquafina or smartwater that I refill into and carry in an outside pocket.  Particularly in the desert, never carry a flexible water container on the outside of the pack (dromedary, platy, etc.) just like never carry and inflatable pad on the outside either.

[Nate Luzod]

Thank you both for the prompt input. Very glad I joined this forum!

[Roger Caffin]

Multiple 1.25 L rocket-base fizzy-drink PET bottles. They are very light (34 g) and very robust, lasting for years. They also take large drops down cliffs (tested).

Cheers

 

[W I S N E R !]

I’m with Roger, drink bottles worry me less than Platy bladders do.

[Rex Sanders]

Before jumping into a discussion of bottle toughness or the best (possibly toxic) patch materials, think about the risk you face from an empty 6 liter Dromedary. Humans can survive without water for 2-3 days in most environments. Eight liters of water capacity seems a tad high to me, but I don’t know your needs or environment.

How much water do you need?

How far between water sources on your trips?

How skilled are you at finding water in an emergency?

How much extra weight are you willing to carry to compensate for a rare event?

Lightweight and ultralight backpackers frequently decide not to carry extra weight for rare events, and improve their skills to compensate.

I carry one or two 1.5 liter non-fizzy water bottles (tough enough and slightly lighter than carbonated beverage / rocket bottles), and one or two 2 liter Platy bottles, depending on the distance between water sources. Both are about the same grams/liter. The water bottles are tougher and easier to handle, the Platys are easier to pack when empty.

YMMV.

— Rex

PS:

Dromedary 6 liter bag: 41 grams per liter.

Platy 2 liter bag, or 1.5 liter non-fizzy water bottle: 18 grams per liter.

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