Who uses collapsible water bottles?

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Anyone here use collapsible water bottles like the Platypus versions as their primary water containers on backcountry hunts? Anyone have critical failures with them?


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I've got some that I've had for years. I use for extra camp storage. They roll flat for packing in and out which is very convenient. I've got a 6l bladder for camp storage now, so probably won't use them as much.

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I have used them. No failures, though I'm careful not to pack them next to hard objects with edges. I see them is about as reliable as a water bladder, and the only failures I have had with bladders are the tube getting disconnected at a joint.

If busting thorny brush I would put them deep in a pack for protection.

They are a pain to wash, so I would not put anything other than water in them.

I prefer to use HDPE nalgenes and/or role top bladders depending on what I'm doing.
 
I use them for in camp storage for extra water for cooking, ect.....but for daytime carrying I use smartwater bottles.
 
The collapsible water bottles are pretty much all I use. I have some that are Platypus and some that are Vapur. I’ve never had any issues. Sometimes I will bring a Gatorade sports bottle. But, more often than not, it’s some sort of collapsible. I like how they fit in my packs side pockets. Also, it’s easy to bring extra water capacity with pretty much no extra weight or volume.
 
Vapur water bag bottles are awesome for when you're on your sit. You can pop the top silently if you do it carefully. Never leave it clipped to your belt and exposed if you go thru some Buckthorn though. (Oops)

I actually use my Vapur everyday. Very convenient way to make sure you drink your water.

For the bladder I run a 3L Osprey model. It's nice because the side that goes up against your back has a rigid panel in it. Also I can use 2 carabiners to hook it to the inner Molle straps within the main compartment on my pack, so it doesn't sink down in the pack. So the weight is where it should be. And the sip spout has a rotating lock. And it doesn't make ANY noise when you drink from it!

The Platypus 3L bladder one I had previously was stupid noisy when you sucked from the tube. I'd skip that one. And CamelBak's I've had fail on me. But Platypus 3L bag with just a screw-on top is a great option for hauling your extra water for a multi-day. Just screw-off the top and poor into the Osprey or Vapur when needed.

Typically I do the 3L Osprey Bladder 1L Vapur bottle, 2 x .5L Gatorade when it's a full days worth from before sunrise to after sunset. The empty Gatorade bottles can be handy to piss into when on your sit, to keep your scent out of there.
 
I've used the Platy bottles for years while backcountry skiing as my only water source. Never a single issue. I really like the ability to move the weight around the pack, as needed. I use them for storage while hunting and then transfer to, and drink from a hard bottle. When I am BC skiing I only drink while stopped, so the flexible nature doesn't concern me, when I'm hunting/hiking I generally drink while on the move, so prefer the hard bottle.
 
I’ve been using platypus bottles and bladders for nearly 15 years with zero issues.
 
Do any of you use them specifically in lieu of hard bottles in the backcountry? I carry a 48 oz nalgene and a 60oz ss hydro flask. I’d like to drop some weight and bulk if possible.


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Do any of you use them specifically in lieu of hard bottles in the backcountry? I carry a 48 oz nalgene and a 60oz ss hydro flask. I’d like to drop some weight and bulk if possible.


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90% of the time I don’t have a hard bottle. This is an easy way to cut some weight. There really aren’t any downsides to the soft water bottles. Maybe a tile more difficult to drink out of with one hand. But, even if you don’t want to switch all the way to collapsible, you can save some significant weight by ditching the Nalgene and Hydro Flask and getting Gatorade bottles or Smart Water bottles. Those are very durable and weigh almost nothing.
 
Last big hunt season I ditched the nalgene for a 1L platypus paired with my pack bladder system. No regrets


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I am carrying a vapur and platypus, used them all last year, weight wise its a wash. The two of them together weight about what my nalgene with human gear cap weights.
I get some redundancy and double the capacity of the Nalgene, so of one fails i have the other. That said , a case can be made for just bringing nalgene which for all intents and purposes really cant fail.
 
Anyone here use collapsible water bottles like the Platypus versions as their primary water containers on backcountry hunts? Anyone have critical failures with them?


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Assuming that you're talking about the Platypus bladders, that's all I use, and all I have used for years, for both water and the 1/5 of bourbon that I take on every hunt. I've never once had a single failure...hope I didn't just jinx myself.
 
I specifically talking about collapsible water bottles like the ones from platypus.


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I use 3 hydrapack stash collapsible water bottles they have a solid top and base with a collapsible middle. 3x of them take up less space than a single Nalgene bottle but they each are about 1 liter. They take any lid accessories for nalgene, stand on their own, are liteweight and collapse down nice for packing. I carry one standard nalgene and three of these I prefer it to one large bladder.
 
Best way to go.
No sloshing water in ur pack making noise
Can steripen the whole thing quick. Saves room.
No failures yet.
 
Have used the Platypus water bladder with no issues. I currently run a nalgene in my pack and have a 10L MSR bladder with a spout I added that can be hung from a tree at spike camp. This makes it easy to cut down on trips for water and just refil nalgene and jet boil as needed. I'm too paranoid to carry platypus or any water bladder system in pack all day in fear of bursting/leaking even though it's never leaked on me.
 
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