For Ultralight Hikers, Water Bladders Are Better Than Bottles. Here’s Why.

The Smartwater bottle and Sawyer Squeeze filter combo is a mainstay of the ultralight hiking kit. The bottles are cheap, replaceable, and lightweight. The screw-on filter means you can collect water and filter on the move. In comparison, my preferred water-carrying system, the once-ubiquitous water bladder and hose, is now considered tedious, fragile, and—worst of all—heavy. Let’s bust some myths to explain why I still carry it.

Myth #1: Bladders Are Heavy

First, the weight. I often hear ultralight hikers explain that water bladders are simply too heavy to consider as an option. And if you’re looking at something like a 1.5-liter Camelbak that weighs 7 ounces, that’s fair. But today’s lightweight bladder systems are nearly as weight-efficient as using disposable bottles. A one-liter Smartwater bottle weighs 1.2 ounces, while a three-liter Platypus bladder and hose hits the scale at 3.8 ounces.

Then there’s the issue of space saving. To me, once your baseweight gets down to a certain point, the amount of space your gear takes up is just as important as shaving off a few ounces. One of the main perks of a water bladder is that I can have 3-5 extra liters of water-carrying capacity that rolls down into almost nothing if I don’t need it. If I want similar carrying capacity using only bottles, I have to devote both side pockets to the cause, whether the bottles are full or not.

Myth #2: Bladders Are Flimsy and Prone to Leaks

While I’m not here to discount anyone else’s experience, this just isn’t something I’ve had to deal with often. I have a Platypus bladder that survived the AT and an MSR Dromedary reservoir that’s still in use after three wildland fire seasons. I’ve never had a bladder spring a leak, though I have had the valves break in rare cases—bringing an extra or at least a standard cap as a replacement is a good idea.

In contrast, Smartwater bottles and others of the same ilk are disposable. They’re about as durable as any other single-use plastic bottle, but I certainly don’t have a Smartwater bottle that’s still in service after 15 years. Even if you don’t like the bladder and hose system, I think a durable, lightweight bottle from a brand like CNOC Outdoors bests a disposable bottle any day.

Myth #3: Bladders Are Hard to Clean and Get Moldy

Okay, this one really isn’t a myth—water bladders are hard to clean. It’s a pretty tedious process, and it’s also the main reason that I don’t always take a bladder on a quick dayhike or overnight trip. But on longer trips, the fear of a moldy hose or funny-tasting water is overblown. As long as you’re using it regularly and cleaning it when you get the chance, I’ve never had an issue with mold, even during thru-hikes or 14-day trail work trips.

There are also a few easy ways to keep a bladder clean. One of my strategies, when I was a wildland firefighter contending with soot, ash, and sawdust on a daily basis, was to use a hose with a shut-off valve like the MSR Dromedary kit and simply remove the silicone valve cover. That changes how you use the shut-off valve (you have to keep the valve shut at all times when you’re not drinking), but it also takes the main culprit for collecting dirt and grime, the valve cover, out of the equation. For storage at home, the freezer is your friend. The dark, cold, and dry climate of a freezer will keep bacteria at bay, and I don’t have to worry if the bladder is completely dry after every trip.

Myth #4: Bladders Slow You Down

Perhaps the biggest complaint about a bladder system is that you need to remove it from your pack in order to refill it. While it’s true that refilling a bladder will always take more time than simply dunking a water bottle in a stream, I’m not convinced the debate ends there.

Water bottles slow you down once you’re back on the trail. Many filters—including the ever-popular Sawyer Squeeze—don’t have a very satisfying flow rate, which makes drinking itself a slower process. Then there’s the access: In a side pocket, a water bottle isn’t exactly easy to get to. Many hikers now keep a bottle in their shoulder strap pocket, but I personally find this absurd. A small soft-sided flask is one thing, but a one-liter bottle with a Sawyer sticking out of the top just takes up too much real estate near my face.

With a water bladder, this process is flipped upside down. You have to stop to filter, but once you’re on the move, the drinking experience is top-tier. There’s no more reaching for a bottle. The flow rate is great. You can even go hands-free. This is an easy trade-off for me, especially now that I’ve figured out my filtering methods. One option is to bring two bladders and use an in-line gravity filter. Do this, and you can use your filtering time any way you please: snack, stretch, or take a nap. If you don’t want to carry an extra reservoir, grab a Sawyer Fast Fill Adapter to refill your bladder through the hose without needing to remove it from your pack.

All of this ties into the biggest perk of a water bladder: I actually remember to drink water regularly when I use one. The hose dangling off my shoulder strap is a constant reminder to take a sip every few minutes. A bottle in the side pocket of my pack is out of sight and out of mind, and I’ll simply forget to drink until I feel thirsty. This isn’t such a big deal on an easy stroll,  but when I’m covering 20 or more miles a day, I’m convinced that a steady drip of water every few minutes is the right way to hydrate.