How do you carry your water on the river?
- This topic has 25 replies, 21 voices, and was last updated Apr 1, 2011 at 1:31 am by
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Do you
1) carry a bladder
2) a water bottle
3) a clip on water bottle
4)flaskAnd – are you able to put the water in your current vest and/or backpack or waist pack and is that enough water for a day trip, when away from the car hiking and fishing?
As with most of you here, I had tried many different setups from fly vests to chest packs to lanyards. Over the years it has become clear that no one setup is perfect and they all have strengths and limitations. For example, (as many of you know), I carry a lot of flies with me because of personal choice and also to demo for others or experiment with current designs. However, there are two types of fishing, 1)close to the car and within reach of water, and 2)day trips way in the trail and on the river all day without access to water.
I personally love my good old fashion large fly vest with multiple pockets. However, most do not have a back slot for a water bladder, and if they do (like my current Cloudeveil jacket) they are so heavy with the water that your back hurts after 2-3 hours. However, I really don’t need a mega backpack either since I prefer all my flies and gear in front and within reach (although the Fishpond Wasatch or Wild looks very very intriguing to me). Again, this issue really only applies to full day trips away from the car.
Simple trips to my regular spots are no problem because I usually have one fly box, a fiber bar, and little bottle of water.
How are you guys carrying your water/hydration for full day trips?
P.S. – notice that I stayed clear of the whole other issue of how to carry your DSLR for a full day trip plus-or-minus a landing net, hahahaha – gear is fun but a pain to carry.
Great question Neil! I leaned the hard way several years ago on Rock Creek in MT that one can develop hyperthermia while standing in 55 degree water! Especially if the air above it is 100!
Personally I have evolved to one of two systems, based on where I’m fishing and the conditions:
1. Normal conditions; not more than
Michael, you are not the first person to recommend carrying a water purifier on the river. I am intrigued by this idea (especially since the water is cold anyway LOL). Do they really work? Are they bulky? Do they make them small enough to put in a fly vest pocket?
Neal,
I use a camelbak. Here is a newer version of what I have:
http://www.camelbak.com/Military-Tactical/Packs/Stealth.aspxI originally purchased mine to bring with me during a tour in Iraq, and I have used if for fishing ever since. I do not wear a vest though, as I wear a Fishpond hip pack, so I do not have to worry about anything getting in the way. While the civilian version camelbaks are fine, I have found that paying a bit more for the military grade is worthwhile. Mine is now almost nine years old, has been through a combat tour in Iraq, and then countless days on the river, and is as good as it was the first day I bought it. The construction and insulation on the military grade packs seems to be a bit better, and on hot summer days, I fill it to the brim with ice before adding water. The water stays cold all day and provides me with over 2 liters, plenty for a long day away from the car.
Best,
Dave
Hey Neal, I like the Rapid River vest from Bean. It has a hydration pocket and is built on a backpack suspension system but it isn’t a backpack. For days on the river when I have several boxes and lot of extra gear it really fits the bill.
Great question. I am curious to see the responses. I am in the same predicament. I have recently switched to a waist pack . While going lighter and smaller is great. The issue of carrying enough water for all day outings is becoming a problem. I have a lever style backpacking water filter. However, it’s too bulky for the waist pack. I’m really thinking about this product:
http://aquamira.com/consumer/frontier-pro-filter-system/
The only issue I see is with virus treatment. I guess I will still have to carry tablets for them.
Similarly to Michael, I carry a nalgene bottle if I will be close to the car or it is a shorter trip, attached to my belt and often in the water if I am wading deep.
Dr. O, I personally would rather carry 8-11 ounces of water filter than extra water. Katadyn makes some really nice, small model (As do the other guys). Unfortunately, these are 2 micron filters designed for bacteria and protozoa…not a nasty virus. You could just go with purification tablets to cover the virus, but one of things I enjoy is the taste of un-halogenated water from a nice stream.
This all said, I would not pump water from a river near a populated area, e.g your beloved Chattachoohee, or my Delaware. I can remember climbing in the Tetons a few years ago and filing our water bottles straight out of the ground. But then again, we were at ten thousand feet…way out of range of beaver pee.
I guess I am going to be the cheap one here. I found a waist pack at wal-mart that holds two bugger barns and two 32 oz nalgeen bottles. Paid $15. I am satisfied. If I need more water water i clip additonal nalgeens to the old simms belt.
I normally don’t get interested in “geary” type questions but this one is compelling. I fish either 1) walking/hiking, or 2) kayak supported. Kayak supported I bring 2 or 3 32 Oz nalgenes. On hot days I usually remember to freeze one solid and stick it in my little hard cooler with 2 beers. For very hot, day-long carp outings I’ll add a big G.ade as well. For hiking trips I like the bladder-on-the-back. I have a loweprow bladder that fits into my fishpond backpack. I used to laugh at geary types and their pretentious vest packs, and silly, dangling bladder tubes, but now I’m a conplete convert. I can carry up to 2.5 liters, it is a cushion against my back, and I never have water bottles to fish out from under my lunch or whatever.
These are great responses guys. As expected, most of the responses come down to two camps, 1)fishing close to car in nice weather or 2)fishing full day trips or hot weather. It’s the later that most intrigues me. I think Gary summed it up best by the phrase “geary”. Honestly, most of the high end gear packs or vests are awesome and look great, but very few really hold the water needed on long hot days, especially here in Georgia or in the mountains. And I also hate the shape and sound of big water bottles jostling around on my body when hiking into mangroves or climbing rocks in remote pools. Furthermore, it often rains unexpectedly and you need to carry a rain jacket to allow you to keep on fishing.
David W (and others with Camelback systems) – I have been using my 6 year old Camelback bladder in the back of my vest and it works great. But wow, I didn’t realize how much the Camelback’s have advanced in the past few years. They are like full backpacks now, very good idea. I did some research and called my favorite mountain fly shop in NC and they recommended the Camelback Octane 18X http://www.camelbak.com/Sports-Recreation/Packs/2011-Octane-18x.aspx. This pack can be collapsed close to the body or expanded to hold the 70 oz bladder and a lightweight rain jacket and lunch and a few extra fly boxes. It is made for multi-sport but primarily mountain biking so it sits high on the back and allows for moderately deep wading without getting wet. Seems like an intriguing setup that could be used with a waist pack or lanyard in the front.
I’ve been using an Aquamira filter bottle for about 10 years and have never felt the wrath of Montezuma.
It goes in an old fanny pack that has 2 bottle holders (pepper spray, when needed goes in the other holder); doubles as a wader belt.Regards,
ScottI just use a half liter wide-mouth nalgene bottle clipped to my pack’s shoulder or waist strap, on the non line stripping side, plus a steripen adventurer (e.g. opti). Why carry extra water if you are standing in it? The steripen weighs less than 4 ounces (75% less than pump filters) and takes up very little space. I’ve used it a ton even in questionably safe water sources without acquiring any GI or other nasty pathogens.
Additionally, I took a group of 8 boy scouts and 2 other adults into a very remote area of SW Colorado and filtered ~40L of water per day for 5 days (had to use 4 or so pairs of batteries at that volume). No one got sick during or after the trip and we were in a basin which was heavily populated (30+) with mountain goats and marmots (often colonized with Giardia).
If its really silty or has a lot of debris I simply cover the nalgene bottle top with a cotton bandana and submerse the bottle allowing the bandana to filter any particulates. Then I zap the typically clear water. Lightweight, low fuss, and reliable.
For larger water needs I use the wide mouth collapsible nalgene canteen. These are nice in that you can roll them up and put them in a waist pack or backpack when not in use.
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