Our Guide to Water Storage Devices

We've organized the most commonly used items people use to address the Core function below, with example images, characteristics, features, etc.

Our category name		Single-use plastic water bottle	Plastic water carrier (soft)*	Reusable water bottle	Water bag (aka water bladder)
Example qualities & features	Example images
	Material	Soft plastic		Hard plastic, metal, or glass	Plastic or technical fabric
	How durable is it?	Somewhat Body may puncture or lid may crack, but not super likely		Extremely Hard plastic or metal likely to last forever. Even if lid cracks, usually you can buy a replacement	Very Body may puncture, but quality models are far more durable than a single-use plastic water bottle
	Can it handle boiling water?			Check specific model Even if it can handle boiling water, it may be hard to handle; for example, single-wall stainless steel bottles would burn to the touch	Check specific model The model that we rent can handle boiling water
	Can it handle freezing conditions?			Check specific model Even if it can handle freezing conditions, it may be hard to handle; for example, single-wall stainless steel bottles could cause frostbite	Check specific model The model that we rent can handle freezing conditions
	Compatible with a drinking tube & hiking backpacks for hands-free drinking? See Usage section for image example
	Other considerations	N/A	N/A	If fully stainless steel, in a pinch may be used as a pot on a stove Check manufacturer instructions to verify. The bottle must be wide enough to balance on the stove, you will need a way to hold it (the metal will get hot & there's no handle!)	N/A
Effect on other factors	Price	$1-2	$5-30		$10-50
	Capacity	<2 liters	5-20 liters	<2 liters	1-10 liters
	Weight	A few ounces/ grams	Up to 1lb (0.5kg)	Up to a few pounds (~1kg) Varies widely based on material (e.g., plastic, metal, etc.)	Up to 1lb (0.5kg)
	Size	Does NOT compress down when empty	May collapse down when empty (depending on model), but won't compress as much as a bag will	Does NOT compress down when empty	DOES compress down when empty
	Rationale	Less technical		More technical
Why we do/don't carry it = we rent = we sell		Not specific enough for outdoor use			Standard for most outdoor uses in backpacking

*There are also plastic water carriers that are hard, but those are are less often used outdoors, unless it's also a cooler designed to hold liquids directly (usually with a dispensing valve), and since that primary use is as a cooler, we do not discuss it here (think of those large cooler drinking stations at sports camps). As you can imagine those containers are more expensive, can have larger capacities, and are heavier & larger. They're used for groups, and only for car camping (it won't fit into any hiking backpack!)

If you don't go very often, of course you're going to want to spend less money, but this often means real trade-offs in terms of the experience that you will have with the gear. Even if you do go often & are ready to invest in quality gear, having the upfront funds can be hard!

Now, it may seem like this price & quality trade-off is disappearing, because you can find a cheap version of almost anything for tens of dollars that still has good reviews (assuming the reviews are real). So you might be thinking: I'll just buy something cheap, and because the price is so low it doesn't matter if it's less featured or heavier or whatever compared to something higher end. When that breaks, I'll buy something cheap again, and so on. Just remember:

• Many reviews are written after only a trial use or first use: We've seen entire review videos of gear done at home, which is very different than actually being outdoors! And reviews after the first use don't tell you about durability at all
• You're headed outdoors to relax and enjoy life! Saving money only to have a trip ruined due to quality issues will feel terrible. Our program to rent water bags is designed to help you avoid this trade-off: you get to rent high end, quality water bags for around the same price as buying cheap ones (sometimes even for less!)

For this item specifically, the price vs. quality trade-off issues center around performance & durability.

For water bags, performance & durability are linked (ripped fabric leaks water!). Therefore with lower end products, be especially concerned (e.g., take care to cushion it & store it away from sharper objects).

Water is life! Rule-of-thumb: drink 1 liter for every 1 to 2 hours of hiking. Don't forget, you may also need water for cooking, cleaning, etc. With any trip, you can either bring the water that you'll need, or treat natural water sources. Here's the trade-off:

• The benefit of bringing water: you're not reliant on nature (a stream may have run dry) & don't have to wait to treat the water
• The benefit of treating water: you don't have to carry water, which is heavy: 1 liter of water weighs 2.2lbs (1kg)

You'll need to decide based on research for your trip conditions (e.g., where is there potable, filtered water or natural water you can treat relative to your campsite or trail). Often, the decision isn't one or the other, but a combination of both.

While we don't carry every size, if we have something different than what you've used, you can rent the water bag to experiment with what capacity is best for you.

If you're thru-hiking 20+ miles (32+km) per day, every advantage counts! In this case, size refers to compactness. You can carry more gear in the same size backpack if all of it is very compact, or for more weight savings, you can get a smaller size pack.

There isn't a separate comparison table, because weight & size are functions of form factor (see Type or Style). Within each form factor, the industry doesn't then offer 'Superlight' or 'Ultralight' models (especially because if a water container is too thin it could puncture more easily!). That said, weight & size will of course vary based on brand & model.

Here, we give you a list of questions to start thinking about other features. We hope our approach of savings these features for last gets you to more critically think about what you need & not get caught up in the hype of what's cool and over-spend your budget. Remember, we allow you to hire a water bag so feel free to try out various models with different features.

• Does it require a drinking tube, and is this sold together or separately?
• Are there multiple mouthpieces/ or ways to drink (for easier sharing)?
• Can it be easily carried outside of a backpack?
• Does it impart a "plastic" taste?