The Ultimate Guide to Water Storage Devices

General Notes

• We choose what we carry based on extensive research on what's the best value to our customers (e.g., price given performance & durability features) across all the top brands. We specifically do not carry every brand & model; for details on why we do/don't carry certain items in the following What To Use & How To Choose section
• Buy prices are MSRP with tax, i.e., what you see is what you pay. Prices may differ in-store due to change in models or discounts, but this is rare. If we don't sell what we rent, we list MSRP value with tax
• Rent prices are the starting prices; enter trip dates on our Catalog to get exact prices (based on total trip length, not per day!). We also don't charge sales tax, an automatic savings of almost 10%!

Type or style	Water bag
	Actual bag	Accessory drinking tube
Model
	MSR Dromedary	MSR Dromedary Hydration Kit
Buy MSRP with tax	4L capacity $45 6L capacity $50 10L capacity $55	$22
Rent	$6+
Weight	4L capacity 7oz 200g 6L capacity 9oz 250g 10L capacity 10oz 280g	2oz 60g

When you rent online, we will pick a model for you. You can change the model if you pick-up in-store, subject to availability. On the Options page of our online order process, you can also select options or write-in any preferences. This section describes the majority of our models & options, but sometimes we carry others. We will only pick something else if it doesn't conflict with your choices indicated on the Options page; moreover, if there's a major functional difference (e.g., capacity), we will attempt to contact you first

Key factors

Cool zippers, new waterproofing, etc... sometimes it's easy to get lost in all the hype (over-spending happens on features). Our guide focuses on the fundamental factors you should always keep in mind (thus, this short list is similar across all items). Then only at the end do we have some questions to get you thinking about other minor features.

• Type or Style
• Price
• Capacity (size)
• Weight & size (for backpacking)

We highly recommend reviewing Type or Style first, where we review what you can use to address the Core function--a regular item you have at home may work! The other factors are secondary & depend strongly on the Type or Style you've picked.

While we encourage you to use regular items wherever possible, as an outdoor gear shop, we only carry outdoor-specific products

Type or Style

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?			Generally yes, check specific model
	Can it 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 secondary 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!)

Capacity (size)

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.

Weight & Size (Compactness) for Backpacking

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.

Minor features that may be important

Here, we give you a list of questions to start thinking about minor 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.

• 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?

Be especially considerate when you're taking a water storage device in cold weather, as the water can freeze. This can damage many types of containers (also, if it's really cold, a metal water bottle can hurt you)! There are some water bags designed for cold temperatures, these are insulated to prevent damage & allow the water to still be drinkable.

Remember the biggest advantage of water bags is that you can connect them to a drinking tube, and then pair them with most hiking backpacks, that have specific pouches for water bags and an exit for the tube, allowing you to drink hands-free, like this:

Repairing

Often lids that crack or break can be replaced by themselves. Rips, tears, or holes can't really be repaired (even for water bags) because while Tenacious Tape with liquid seam sealant may objectively repair small issues, we wouldn't recommend using those chemicals in something designed to store drinking water.

Cleaning

Especially if a storage device has been used to carry dirty water (e.g., from a river or stream) or has been used with drink mixes, you'll want to clean it out after use. For water bags, follow manufacturer guidelines, often this will involve rinsing lightly with soap or baking soda and water.

Storing

Don't put it away or close any lid(s) until it's fully dry

Water bags: are difficult to dry. We recommend:

• Pinching the bag open, then vigorously shaking all water out
• Using a clean towel to mop up excess water that pools at the bottom
• Using a blow dryer to further ensure it is totally dry

We have a general protip on how to store & maintain gear that we highly recommend reviewing as well. If you send us video or a good photo series, we may be able to help you evaluate your repair needs.

Since reusable water bottles are trendy & used by everyone, not just outdoorspeople, there are lots of interesting bottles you might find. Just make sure that the usage meets your actual needs & don't get caught up in the hype. For example:

• Bottles with integrated filters (both more of the Brita-type for urban use & actual water treatment filters compatible for outdoor use)
• Hybrid bag-bottles, water bags that can stand up & are sized like a regular water bottle. The benefit of course is compressibility