Hydration Reservoirs

Recent Hydration Reservoir Reviews

Gregory 3D Hydro 3L Reservoir

Comparing it to a Outback 2l Hydration bag at 1/3 of the cost this thing is amazing! Compared to other similarly priced products I don't know... This is my first good one. I bought this a year ago for about 59.99 CAD at Sportscheck and you can get the newer design, I'm guessing it is a newer dersign, for about 54.99 CAD. Overall it has been my companion for hikes and mountain biking with my North Face Hydra 26. Small enough where it doesn't get in the way but just big enough for this bladder. I… Full review

Cnoc Outdoors Vecto

A great, durable and practical water bladder for outdoor activities. It’s available in various capacities and has clever features: dual opening with large collecting easy, and the ubiquitous 28mm thread and optional 42mm beefed-up version.   The 2L CNOC Vecto: compact and lightweight but robust and practical Outdoorspeople takes hydration seriously. Every part of the water system—collecting, treating, purifying, storing, drinking—must be easy, reliable and durable to withstand some level… Full review

Osprey Hydraulics 3L Reservoir

A decent reservoir, with a couple glaring flaws. I picked this up two years ago as a replacement for another reservoir that had, through my own poor habits, gone moldy. This bag has anti-microbial materials in its construction, so I have nothing to worry about there. In fact, after the first couple uses there hasn't even been any plastic taste to speak of, even if I occasionally forget to empty the bladder for a week or so. It's a decent bit of kit, and the 3L size is excellent for longer dayhikes… Full review

MSR Dromedary Bags

A tough bombproof water storage bladder.  This is a well designed, well built water bladder that reminds me of the old canvas ones. The nylon skin that surrounds the bladder is built for endurance and long life. The bladder is offered in 4L, 6L, and 10L capacities. I purchased the 6L bladder. You do not have to fill it up when hiking. I put about two to three litres in it and fold it up when hiking and fill it to capacity in camp. Where I live, hunt, and hike water is not difficult to find so filling… Full review

Sea to Summit Pack Tap

Superb and long lasting water storage with big capacity and without bad taste. My first water bladder/storage was made by Ortlieb and a terrible disappointment as it brought an intense plastic taste to every water you put in and it was leaking constantly when lying on its side—which was told to me NOWHERE before except in a small note on the manufacturer's homepage. But enough of this, as a replacement I got the Sea to Summit waterbag, Pack Tap as it is now called, in 10l size. That was in 2009… Full review

Sea to Summit Pack Tap

A mixed bag: really good for some use cases, but irritating for others. The concept has a thin waterproof (mylar?) bladder in a sturdy (cordura) outer shell that protects the inner shell, has convenient soft handles and lash points. This works, have not had any leaks yet (and the inner would be replaceable). The silicon valve pours well and is self-closing (needs continuous pressure to stay open). In practice this needs two hands and a surface to pour (pot on ground, bladder in two hands; or bladder… Full review

Cnoc Outdoors Vecto

A tough little reservoir that should last me for years to come. Just got back from eight days backpacking the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area. Used the Cnoc water bladder (2 liter) as my dirty bag with a gravity filter. Unlike my garbage Platypus system, the Cnoc is constructed light, was easy to fill, and the fold and slider system was easy to open and close. It matched up perfectly to my full size Sawyer filter. Even when filled to full capacity, the bladder never leaked top or bottom. When filling… Full review

MSR Dromedary Bags

Water from 6-liter bags, brand new, completely undrinkable due to extreme chemical taste. Tried rinsing but still terrible. Very disappointed as needed for upcoming trip. Purchased two six-litre dromedaries for kayak tours. New product which I filled and took a sip from. Spit the foul tasting water back out. Thinking OK, stupid not to have rinsed first. So rinsed multiple times. Still terrible, undrinkable chemical water. It was filled from tap, city water. Knowing MSR usually makes a good product… Full review

Platypus Big Zip EVO

The Platypus Big Zip EVO is a nicely designed bladder that has some unique features, including a quick disconnect on the drinking tube so the bladder can be removed from your hydration sleeve without the hassle of removing your drinking tube. The Platypus Big Zip EVO also features a large diameter drinking tube and HyFLO self-sealing bite valve that together provide a high flow leak free experience. When paired with an MSR Thru-Link filter the Platypus Big Zip EVO allows for a fast scoop-and-go… Full review