When you’re out on an adventure, it’s important to stay hydrated. At Paddy Pallin, we stock plenty of options for carrying your water and making sure it is safe to drink. Whether you want to carry your water in a bottle or a bladder, we’ve got you covered. Our hydration backpack, water bottle and water treatment options are sourced from leading brands including Osprey, CamelBak, HydraPak, Nalgene, MSR, Katadyn, Steripen, Platypus and Sea To Summit.

FAQs

Does Paddy Pallin sell hydration bags?

Yes, we do! At Paddy Pallin we stock hydration backpacks from Osprey, Salomon, HydraPak and CamelBak. They come with water bladders from 1.5/2/2.5 to 3 litres. The backpacks themselves range in storage capacity from 1.5 to 34 litres, depending on the activity you need them for.

Do I need a hydration backpack?

You don’t need a specific backpack for your hydration bladder. These days, most hiking backpacks have a section that you can put a bladder into. If you’re buying a new backpack, look for one that has a hydration sleeve or a hanging hook or clip to support a water bladder. You can also choose to carry water bottles instead of a water reservoir. However, using a water bladder keeps the weight of the water against your back, making the weight distribution more comfortable for you. It’s also easier to reach a drinking tube than a water bottle. So long as you make sure you drink, not sip your water, it can be easier to stay hydrated if you use a water reservoir.

How do I choose the right hydration backpack?

Picking a hydration bag depends on what activities you’ll be doing. If you are going for short walks or runs up to half a day, you may want something that has minimal storage for anything other than the water bladder, a first aid kit and some food. Head out for longer walks, ultra runs or multi-day treks, and you’ll need a bag that has more storage space. Some styles have different back lengths or specific female shaping that are tailored to fit your body shape and size. Visit one of our Paddy Pallin stores to see the range available and talk with our experienced staff to help you choose the right hydration pack for your outdoor activities.

How many litres should my hydration bladder carry?

How much water you should carry in your hydration pack will depend on several things – what activity you’re doing, how long you’re out and weather conditions. Health guidelines recommend you drink at least 2.5 litres for men and 2 litres for women per day. But if you’re working hard or it’s hot outside, you’ll need to drink more to stay hydrated. It’s always better to take more water than you think you need. You can always partially fill a larger water bladder if you’re heading out for a shorter walk.

Do I need a method for water filtration or treatment?

If you’re out for multiple days, you will need to find a water source to stay hydrated and cook food. Germs can be present even if you take water from a fast-flowing stream or a water tank at a hut, so it’s best to use a water treatment system to make your water safe. Viruses are particularly a concern when travelling overseas, but Giardia and bacteria are common back home. We recommend taking a water treatment method whenever you go travelling or hiking.

How do I treat my water on the trail?

There are many ways to get clean drinking water when you’re away from the city, including water filters, UV sterilisation devices, and water purification tablets and liquids. Brands such as Katadyn and Steripen produce some of the leading products in this area. Water filters come in many shapes and sizes, including drip-filter bags, screw-in filters and hand-operated pumps. What style you choose will depend on how much water you want to filter at a time, weight and size. Popular hollow fibre options filter down to 0.1 or 0.2 microns, removing most spores, cysts and bacteria, but not viruses. Drip filters are good for cleaning large quantities of water for groups or remote areas, but usually work slowly. Hand-operated pumps have a fast output but can be bulky and heavy. Screw-in filters are usually light, pack small and are easy to drink from.

UV treatment is another option. Steripen produces several lightweight and compact units for travel or hiking use. UV treatment deactivates bacteria, protozoa and viruses, stopping them from reproducing and causing infections. However, it will not remove particles or eggs (e.g. for parasitic worms such as tapeworm). UV treatment devices are effective under specific conditions, including using inside straight-sided bottles and agitating during use. They also use batteries, so you need to carry spares or recharge the unit frequently.

You can chemically purify your water using tablets or liquids that contain silver, chlorine, iodine or other chemicals. Read the instructions carefully to check how long the treatment needs to stay in contact with your water before drinking – it can be up to 2 hours depending on conditions and what germs you want to remove. You can also use chemical treatment as a back-up to other water treatment methods. An electrolyte drink or powdered cordial will help take away any chemical taste left by these treatments.

Use chemical treatments and UV sterilisation devices in perfectly clear water only. Germs can hide in dirty water, making these treatment methods less effective. If your water source is dirty, use a filtration system instead and clean the filter regularly. Some soft water bladders are made from materials that can’t tolerate iodine or chlorine solutions. Check the manufacturer for advice or use another method for treating your water.

You can also boil your water for at least 1 minute, or for 3 minutes at altitudes above 2000 metres. You need to keep a rolling boil for this method to be effective. The water will need to cool before it can be used. This method also uses a lot of cooking fuel.

No water treatment system is perfect, so make sure you choose your treatment carefully for the conditions you expect to travel or hike in. This will depend on how quickly you need to treat and drink the water, where you are getting the water from and what germs you want to protect yourself from. You may find a combination of treatments, such as filtration to remove particles and larger germs plus chemical or UV treatment, will provide the best outcome for safe drinking water. Note that only a few portable water treatment methods can remove pesticides, heavy metals and other chemicals. Always collect water from the cleanest source possible, preferably a running stream.

Find out more about treating your water in our guide to water purification.