Hydaration packs.

[Pieter1]

Hi.

 

Have any of you used the hydration packs from Mr Price sport? Had a look at one today and they are MUCH cheaper than the rest of the stuff on the market.I'd like to know how the bladder holds up tho.

Edited August 8, 2011 by Pieter1

[W1Z@RD]

Things are cheap for a reason... buy right - buy once...

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Couldn't have said it better. Buy Camelbak, Dakine or Deuter. Can't go wrong with them.

 

Reason for premium in these brands?

 

Name (obviously) but over and above that, the materials they use are that much stronger (sourced from better manufacturers, and a higher grade) as well as made better, and are more user friendly...

 

Buy a proper one - you won't be sorry...

[MTBmofo]

One important factor that the other guys are missing - does the cheapie come with a bladder??? If not, this is an important factor. Another thing is the deuter bladder is identical to the one i bought at sportsmans wharehouse for about R100. Another very good 'cheaper' bag is the k-way bag for R250 - although this does not include the bladder. That said i have a camelback and i love it! The North Face is also a very good product.

[Pieter1]

I tend to agree with you guys, the Mr price one comes with a 1.5l bladder and goes for R135, much less than any of the others. Mabey buy it and get a better bladder?

[Christopher Brunsdon]

One important factor that the other guys are missing - does the cheapie come with a bladder??? If not, this is an important factor. Another thing is the deuter bladder is identical to the one i bought at sportsmans wharehouse for about R100. Another very good 'cheaper' bag is the k-way bag for R250 - although this does not include the bladder. That said i have a camelback and i love it! The North Face is also a very good product.

 

The Mr Price bags come with a bladder but have crap mouth pieces, their real weakness. I plan to get one to use as a spare for the kids or wife but will just fit a Camelback mouth piece to it (if I could).

 

Do how ever agree on looking at K-Way as I find their bags just as good as Camelback, no idea on their bladders though.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I tend to agree with you guys, the Mr price one comes with a 1.5l bladder and goes for R135, much less than any of the others. Mabey buy it and get a better bladder?

 

 

Forget about the new bladder, just get a new mouthpiece...

[Kwashi]

I've used both camelback, Deuter and Mr Price bladders, the camelback is good, but over all the Deuter is the best IMO it has the best mouth piece and fills easily and doesn't leak, my dog ripped it up while hanging on the line drying, so I bought the Mr Price and simply 'transplanted' the Deuter mouth piece and it all works perfectly, so I'd say go for Mr Price and get a better mouth piece....

[Pieter1]

Cool! Thanks guys! Can I get a new mouthpiece from an outdoors shop?

[Brian Fantana]

Make sure the bladder is BPA free! That is the reason why some hydration packs are expensive. The quality of the bladder plays an important role.

[Pieter1]

What is BPA?

[Brian Fantana]

What is BPA?

 

 

 

I am not going to go into the finer detail, but BPA (Bisphenol A) is used in the manufacturing of "cheaper" plastics. I do some work for pharmaceutical and food factories, and plastics containing BPA is not allowed to be in contact with the product anywhere on the production line.

 

According to research BPA can have negative effects on health.

 

Look at the number inside the little triangle on bottles ans some bladders, it indicates the following:

1 - PETE

2 - HDPE

3 - PVC

4 - LDPE

5 - PP

6 - PS

7 - Other

 

Usually number 1 to 3 materials are for single use only. Number 4 and higher can be used more than once.

 

Beware that even number 7 materials can contain BPA, so you need to see "BPA free" on the label.

 

There are many articles on this subject so google is your friend.

Edited August 8, 2011 by Stephan

[grb285]

What is BPA?

man boobs

[Pieter1]

Hahahaha! Thankfully not. Yet any way. Dude that stuff seems hectic. Thanks for the info!

Edited August 9, 2011 by Pieter1

[MoreTrails]

The cheaper bags don't breath (on your back) properly. Also the internal organising layout is poor. Spend the money on good bag once, you won't be sorry. It will also out live a couple bladders.

 

As for mouth pieces, camelbak mouth pieces and valves are available from sportsmans if you going to do transplant surgery. However if you buy a good bladder it should come with a decent mouth piece.

 

Happy buying

[Shebeen]

they invented the thing, gave it the generic name, and you still can't go wrong with camelbak...but you do have to *** and betaal.

 

However, most of the competition have caught up, there isn't that much dark science to this game.

For R135 i'd give it a try, you can always keep it as a spare.

 

I've tried a whole bunch, and there are three main criteria here.

 

pack - your usage varies greatly here, size, shape, pockets, fit etc. lots of options.

bladder - must have bog mouth for easy cleaning and ice cube entry

mouthpiece - leakproof yet easy to suck on

 

one of the star brands i've been happy with are nalgene. they make the bombproof bottles that the yanks love using. excellent bladders, brilliant mouthpiece with magnetic catches. you can find them in many packs, one of them being first Ascent who have started an excellent range