(continued from page 2)

HYDRATION BLADDERS / CAMELBACK PACKS

Hydration bladders are one of the newer tricks to come out in the hydration market. The bladders are designed to be worn comfortably on the back in a device that looks similar to, and adjusts nearly the same as a small, simple backpack or daypack. The bladders are extremely capable of carrying great volumes of water at one time with the possibility of not having to refill the entire day. Alot of daypacks, lumbar packs and backpacks are now being designed with hydration bladders built into them – or at least being designed to easily accommodate a separately sold bladder. These nifty little packs are super easy to find at outdoor gear stores like REI and A16. They are also available over the Internet from eBay and a host of outdoor product manufacturers. For the most part I feel that water bladders generally do the job they were intended to do (deliver water immediately to the consumer), but to help matters I think it’s important to find one that has an in-line water filter built into it as well. With an in-line filter built into the system, you can run out of water and easily refill from any water source and be guaranteed clean, safely filtered, great tasting water. As a side note, there are a few in-line filter manufacturers out there that sell the filtering device alone. Each separately sold in-line filter includes simple instructions on how to install the filter on your hydration bladder. If I was going out for the entire day and was unsure of the possibility of any water sources along the way, I’d carry as much water as I could in a hydration bladder that had an in-line filter installed in it.

There are two important drawbacks to consider when using the hydration bladders. The first is lack of controlled water temperature. Resting on your back or your lower lumbar region, the bladder itself is constantly exposed to both your direct body temperature and heat obtained through direct sunlight, which means the water stored in the bladder will be heating up as the day moves forward and as the volume of water in the bladder decreases, making each drink of water warmer than the last one. I don’t know about you, but if given the choice I’d prefer to go with cold water all of the time – the colder the better. On the other hand, water temperature might not matter to you so much as long as you know the water you’re drinking has been safely filtered. Cold or warm, at least you know it’s safe to drink.

The other issue with hydration bladders is filtration (as we briefly touched on above). Let’s say you’re out deep on a trail and your hydration bladder has run dry. You have a few choices here; you can continue on your trek and bum water from someone else in your group, or you can continue your trek without water, or you can risk it and drink water from whatever water source you can find. Your hydration bladder can be easily refilled by simply dunking it in a lake or stream and allowing it a few moments to refill, but that presents the issue in question. If your hydration bladder does not have an in-line filter installed somewhere in the length of rubber tubing or within the bladder itself, you’ll be drinking unfiltered, unsafe water that has no guarantee of cleanliness. The call is yours to make.

As a note of mention; If it were me and I had no other options available at that moment, I’d be filling my hydration bladder from the cleanest-looking water source available regardless of where it was located, and I’d accept assuming the risk of picking up a bug or virus from potentially infected water. But having an in-line water filter installed in a hydration bladder would eliminate the questionable water worry regardless of how clean or dirty the water was.

The logic behind my feelings on the matter is this; without water you’re most certainly going to dehydrate, so why not hydrate immediately then continue to stay hydrated on your return trip and worry about the possible gastrointestinal problems later? Even though I’m totally against drinking unfiltered water, I’d undoubtedly be the first one to do it if the alternative was dehydration. I’d rather have a strong case of the cramps and the trots for a few days than to not drink at all and risk death in the backcountry while disoriented from dehydration.

PUMP FILTERS

When pump filters were first introduced, their effectiveness was completely questionable; by that I mean the technology really wasn’t there quite yet. Sure, they’d do an efficient job at pumping water – as long as it was fairly clean water, but the filters didn’t really capture all of the bad things that we would have liked them to. Times have changed for the better and so have the capabilities of pump water filters. Pump filters can now filter out the most microscopic of bacteria at 0.2 microns. And they’ve made the filters in such a way so that can easily be cleaned or replaced after a couple of hundred gallons have been run through them. Most filters are fully capable of removing up to 99.99% of contaminants and pollutants found in fresh water supplies including Giardia, Cryptrosporidum, E-Coli Bacteria; Organics such as DDT, MTBE, Benzene, Chloroforms (THM'S); and In-Organics (Heavy metals) such as Arsenic, Lead, Mercury, Copper, and Chromium 6.

There are so many makes and models of pump filters out there it will make you dizzy just researching them. Currently, there are two pump filters on the retail market that I’m particularly fond of. I have one of each, and they have both been totally worth the money that I invested in them. They are both made by Katadyn. The first is the Pocket Ceramic. The other is the Hiker Pro. Both of these filters received high praises from Backpacker Magazine and a host of qualified, scientific independent study groups when they first hit the open market. The manufacturer and model best suited for you is out there. Take your time and do a little personal research on the matter. Ask around. Talk to the kids that work at both REI and A16. Both of those retailers purposely hire outdoor enthusiasts that know alot about the products they are selling. I love going into our local REI and pumping the sales associates kids for information. They’ll always tell you the honest poop about any product you want to know about.

WHEN OUT OF OPTIONS, DRINK WHATEVER WATER YOU CAN FROM WHEREVER YOU CAN

When it comes right down to it and you’re on your last leg, your alternatives are drinking questionable water, or not drinking any water at all. Whether you’re getting sick from the altitude or from dehydration, there’s no question that you should drink water in order to help remedy the effects. But you have no portable water filter, you have no pump filter and you’re plum out of whatever little amount of water you might have brought with you. Okay. Relax and try to locate the nearest source of water. Get to it and drink. Now is the one time that it’s okay to drink whatever water you can find because questionable water is better than no water at all. Fill up whatever container you may have brought along. Let some of the water run over your head, down your neck, onto your face and wherever else on your body that it feels good. Relax for a few moments after drinking your fill, then immediately head back to wherever you parked your ride and get back to town, your hotel room, your home or wherever you happen to be staying. Now is the time to rest and be near medical attention – just in case you need it. Rest and rehydrating are key to physical repair.

Hopefully, this little piece has helped you uncover some of the answers to questions you may have had concerning dehydration and pump or portable water filters. In my own opinion, one of the best things you can do for yourself is spend the money on a pump filter or portable filter bottle – or both. Having one or both with you at all times is great insurance – and it’s one of the smartest things you can do for yourself. It really doesn’t matter what brand you choose or what model you like best. What matters is that your purchase does the job it claims to do, because your continued health and peace of mind is at stake.

See you all out on the trails.

Many thanks to my good friend and fellow flyfisherman Ray Found for allowing his image to be used in the completion of this article.

< back to page 2             PAGE 3