Sports Hydration Backpack Systems

Without question, a hydration backpack is the most effective way to maintain healthy hydration levels while hiking. And while hiking at elevations hovering around 8,000 feet, your body’s going to dehydrate quickly, regardless of whether your home is at sea level or the Rockies.

Even if your travel plans are only hiking Glacier National Park’s most mild trails, I behoove you: come prepared with an effective hydration system.

Yes, you can clip your Nalgene to your pack or belt, or even lug around your grandfather’s canteen, but hydration technologies have improved, enabling hikers to:

carry more water,
with the weight distributed intelligently,
and to drink it with greater ease.

At 8,000 feet, it’s foolish to risk dehydrating and ruining an afternoon in Glacier National Park.

What IS this "Hydration Backpack"?

Hydration Systems are basically a lightweight, abrasion-resistant sack that can hold anywhere from 1-3 liters (100-300 ounces of water). Technically, this ‘sack’ is called a hydration bladder.

So, you have a sturdy bladder you fill with water. Virtually impossible to puncture, this reservoir has a screw top approximately 4 inches by 4 inches, which you remove to fill with water. Additionally, the hydration bladder’s insulated, ensuring your water remains cold.

Attached to the hydration bladder’s a tube. Some, like Camelback brand hydration systems, come with insulated water tubes while others, like REI’s, are not. While an insulated water tube is convenient, I personally find it unnecessary (perhaps because I’ve never owned a hydration system with an insulated tube).

Attached to the end of the tube is a bite valve, which you bite, suck and wala! Water!! You stay hydrated!

The majority of daypacks and backpacks made within the last five years have sections of the bag designed to hold your hydration bladder. You put the reservoir in, pull the tube through a designated slit in the pack, and drink while you hike.

No more stopping to pull out the your unwieldy Nalgene, spilling half the water on your shirt. Just hike, drink, hike, drink. Your feet never need to stop moving.

You can easily purchase an individual reservoir to drop in a bookbag, cut a slit in the bag with a knife, and you have a homemade camelback hydration system (this is how I backpacked Europe and it worked wonderfully!