Hydration bladders - less water in a larger bladder?

[Optimist]

I haven't used a hydration bladder since I was a teenager.

I was thinking about getting one or two and I was wondering if there was any problem with just filling them up less than the advertised capacity? For my needs 1-2 liters would be what I want most of the time, but if a 3L (or even larger) doesn't weigh much more then it seems like maybe that would be the way to go?

Maybe it gets harder to suck the water out when it's mostly empty?

[eugenenine]

Most people say they don't like them when they are less than full because of water sloshing around. But a decent bladder should have some dividers inside and should collapse ad your drinking. My guess is the ones with the issue probably used a walmart quality one as opposed to a decent one.
I like to put 1L of water in my 3L bladder then lay it flat in the freezer. You'll want to blow it up with air to keep the hose and lid out of the water as it freezes. Then when I'm ready to go on a ride or hike I'll pull it out and fill the other 2L with water. The frozen 1L ice cube then keeps it nice and cold.
Other thing to do is when after you fill it, turn it upside down and squeeze the air out of it, then connect the hose and put it in your bag.

[Moab]

I haven't used a hydration bladder since I was a teenager.

I was thinking about getting one or two and I was wondering if there was any problem with just filling them up less than the advertised capacity? For my needs 1-2 liters would be what I want most of the time, but if a 3L (or even larger) doesn't weigh much more then it seems like maybe that would be the way to go?

Maybe it gets harder to suck the water out when it's mostly empty?

It's a flexible bag. Any water that pours out the bottom. Just sucks in the bag. But there is also a large fill hole on top. So opening that would give you maximum flow rate. But just the soft bag sucking in is plenty fast.

The two I posted in the deal section. One was very flexible rubberized canvas. Like a rubber skin reinforced with canvas in the middle of the skin. The other was thick but flexible rubber. The black one. Both have large fill holes. And both have heavy duty metal pour spots in the bottom. They are meant to hang. So gravity pushes the water out the bottom at a pretty fast rate.

I wouldn't trust the green one to do this. But the black rubber one could be filled with any amount of water. And laid on its side under your seat or wherever. And there is no way it's gonna leak. It's really heavy duty rubber. And both spouts are metal. With metal caps and gaskets. No way that one is gonna leak. The green one has a different top spout. It seems more to me like it's meant more for the transfer of water. Than the storage of water. I would definitely trust it to fill with water and hang for as long as you want. But the upper spout seems more like a plug than a screw in cap. It is lighter and larger tho. The thing is huge. The black one is good size too though.

[Moab]

I was wrong about the black one. I think it just has the spout on top. But won't affect flow rate. No matter the amount of water in it. I own two of each of these. The black one is the best way to carry water in your car imho. It takes up so little room. I have not been able to test the green one. The top spout may be totally water tight. It's just a strange design. Like heavy plastic but lined with leather or something. May be used as gasket material I am not sure. But it's a great deal  folds fairly small. Is very tough. And holds a ton of water.

https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1645.0#msg33251

https://majorsurplus.com/heavy-duty-swiss-water-bag.html

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[Optimist]

I hadn't thought of using a bladder to carry water in a car. I could see how that could be convenient. Since I park my car outside and live in a cold place I don't store water in my car most of the year. I just try to keep my lunch box water bottle topped up and then if that doesn't work I'm stuck melting snow. In the summer I buy a few disposable water bottles and throw them in.

I was looking at those insulated camel backs with the insulated hose for snowshoeing as keeping water from freezing is more of a concern for me than keeping it from getting warm. The bladder I had when I was a teenager I used for mountain biking and the few times I used it while biking in the winter with studded tires it froze up.

I got a pair of tool belt supers to use when snowshoeing and the have a heavy duty loop on the back for hanging the tool belt up. I was thinking about maybe trying to hang a bladder from that, and also tie off my coat to it so that when I get hot I can pull it off and just have it hang like a cape but hopefully keep providing a little insulation to the bladder.

On the short trips I usually take when snowshoeing I think it might work. I'm pretty dubious about bladders and being out in the cold for very long though. My emergency bag has thermoses, which aren't as convenient but I trust much more.

[eugenenine]

Carrying in the car? Get and re-use some of these https://www.kfc.com/menu/drinks/beverage-bucket

[Moab]

Carrying in the car? Get and re-use some of these https://www.kfc.com/menu/drinks/beverage-bucket

I have one of those. AliExpress has way nicer ones for probably way less than the KFC soda. Like $2-$3. And larger capacity. Very well built for what they are.

I don't know about keeping a bladder from freezing. Whether it be a large or personal issue military type one. For survival I would default to a stainless Nalgene. Just so you could hear it by a fire and melt your water.

[Optimist]

I don't know about keeping a bladder from freezing. Whether it be a large or personal issue military type one. For survival I would default to a stainless Nalgene. Just so you could hear it by a fire and melt your water.

Yep, I've got a trusty old stainless nalgene that's still going after many years of abuse. I try to keep a container I can boil water/melt snow in with me.


I need to find where I put my billy pot to keep in my car kit. It used to be in my BOB, but it was just too heavy for regular scenarios. Once I settle on how I want to setup some stuff I'm probably going to invest in some of the nesting titanium pots that I couldn't afford back when I was a kid.

I don't really trust water bladders, but they sure are convenient for not having to stop and fiddle with stuff.

[Moab]

I don't know about keeping a bladder from freezing. Whether it be a large or personal issue military type one. For survival I would default to a stainless Nalgene. Just so you could hear it by a fire and melt your water.

Yep, I've got a trusty old stainless nalgene that's still going after many years of abuse. I try to keep a container I can boil water/melt snow in with me.


I need to find where I put my billy pot to keep in my car kit. It used to be in my BOB, but it was just too heavy for regular scenarios. Once I settle on how I want to setup some stuff I'm probably going to invest in some of the nesting titanium pots that I couldn't afford back when I was a kid.

I don't really trust water bladders, but they sure are convenient for not having to stop and fiddle with stuff.

The black water bladder is fine for long term drinking water storage in a confined place. But it's as much about your actual vehicle. As it is about drinking water. 

Having a radiators worth of water is valuable. Or even a bag large enough to go get some. That's where that green bladder comes in. I'd have to check measurements. But it's far bigger. And could easily get your radiator full enough. And it's super small folded up. Both are as they fold flat. 

Both - especially the black one - could be left out in the sun for a shower too. Not hot. But better than bathing in a stream. Gotta wife? Try talking her into bathing in a glacier fed stream? Lol. 

I never invested in titanium. Cooking is harder in them. I think they might be a bit more fragile if you stepped on one. Like how yours is bulged and dented in the bottom? I think titanium would have sprung a leak already. 

And the cost vs aluminum or stainless never felt worth it to me. The weight savings is negligible. And I have more important things to invest in. Like things I don't have. Or things that the money to weight savings ratio is a lot better. Like another $100 on a tent or pack or sleeping bag might save me 2lbs. That same money in Titanium isn't going to get me nearly that ratio of weight savings per dollar. And it burns food really easily. 

I have a nested aluminum cup on my stainless Nalgene. And my plastic ones. Just make sure to use a bandana between the two. The rivets on the inside of an aluminum cup will gouge the Nalgene. And iirc there is a circumference difference between the aluminum cup and Nalgene. That needs to be made up for anyway. Meaning it's not a tight fit.

[echo83]

Most people say they don't like them when they are less than full because of water sloshing around. But a decent bladder should have some dividers inside and should collapse ad your drinking. My guess is the ones with the issue probably used a walmart quality one as opposed to a decent one.
I like to put 1L of water in my 3L bladder then lay it flat in the freezer. You'll want to blow it up with air to keep the hose and lid out of the water as it freezes. Then when I'm ready to go on a ride or hike I'll pull it out and fill the other 2L with water. The frozen 1L ice cube then keeps it nice and cold.
Other thing to do is when after you fill it, turn it upside down and squeeze the air out of it, then connect the hose and put it in your bag.

This is a great idea! I used CamelBaks for a while, then bought a MSR Dromedary 4l, because they're apparently bombproof. 

@Optimist I have definitely underfilled a bladder before. As long as you squeeze out the air first, you're good to go. If you're wearing one, it may look a little goofy, but you can either hunch over or lean against a tree (or rock or something, for my MRE fans) and increase pressure that way.