How to Buy a Select Hydration System Backpack

Hydration system backpacks are a very popular piece of gear for a plethora of outdoor enthusiasts. For many sports, their hands-off approach to getting a drink of water is a welcome change from old fashioned water bottles. Buying the best select hydration system backpack is about matching your specific needs to the right article of gear. This demands a process of elimination, given the variables involved and range of products on the market.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step 1

Determine your cargo-carrying needs. In addition to the water reservoir, your integrated hydration pack must still meet your cargo demands. A day hiker, who rarely carries more than 25 lbs., might use a backpack with a volume of around 1,800 cubic inches. Mountain bikers, on the other hand, can spread the load around to bags mounted on their bike, and rarely use a backpack with an internal volume higher than 1,400 cubic inches. Backcountry hikers, on the other hand, need huge tower packs of up to 2,500 cubic inches and capable of hauling 50 to 80 lbs.

Step 2

Determine your water needs. The most basic calculus for this is how much water do you need to get to a particular distance or cover a particular time without having to refill the reservoir. Hikers often want a big system, since it replaces their old water bottles, so a 100-oz. slip-in reservoir is a good choice for them. Touring and mountain bikers want to avoid getting off the bike and disrupting their rhythms on long rides, and, therefore, often go with a 70 to 100 oz. reservoir in their integrated system. An alpine skier, who makes regular stops for the ski lift anyway, can get by with 35 to 70 oz.

Step 3

Use your now clearly determined needs to shop for the right hydration backpack. Balance recommendations regarding quality against your budget, and draw up a list of hydration backpack systems to examine and try on. For example, some reservoirs and tubes use polyeurethane and have a reputation for imparting a plastic taste to the water, while others use antimicrobial technology in their construction.

Step 4

Try on the select hydration system backpack and see how it fits. You need to do this while the backpack is bearing some weight, and the best way to do that is to fill up the reservoir and put whatever gear is handy in. The backpack can carry plenty of water and all the gear you need, but still perform poorly because it does not properly distribute its weight.

Step 5

Check the sipping tube to see if its placement, length and valve system are convenient for you to use.

Tips & Warnings

Buy integrated hydration system backpacks online only after you are sure how they fit, which means you are either buying a replacement pack or have already tried them on in the shop. Backpacks are much like shoes: a bad fit can ruin your outdoor experience. While the Internet is a great bargain-hunting tool, it has the liability of not allowing you to see how an item fits before you using it, and returning a poorly-fitting item ordered online is much more cumbersome.

As slip-in reservoirs are merely added to a backpack you already have, they can be ordered online or purchased in the store with fewer difficulties. However, there may still be problems with the sipping tube.

Resources

Article Written By Edwin Thomas

Edwin Thomas has been writing since 1997. His work has appeared in various online publications, including The Black Table, Proboxing-Fans and others. A travel blogger, editor and writer, Thomas has traveled from Argentina to Vietnam in pursuit of stories. He holds a Master of Arts in international affairs from American University.

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