Water carrier?

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markoboston
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Water carrier?

Post by markoboston »

I am looking for suggestions for a device to haul water to camp, not to drink but mainly for cleaning. I have always carried one of those collapsible, clear, plastic, cube-shaped jugs and found that they take a lot of space in the pack and are difficult to fill in a shallow stream or lake shore. How do other people carry utility water to camp? Is there a better tool? Thanks!
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freestone
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Re: Water carrier?

Post by freestone »

Water is never that far away in the Sierra, I just use what my plastic water bottle and tea kettle can hold, but this may be what you are looking for:

http://www.rei.com/product/758051" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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hwy395lvrz
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Re: Water carrier?

Post by hwy395lvrz »

Similar to that,the Seattle Sports bucket is a collapsible 3 gallon tote that only weighs about 4 ounces and folds to about the size of your hand.
huts

Re: Water carrier?

Post by huts »

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___60603
I can't find the one that I use but this one looks even better. I would not expect it to stand up on it's own, you might need to hook it over a tree branch or tie the handle to something.

Water carriers are great to have. I can be hidden away from bugs, cold air, the trail and leave less of an impact by camping further away from the edge of the water. I often have stupendous views as well.

(the product I linked to is the one mentioned above.....ya best me to it!)
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gary c.
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Re: Water carrier?

Post by gary c. »

I have a collapsible bucket almost identical to the one that huts linked to and carry it for all of the same reasons he listed. It's also nice to have when we hike with a group. I have a buddy who brings a gravity feed filter and an empty 1gl water jug. It's very nice to have a large supply of clean water when a group sits down of an evening to start making dinner and coffee.
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bcrowell
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Re: Water carrier?

Post by bcrowell »

I guess this is an example of ultralight style versus non-UL style. Personally I wouldn't want to carry something like this in a region like the Sierra where water is so plentiful. I normally carry two half-liter bottles when solo, and I've never felt the need for more capacity.

Take the example where you want to make coffee in the morning for a group. Let's say there are four of you, you're camped a quarter mile from water, and there is no water left in camp as you're all getting out of your sleeping bags in the morning. The solution that would occur to me would be to round up a pile of water bottles from the various people, throw them all in a pack or a stuff sack, and deputize someone to go and bring back water in them. Within 15 minutes, you've got water.

The REI water carrier is 6 oz, and to me that's a heck of a lot of weight. There's an looong list of 6-ounce items I could bring on a hike. Individually, they could all have some utility, but by the time I was done putting them all in, I'd have a 40-lb pack.

Markoboston, when you say "not to drink but mainly for cleaning," what kind of cleaning do you have in mind? If it's pots and pans, then you might want to consider food that you can cook in a plastic bag. Commercial dehydrated food generally is packaged to allow this, and you can also DIY: http://www.amazon.com/Freezer-Bag-Cooki ... 463&sr=8-1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Sharing a communal pot is also a bad idea because it can lead to backpacker's diarrhea (which in the Sierra is actually caused by hand-to-mouth contamination, not contaminated water sources). If you're cooking in ziplock bags, just seal them up when you're done eating, and then if you wish you can rinse them out when water is convenient.
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rlown
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Re: Water carrier?

Post by rlown »

bcrowell wrote:I guess this is an example of ultralight style versus non-UL style. Personally I wouldn't want to carry something like this in a region like the Sierra where water is so plentiful. I normally carry two half-liter bottles when solo, and I've never felt the need for more capacity.
I'm guessing you haven't been on a hike with a group of 4 in awhile. There's a LOT of water that get's used. The "carry in contraption" is a great idea if too far away from a good water source. The gravity filter is even better, away from close water. For me (us), we filter all drinking water, but a large source for dinners, etc is boiled so it doesn't need the filter. If i could just grab a potful without a walk to the water source, it's even easier to spend time cooking and chatting with my friends.
bcrowell wrote: The REI water carrier is 6 oz, and to me that's a heck of a lot of weight. There's an looong list of 6-ounce items I could bring on a hike. Individually, they could all have some utility, but by the time I was done putting them all in, I'd have a 40-lb pack.
40lbs? hmm. It's been like forever since i've seen that weight, but I (we) eat well. I like a 45lb pack, but then I'm a big guy..
bcrowell wrote: Sharing a communal pot is also a bad idea because it can lead to backpacker's diarrhea (which in the Sierra is actually caused by hand-to-mouth contamination, not contaminated water sources). If you're cooking in ziplock bags, just seal them up when you're done eating, and then if you wish you can rinse them out when water is convenient.
Um, most communal pots are either just boiling water to add to a dish or served by the cook into individual eating vessels. i'd rather not eat my food out of a ziplock.

bcrowell, I think you're right when you say this about UL and a group of 1-2 vs. a larger group. There is economy of scale here, and there's nothing wrong with bulk hiking in water for camp use.

Russ
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frediver
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Re: Water carrier?

Post by frediver »

Why not just use a contractor trash bag or a cheap waterproof stuff sack?
Or line a stuff sack with a plastic bag?
Or sew up your own nylon bucket, easy nuff to do. A yard of cheap coated nylon and some seam tape are all you need. Cut a "big" circle of fabric, gather the edges, sew the edges with tape ( no side seams ), add tape handles.
You you could buy the above home made style from Colgans, I think Campmor has them
so do most surplus stores.
This style is available from many sources if you keep your eyes open, they do work and are fairly durable:http://www.bestglide.com/water_bag.html

IMO plastic contractor trash bags are cheap, lite weight and available everywhere, you should carry two per person anyway.
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bcrowell
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Re: Water carrier?

Post by bcrowell »

rlown wrote: bcrowell, I think you're right when you say this about UL and a group of 1-2 vs. a larger group. There is economy of scale here, and there's nothing wrong with bulk hiking in water for camp use.
Yep, a definite difference in styles. My base weight for my most recent (12-day) trip was 12.6 lb. If 40 lb seems low to you, then we clearly represent polar opposites in terms of style.
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rlown
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Re: Water carrier?

Post by rlown »

bcrowell wrote: Yep, a definite difference in styles. My base weight for my most recent (12-day) trip was 12.6 lb. If 40 lb seems low to you, then we clearly represent polar opposites in terms of style.
Maybe not polar opposites.. we enjoy the same thing just in different styles. :) Kudos to you and your style. My last hike in was 60lbs in, but that was insane. Didn't use 14 lbs of it at least. Still a great time.

I like the idea of the water storage close to camp, but then, I aim for lakes, so i always have water close at hand.
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