I hike in an area where packing in all your water is the only option. For longer hikes when it's warmer one bladder won't hold enough. Does anyone make a practical way to connect two together so you have only one feed hose that will draw from two bladders?
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3 Answers
I can imagine that there's nothing of the shelf available but this is nothing a little DIY can't fix.
Go to your local hardware or pet supply store and find a small aquarium hose T or Y fitting that matches the inner diameter of your bladder hose.
Simply cut the hoses of your bladders and attach the two bladders to the T fitting, then attach one of the hoses with a drinking end to the T fitting.
The hoses should be fine with just a friction fit but you can add two small zipties per connection for extra safety.
PS: This solution requires a willingness to void your warranty
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1+1 for literally answering the question and for making me laugh :) Jul 31, 2018 at 20:59
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Yeah, I figured that I could probably find a suitable fitting at the hardware. I was hoping there was something premade but from what I see on here there isn't. Aug 3, 2018 at 2:37
No, pretty sure there isn't one but you do have a couple of options,
- Just bring two bladders and switch to the other when empty.
- There are 6 liter MSR dromedaries that I have used for when you need to pack water in larger amounts.
- There are double hydration bladders with two chambers, but it seems like the idea is to keep water and electrolytes separate, not to double the capacity.
Also, I always bring a Nalgene bottle along as well, in case the bladders get holes in them (this is also best practice from what I have read about hiking in the Grand Canyon).
answered Jul 27, 2018 at 4:15
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I saw the dromedaries and the reviews said they changed them, the new ones aren't good. I do agree the double ones are about two liquids, not increased capacity. Jul 27, 2018 at 4:21
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For tough, lightweight, cheap it’s tough to beat just reusing ordinary PETE water bottles, particularly the 3L jugs.– mmccJul 27, 2018 at 13:09
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Safety info here: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate (basically don’t let the water you plan to drink sit in it for months on end). Economies of scale matter for both cost and product consistency and the scale at which these bottles are made vastly exceeds any dedicated outdoor gear. I’ve had MSR dromedaries leak, never had an issue w 3L PETEs. You can crush them pretty flat — not as flat as deflated dromedary but not bad.– mmccJul 27, 2018 at 13:15
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I was going to recommend just bringing an extra dromedary although I personally carry Nalgenes because they double as measuring cups and act as an insurance policy. I've been rocking the same Source bladder for over 10 years though. Must have covered thousands of kilometers with it.– GabrielJul 27, 2018 at 13:17
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To clarify my earlier comment: I had one dromedary bag leak, once. It had been on student trips before it came into my possession and had been presumably mistreated. The thing I didn’t like was that it was a small enough pinhole that I didn’t catch it on filling and it soaked some gear.– mmccJul 28, 2018 at 2:27
The best thing to do would be to simply bring two water bladders and switch the hoses over your shoulder after the first is emptied. Alternately, you could try routing two hoses over your one shoulder. Many bags also provide the option of routing the hose over your left or right shoulder, if your bag is like this then you could try routing one hose for each bladder over both shoulders. Trying to rig two bladders together sounds like a wet mess waiting to happen to in my opinion.
answered Jul 29, 2018 at 1:03
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1My pack only feeds from one side and I normally carry a camera on the other shoulder anyway, a hose feeding there wouldn't work too well. Jul 29, 2018 at 1:17
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1It would be best if you to pack the second water bladder and just switch hoses after you empty the first. Jul 29, 2018 at 1:49