I have a very heavy backpack for multiday hikes, and trying to get water out of the hydration bladder to fill my jetboil for cooking is a huge pain in the ass because for siphoning, the backpack has to be higher than the end of the tube. So I’m looking for an inline hand squeeze pump that I can insert into my tube. HydraPak used to sell one but it’s no longer listed on their site, and I only found it still for sale by a French store. I’m in Canada so looking for something I can get shipped from within North America. Looking around Amazon etc. I see squeezable siphon pumps for fuel and aquariums, but don’t know if those are food grade (worried about plasticizers like BPA) and whether the connectors will fit the diameter of my tubing. Any other products specifically for hydration bladders or at least potable water?
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Can't you simply take the bladder out of the pack?– bob1Nov 21, 2022 at 3:31
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No, it’s in a pocket on the side close to my back and squeezed by all the stuff in the bag. It’s set as low as possible so my bag has a low center of gravity– Display NameNov 21, 2022 at 3:33
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OK, fair enough. Low centre of gravity is poor for carrying - generally you want heavy things, like water, to be as close to the space between your shoulderblades as possible.– bob1Nov 21, 2022 at 3:35
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The pragmatic answer is probably: keep a certain amount of water in an separate, lightweight bottle, for purposes like this. At least that's what I do, but I guess it's not in the spirit of the question.– phipsgablerNov 21, 2022 at 11:47
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Another pragmatic answer - Blow through the drinking tube to push air into the bladder and pressurize it slightly. If your tube is on the bottom then the air will rise and push down on the water.– FreiheitNov 21, 2022 at 17:46
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1 Answer
Flip the script.
Multiple companies market pressurized hydration bladders. There's an inner partition in the bladder, they come with a small air pump that pressurizes that side of the bladder. Not only does it mean water comes out when you simply bite the valve, but it means you can squeeze the valve and direct water at something else, say a dog's mouth or a pot.
There's also the advantage that since the system is pressurized there's normally no backflow when you stop sucking and the system stays cleaner.
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That’s interesting. But I thought the main advantage of bladders is that they don’t occupy space other than the volume of water in them. Sounds like a pressure system would remove the raison d’être for using a bladder in the first place. Also, backflow keeps you tube from freezing in winter Nov 21, 2022 at 5:25
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The pressurized version is only very slightly bigger than the regular version--you have only extra layer of material and one connection point for the pump. One extra feed hose coming out of the top of my pack and going to the pump. I'm normally not in weather where freezing is of concern. Nov 21, 2022 at 5:29