As a newbie to the business of rucksacks with bladders I've looked at some that are available from Stif. Which one, why, why not etc?
Cheers!
Kris

i would go with the lezyne pack from merlin for £30 – is large, comfy and has a 3l bladder

Don't look at anything smaller than a Camelback Mule for serious riding. They are not much heavier or more expensive than the smaller ones. Remember that 3l of water takes a lot of room, and for any decent ride you will still want to pack inner tube, tools, waterproof, food etc.

Don't get a fox pack – my experience is that they break very quickly.

Get a camelbak, you'll pay a bit more, but the bags are pretty much indestructable, and the bladders will last longer than most other options (for proof, note how many dankine bags now sport camelbak bladders). And yes, I had a dankine bag (a nomad), they're sh1t – the bladder leaked and the straps snapped.

Get a HAWG.

My dakine bladder leaked and was shit – replaced with a camelbak bladder. The Lezyne one is ace tho – opens completely to get your hand in to clean it

Camelbak… why settle for second best!

hydrapak…..why settle for second best 🙂

Wingnut…why settle for 2nd or 3rd best 😀

I got my Wingnut Hyper 3 in August and I've been really impressed with it. Loads of storage and I really like the side pockets, which allow easy access without having to taking the pack off. Sits really well on your back as well and I don't notice it there, until my previous pack.

If you already had a bladder I'd suggest one of the Wingnut packs, they are light, pretty waterproof and have a lot of space, but they aren't cheap, especially if you have to get a bladder as well.

I've got the enduro pack, which is a little bigger than a hawg, but is far far more comfortable than the mule I have, even when I have a lot more stuff in it. It is really handy being able to get at sweets/tools etc in the side pockets without taking the pack off.

Camelbacks have the best bladders, imo, and are really well put together (so is the wingnut), so they are always a good option, I wouldn't go back though.

The hydrapak I have is a fantastic piece of kit.
The bladders nice and tough and you can turn it inside out for cleaning. The drinks tube is also connected via a spring clip and valve so you can remove it foreasy cleaning.

On a side note, I found Camelbak bladders to be quite poor.
Difficult to clean and I had 2 that split in pretty much the same place on the seam. I personally wouldn't buy a camelbak again.

Camelbak bladders have a life time warranty…

Depends what you want it for – I've got a Camelback and it is a great bit of kit but the one I have is pretty much day sized. So i got one from (don't laugh) Tesco which sees more use actually for average 2-3hr rides. For a tenner including bladder you can't go wrong.

Don't discount Decathlon's own brand either.

For bladders, check out 'hydrate for health' on the web; they supply drink systems for healthcare applications, which sounds pretty good sense actually rather than those crappy plastic jugs and beakers on the bedside that you can't get anyone to reach for you when you're totally bedridden. I've had bladders from them and they seem pretty good quality [although I personally prefer the camelbak valves, so clean and recycle them in preference when the bladders fail]

ROFL Harris – thank you, sir. I've just bought one. It'd better be good!

Ewan, I know, the 2nd was the replacement.
Having that one split after 5 or so rides made my mind up to look for something different.

Kris – did you not have any luck with finding a Wingnut then?

MTBCol – fair enough. I've never had one split in 5 different bags, I've either let them grow mould or given them away. What are you doing to them 😉

Yes, but they were seriously expensive – £85 plus the bladder. I had the cash but whatever's left will go towards a new Inbred 😈

Not a clue Ewan. Possibly a combination of pressure and cleaning methods.
I didn't know Milton sterilizing fluid was capable of doing stuff like that! 😆

If your bladder leaks, buy Tena For Men 🙄

No, really, of all the hydratiion pacs out there, I still find Camel the best for build quality and reliability. Just choose the one that best suits your water capacity and cargo needs best.