Bought a new evoc pack with some Xmas vouchers and in a schoolboy error picked one without a bladder.

What’s best these days? Camelback, hydrapak or something else?

If it fits, an Osprey one.

One side is rigid so it doesn’t bulge into your back. Has a good handle for filling too. Especially in mountain springs 8)

platypus

can’t fault the new camelback ones

Source are good. Easy to clean. No plastic taste.

I’ve only ever had the one, so no experience of others, but bought it because lots of people said that ^.

Just bought an Osprey talon from the classifieds, may nip to Cotswold and have a look at the osprey bladders.

According to family legend my great-grampa could sink 12 pints and not have a pish.

According to family legend my great-grampa could sink 12 pints and not have a pish.

from the sound of it I think the bloke in the cubicle next to me at the mall could probably do this as well.

Made me think of the recent David Blaine show on tv.

The rigid back of the Osprey is very good at keeping the pack flat.
Bite valve is great.
Magnetic bite valve great but pack specific I think.

Antidote reservoir good, quite ‘sausagey’ compared to the Osprey. Quick release hose useful if the hose is hard to remove from the pack – but this empties the hose contents when disconnected so can be a pain.

New style osprey ones are good. Have a brand new one for sale 😉 – If your interested drop me an email daveagiles @ googlemail.com

Another vote for Osprey here.

Osprey and you can buy the sternum magnet to add to your existing pack.

sternum magnet to add to your existing pack

Just remember it’s there before you start trying to use your compass in a whiteout!

New style osprey ones are good. Have a brand new one for sale – If your interested drop me an email daveagiles @ googlemail.com

YGM

Just remember it’s there before you start trying to use your compass in a whiteout!

Or avalanche transceiver! There’s a small note on the site but they can interfere – so I’ll need to get a non-magnetic bite valve for winter use.

The rigid back of the Osprey is very good at keeping the pack flat.
Bite valve is great.
Magnetic bite valve great but pack specific I think.

Antidote reservoir good, quite ‘sausagey’ compared to the Osprey. Quick release hose useful if the hose is hard to remove from the pack – but this empties the hose contents when disconnected so can be a pain.

I was gonna post essentially this but gravity-slave has saved me the trouble. Absolutely spot on. I’d just add that the newer antidote Camelbaks can be opened with a quarter turn which is a massive improvement over the older style super, uber tight caps. The rigid handle on the Osprey makes filling much easier, as someone else mentioned.

So, if you can get one in – Osprey. If not, Antidote…

I just bought a 3L evoc one to replace a punctured camelbak one in an evoc pack. Arrived today infact. Haven’t used it properly yet but it seems very good quality. Doesn’t seem to have a hook of any sort to keep it vertical tho…?

so I’ll need to get a non-magnetic bite valve for winter use.

It took me about 5 mins to work out why the compass pointed directly at me wherever I went. I assumed it wasn’t just my magnetic personality!

Platypus with a camelbak hose and bite valve.