Platypus Reservoir Review
Review by Dan James
- Product:
- Platypus Reservoir (company site)
- What's Good:
- No Plastic Taste, Light, Easy to Fill, Easy to Drink.
- What's Bad:
- If You're Not Careful the Tube Can Wander.
While hiking over the past few years I have noticed more and more people drinking from little tubes attached to their shoulder straps. For the most part I thought these people were crazy. Really, what was wrong with a good old water bottle?! It turns out they are not crazy. Last year curiosity won out and I purchased two Platypus Reservoirs (2 Liter & 3 Liter versions). Water bottles, while not obsolete, are not the best option for drinking while on the trail.
The Platypus Reservoirs are thin & light plastic drinking bags. You put the reservoir in a pack pocket and run a drinking tube up and over your shoulder to one of your shoulder straps. The end of the drinking tube has a bite valve, that with a very slight squeeze of your mouth, opens up the tube and allows you to suck in as much water as you’d like. When you are finished drinking the bite valve closes. I have never had the bite valve leak on its own.
By having water readily available you tend to drink more often, which is a much better way to hydrate than the alternative. The convenience of not having to stand still, use both hands, and open a bottle saves time on the trail.
The reservoir’s entire top opens up to form a wide easy-to-fill opening. To open and close the top, the Platypus Reservoirs use an ingenious super durable zip-lock like closing system. Squeeze it together and you have an indestructible seal. I have never had my seal break open in my pack. You can rest assured that if you accidentally set your pack down on the reservoir inside it will not spill.
The inside of the reservoirs are lined with a polyethylene lining that ensures your water will be plastic-taste-free.
The reservoirs are now a ‘must have’ for me on the trail. Whether it’s a day hike or a week long trek I bring along either the two liter or three liter version. I have to admit though that I still bring along a water bottle. It is much easier to dip into ponds & streams. It also allows me to have a continuous supply of treated water. I constantly have one liter of water being treated in the water bottle. At each water stop I transfer the treated water into my reservoir then refill the watter bottle to begin another treatment. This saves me from having to wait the half an hour for the treatment to be effective before I can drink after a fill up.
The only downside of the reservoir type drinking system is that sometimes the tube running from the reservoir to the valve has a mind of its own. While putting on my pack I’ve often gotten the valve stuck between my back and the pack (which squirts a refreshing blast onto your back). I also tend to put my pack down in a manner that drags the valve in the dirt. These are not product deficiencies, they are hiker deficiencies.
I highly recommend switching over from water bottles to a hydration system. There are many brands out there. I have only tried a few but the Platypus has been the best yet.
Comments
Ronnie Mutch - April 6, 2005 8:52 am
I agree with everything you have said but must add... I was out walking with my water bag in my pack, slipped back and landed on my back. The platypus burts open and everything got soaked. Be careful.
Jim from Ottawa - April 13, 2005 3:20 pm
After a number of years using the Platy I got fed up with having to deal with numerous problems (the thing doesn't seal very well unless it's brand new and can come open on the trail; the bladder material is quite plasticy and tends to leak if creased - something that happens often; etc, etc).
I use hydration packs regularly hiking and biking (usually every day) and the constant replacement of bladders made me question whether or not I was actually saving any money going with the cheaper alternative (namely, the Platypus).
I decided to try Camelbak and after a week of use symbolically tossed my remaining Platy's in the garbage. The Camelbak is worth the extra money. There is no "zipper" so sealing and coming open isn't a concern. The reservoir is made of a rubbery material that bends and folds without ever leaking. Plus, the bite-valve has a shut-off which means you'll never get that blast of cold water down your back. I was never able to get through a summer without having to replace a Platy twice. I've been using the same Camelbak for 4 years now - and with my level of use that proves how well made and worth the dollars they are.
So YES, I agree that everyone should switch to a hydration pack system, but I feel you're steering people to a cheaper and inferior product. In my opinion, you should go buy a Camelbak.
James from Australia - September 8, 2005 2:11 am
I do a lot of skiing. Well, with the small amount of winter season and snowfall that we actually get I do a lot.
Finally got myself a Camelbak and have never looked back. Some of my friends bought the cheaper versions and as Jim from Ottawa states above, they spilt or burst.
I have fallen backwards onto my Camelbak several times, yes my skiing isn't as good as I would like, and it has never burst or leaked.
Pay the extra and keep smiling throughout your adventures.
Tony - October 21, 2006 10:11 pm
If you are concerned about weight, the Platypus reservoirs are the best. The Camelbacks weigh more...the other MSR bags weigh more. The Platys work fine for me and they weigh less the others.
There is nothing wrong with having a "luxury item" with you that you take without respect to weight, but otherwise the Platypus Reservoirs are the clear choice.