UKH

Hi,
has anyone been around the stores with a medium sized digi scales and compiled a spreadsheet of the options available yet?

I often find, especially on trad multipitch, that i feel really really parched on one of the 2nd or 3rd pitches, it seems especially if that's a harder one, as i chalk up a fair bit, + perhaps the cloud of chalk dust that follows me contributes somewhat to me starting to feel very dry in the throat!

I tried a cheap 500ml bottle the other day, clipped to my harness, cost about a quid in any of the camping stores, worked ok, but i forgot to refill it for the next harder route!
Can't see the bottle clip lasting long though , it'll soon snag + tear on something!

Anyway, options are, just buy a special bottle + special tube with special bite mouth piece to put in a bag of your own choice, or pay a bit more for some bag especially made for it, with all the special bits included, perhaps with loops to route the tube etc.
Routing the tube could easily be done on any small pack improvising with cable ties etc.
Most of the ready made bags i saw didn't seem as superlightweight as a climber might like, so i'll probably make my own kit up.

Various options in ready made though, Camelback at Halfords + go outdoors, millets own brand + mountain equipment own brand both seem decent + well designed (only around £25), also Sports Direct, i would say look really good actually, + i would definitely buy one of those over the expensive Osprey ones, or Camel backs, but perhaps those makes are worth their price too.
No doubt loads of other options online too

I think a 1litre capacity "tank" would be ideal for uk multipitch, perhaps 2 litre for mountains.

I may buy some suitable digiscales + get to work on a spreadsheet soon

In reply to Rock to Fakey:
I bought a 2L womens hydration pack for running for about £25 from decathlon recently and find it fits really well. It is also lightweight. I believe they also do a mens version, presumably the difference being width. There is room for other bits and pieces such as jacket, phone, snacks, etc, so there are smaller (more expensive) packs out there but i wouldnt imagine this one being intrusive for climbing. Both the waist and chest straps sit high too. Worth a look. P.s. runners tend to prefer lightweight kit too!

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

I think hydration packs are better for walking & running than climbing unless you can find someone gullible enough to carry all your gear in for you.

I have had bad experiences with bite valves generally as they always seem to get squished into an open postition and get all my gear wet when I absent mindedly put the bag down. They are still the most practical way of drinking on the go though.

Currently trying to decide how to carry 3l of water on a route I'm aiming to do in a few weeks. My current thinking is a bladder and a bottle but not decided on whether to take the drinking tube yet.

In reply to Rock to Fakey:
We've got 2 cheap decathlon stretchy bags with 2l bladders, they say 12l total, but that's provably generous.
1 is perfect for water, 2 fleeces and some snacks/headtorches etc. Also small enough to carry in/on your main pack.

Can't seem to find them on the website, but there's definitely similar models on there.

No idea on weight, but it's not enough to make you think about not taking it.

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

Why not just carry a bottle in a pack and drink at belays?

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

Surely the climber's solution should be an aluminium Sigg bottle on a karabiner?

Some more options for you:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/hydration-systems/
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/s?q=hydration&catdimid=2050

Decathlon also do some really cheap options:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/Buy/hydration

Lots of options in these links if you want just the bladder, too.

I was lucky enough to pick up an Osprey one from Wiggle this week for a bargain price, but the price has gone back up.

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

I'll second the advice about simply buying a water bottle. It really is simple and you don't need to flush it out or look like your sucking some kind of drug.