UKH

I'm after a water container that frees me from camping near a water source when backpacking. I reckon I need about 3 litres to enjoy a comfortable night on dehydrated food and brews and general quaffing.

I've seen these platypus and nalgene bladder style jobs that would fit the bill as They're very light when empty. But are they robust enough?

Any other suggestions?

I'm a Platypus fan. You can get a screw  stopper to use rather than a hose, turning it into a flexible water bottle. Available in 1L  1.5L and 2L sizes. I've only had one spring a leak in about 20 years. And they roll up to a minimal size when empty. 

A couple of cheap cola/whatever bottles, they roll up small when done and cost next to nothing, some even come pre-filled with water.

Another Platypus fan, they last very well, and you can get patches too (or used to be able to, but I've never needed them). I mostly use a Big Zip Hoser 2, but there are 3L options. THe Big Zip makes for easy filling compared with the screw cap. I'm on my second, but mostly due to poor cleaning regime!

You can also use either a hoser (with drinking tube) or standard screw top with a Sawyer Mini filter, should that be of interest.

I used old fizzy drinks bottles for a lot of years as water bottles and they stood up to a lot of abuse, I only replaced them when they became too skanky to use because I didn't clean them properly, they never actualy broke even though I would flatten them when empty. Intuitively I think the ones with a plain surface are better in this respect than ribbed types.

Never a fan of bladders I use the Platypus collapsible Platy bottle. They do 'em in 2 litre and 1 litre versions at about £10 - £14. You can get them with a simple screw top or a push/pull stopper. I've found them to be pretty robust, only starting to leak from a seam after a lot of hard use.

I was however most disappointed with the one I stepped back onto with my crampons at the top of No 4 Gully on Ben Nevis as it did not resist the spikes with my 12 stone on top at all. Being the 2 litre version it was just the right size (9 in my case) for all 10 downward pointing spikes to go straight thru it. The resultant spread of dark red fluid gushing from it into the snow must have engendered some gritty thoughts in those who had not witnessed the event but followed us on the descent!

Used platypus for years, was initially concerned about durability but the one I replaced was badly delaminated and looking dodgy long before it actually failed. 

Coke bottles. 

I've had two days ruined by (other people's) platypus failure. 

One guys got punctured by crampons in his bag. 

Another guy squeezed enough liquid out while chimneying that he got a cold wet back and was miserable for the rest of the day. 

The only valid excuse for them is if you are running or biking. 

2x 2l pop bottles. Don't need to fill to top.

That way if one breaks still go some water.

They are more robust than bladders etc....designed to take pressure. 

I've driven over a half filled one (so no support from water within) no damage done

Cnoc Vecto 

Platy bladder style screw-cap water bottles. Go flat, very light, and can take near-boiling water to serve as an emergency hot water bottle for those cold nights.

1) work out exactly how much water you need for your food / washing up. Breakfast bars don't require water whereas porridge does....

2) use multiple containers to guard against catastrophic container failure/loss.

3) use one container for your 'cooking water' and another for your drinking water. That way you don't accidentally run out of one or the other.

4) Don't drink out of a bladder as you can't tell how much you're getting through.

Personally I use fizzy drink bottles as they're light and bombproof. The refundable German ones are even better as the plastic is thicker.  Anything not designed to take fizzy drinks runs the risk of a poor lid that'll leak - don't be tempted by Robinsons' squash bottles for example.

Not a suggestion but; Please don’t buy – avoid – a MSR Dromedary bag. Water tastes and smells horrible, awful. Neither the old one’s nor the new one’s (black or grey or red) are any good.

Nalgene bladders and their Cantene’s are ok as well as pop bottles. 

Hydrapak Seeker - I use a 2L as thats enough for all I need it for but it is available in 3L.  The Katadyn BeFree filter fits and you can get a hose for it too.

The new taste went after a few uses and I haven't managed to destroy it yet so it must be near invincible.