Hydration is key for outdoor activities and physical exercise, so having the appropriate equipment can ensure you enjoy your adventures without stopping to fiddle with bottles of water.

Hydration packs are backpacks equipped with water reservoirs and drinking tubes for hands-free hydration, ideal for runners, hikers and cyclists.

Hydration Packs

Hydration packs combine a backpack or waistpack with a bladder to keep you hydrated on outdoor adventures such as hiking, mountain biking and other outdoor pursuits. Hydration packs are especially great for hiking and mountain biking trips as well as other outdoor pursuits; many offer insulated tubes to protect water from freezing in cold conditions while others feature quick-disconnect hoses for easy cleaning and refilling and may come equipped with rain covers and gear attachments for rainy environments.

For hiking and trail running, we suggest packs with 6 liter capacity or greater for optimal carrying capacity. This size allows you to bring along enough food, layers and emergency supplies for an entire day’s trek or run.

Women-specific hydration packs are also highly coveted; these feature hipbelts that conform specifically to female form and torso dimensions, with sizes available specifically for kids wanting their own pack on camping or hiking excursions – often slimmer profiles than their male counterparts and an ideal solution for young hikers or trail runners!

Reservoirs

A reservoir is an artificial water body created by damming an area to store water for various uses such as flood control, water supply and hydroelectricity generation. Although its limnology may resemble that of natural lakes, reservoirs typically experience rapid changes to meet demand and seasonal variations that have an enormous impact on water quality and ecology.

Recreationally, reservoirs offer fishing, boating and other watersport activities for recreation purposes. Special regulations may be in place for the safety and preservation of the water source; evaporation can significantly lower levels in a reservoir in one year causing it to sink by 1.5 meters (5 feet).

Bank-side reservoirs are manmade containers designed to collect or divert river water of variable quality from rivers nearby. Constructed through excavation, these structures typically feature an encasing bund or embankment made of materials like clay. Water stored within such reservoirs usually remains within them for months at a time, providing ample opportunity for natural biological processes to remove contaminants and reduce turbidity levels in its water supply.

Drinking Tubes

Drinking tubes allow you to drink liquid without taking off your pack, connecting from its water reservoir directly to a bite valve that opens when pressure is applied by teeth, providing hands-free drinking experience. Quality of both bite valve and drinking hose are integral when selecting an outdoor hydration backpack, since an inefficiently routed hose with multiple bends could make drinking slow flow rate, making drinking frustrating; similarly, bite valves that require too much force or seal poorly can be more challenging to use than necessary.

The Drink-Partner drinking tube quickly transforms any ORTLIEB Water Bag, Water Belt or “PET” bottle into an effective hydration system by simply unplugging its existing valve and inserting its tapered design drinking tube into its opening. Insulated covers may even accommodate it for hands-free hydration on the trail – plus adding it gives you options to select between multiple drinking hose lengths!