The Hydration Bladder has a superior seal inside the bladder cap to prevent leakage under physical pressure. If you drink relatively frequently from the tube, though, the water from the bladder will replace the water in the tube, continuously preventing the liquid from freezing. There are many ways to treat your water in the backcountry, including pump filters like the Katadyn Hiker, bottle/squeeze filters like the Platypus QuickDraw, and chemical applications like Aquamira or Katadyn’s Micropur tablets. The Gregory 3D Hydro uses a handle that spans the length of the body, adding rigidity to the bladder and making it easy to hold under a water source, even once it starts to fill up with water. Fit matters - ensure that your hydration pack fits your hip size and torso length (as well as fitting the hydration bladder you want to use).

Overall, while the Platypus Hoser is the lightest and most packable, the HydrapPack ShapeShift is our preferred choice for longer adventures. Generally speaking, we’ve found that Platypus and CamelBak’s designs dispense a lot of water, while HydraPak’s bite valves (including those on the Osprey Hydraulics reservoir) are slightly more conservative. Our testing process involves stuffing bladders into running packs, backpacking packs, and throwing them into coolers and the freezer. You also get a drink tube that’s 1/16-inch wider than HydraPak’s designs, which translates to a noticeably high flow rate (similar to the Crux above).A flip-top bladder with a wider mouth and thinner plastics proves to be the easiest to flip inside out and manually clean. All are puncture-resistant, and after months (to years) of testing, they haven't leaked through the bag itself.

If you’re a stickler for cleanliness and want a bladder that will dry out completely between uses (valuable for eliminating grime buildup), the Gregory is a good bet. And while this is best practice and will certainly help to prolong the life of your hydration bladder (especially the O-ring), most people (including us) have never performed maintenance on their reservoir, and they continue to work just fine. But with little in the way of structure and no quick disconnect, it doesn’t offer quite the ease of use as the other designs here. We also like a bladder with a longer tongue-like flip-top, allowing easy fill-up in small or trickling streams.Armed with this experience with these products, we offer our unbiased recommendations built to help you find the perfect bladder for your hydration needs. Minimalist bladders like the HydraPak Contour, MSR DromLite Bag, or Platypus Hoser can be especially handy for activities like climbing, running, or when you want to bring extra water carrying capacity but don’t anticipate using it all the time.

CamelBak hasn’t made a ton of changes to the design over the years, so you don’t get innovative touches like a reversible reservoir (for top-shelf dishwasher cleaning), conveniently placed quick disconnect (theirs is at the base), or more secure slider closure (we highly recommend inverting the Crux after filling to make sure its twist cap won't leak). Another option is to add an inline filter to your hydration bladder, which greatly simplifies the water treatment process.But the Hydraulics puts it all together better than most, and—like most bladders here—is built to endure season after season of hard use. Taking the cake for both the most durable and best insulated hydration bladder here is the HydraPak HydraSleeve. Editor's Note: Our hydration bladder review was revised on November 17, 2023, sharing some additional products we love alongside our award winners. They are all impressive products for one reason or more, and the best one is the model that serves your unique needs better than the rest.

Not only are these reservoirs lightweight, but they also feature streamlined designs systems that roll up into a small package. Screw top options like the Gregory 3D Hydro and CamelBak Crux both have openings large enough to fit some kitchen utensils inside to help facilitate drying.

We note the limitations of each bladder and how compatible it is with different types of hydration backpacks. Halfords Autocentres Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 755309) and acts as a credit intermediary and not a lender, offering credit products provided by a limited number of finance providers, including Klarna Bank AB (publ)].