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Contributed by Brett Lehigh
"Hydrate of die," and "hydrate, hydrate, hydrate," seem to be the mantras of adventure racing. And every event pack on the market will accept a bladder for water or your favorite electrolyte/endurance drink. That’s great news...
...BUT, full water bladders are very heavy. The 100-ouncer weighs in at 6 pounds 4 ounces. That may not sound like much, but the cumulative effect of carrying extra weight is dramatic. Over a 20 mile hike, with an average stride of 3 feet… if you carried around that full bladder the whole time, you’ve just added an extra 220,000 pounds of impact and stress on your body. Ouch!
For an experienced racer, shaving pack weight is critical and they know it is critical in that it allows you to travel faster, longer, and reduce fatigue to the entire body.
Q: Do I ditch the bladder and just go with water bottles?
A: Well, that's a simple - it depends. Here's the explanation:
If the course is dry with limited availability, a bladder becomes a necessity. Also, when paddling, securing a bladder to the boat (or pack) is far more efficient as the added weight to the boat is inconsequential and enables you continue paddling efficiently.
If the course has consistent water sources, a water bottle is usually a far better choice. Of course, you will need to refill more often and have water treatment drops (or pills) handy. But, you can scoop up water and add the drops on the go much, much faster than stopping, removing your pack, unscrewing the bladder, dipping and waiting to fill the bladder… you get the point. A water bottle takes seconds and a bladder takes too long.
Finally, another big advantage of water bottles comes when you or one of your team members needs their pack to be carried. The pack-mule (i.e. the one that gets to carry the pack) is not burdened with excess water-bladder weight. And, even more importantly, the person that is struggling at the moment can carry their water bottle and drink and refill as needed. Therefore, not relying on trying to catch an occasional sip from an available team member’s bladder tube.
TIP: Carry two water bottles.
While you may not always fill the second, you have that option for stretches of the course that may be without water for longer periods of time. Plus, you can then rotate the bottles if you need to wait 10 minutes for the purification drops/tablets to take affect and the water safe for drinking.
TIP2: Don’t like the taste of the purification drops? You can always add some powdered mix and mask the taste… and get your electrolytes replenished.
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