Hydration/day Pack

[Lorna]

My kids bought me a Black Wolf Python hydration pack for christmas. It has a 3 litre bladder and is rated as holding 15 litres of gear. However, by the time I fill the bladder and add 2 x 1 litre additonal water bottles it's practically full. Can anyone offer advice on just what I need to carry myself? I'm hiring a porter. Do I carry my first aid kit, day snacks, loo paper, sunscreen/mozzie off, poncho, camera…. in my daypack so that i don't need to be bothering my porter throughout the day? Or can I get gear from him if need be ( such as my first aid kit)?

Also would appreciate some guidelines on the size of the daypack. Would 25 litres be big enough?

Thanks

[jafa]

5 liters is alot of water to be carrying. I would ditch the 2 one liter containers and maybe carry a 600ml external for mixing (Tang – Gatorade – whatever) . There is plenty of water to be had on the trek. You generally carry everything you might need during the day including your food pack.

(PS – Whatever you do – don't put anything other than water in your bladder and avoid the sports type mixers if you plan on taking something. Go with Tang)

[Times two]

I would have carried 4-5 litres of water on my first trek too, but it was unnecessary most of the time. Second time round I again carried 5 litres of containers, but not water – 3 litre camel pack and 2 bottles, but walked with the pack half empty (most of time) and one bottle empty, the other full with half strength endura. This worked well for me, as if there was a water stop, I could fill one bottle and have it being treated while still drinking from the camelpack. Once completed, it could be poured into the pack without having to re-treat. I also found it much easier to have a big drink from a bottle at the rest stops (the 1/2 strength endura or staminade worked well here), and kept my pack for sipping while on the move, or when too tired to take my pack off. The couple of times when water was a problem ( a long dry stretch the first time, and flooding the second time that polluted all the drinking water with mud), I was glad for the ability to increase my volume of carried water. It also meant I could fill and treat overnight, and still have plenty of water left in the morning to walk with. As for size, I walked with a 40 litre pack the first time (and a full pack second time). Those I walked with who only carried small packs were constantly looking for their porters (who were often busy) at meal times to get their bowls, or snack food, first aid equipment etc. They would often have to borrow off the rest of us until their porter turned up. Those that carried all our day gear (poncho, food, snacks, water, first aid stuff, sunscreen, insect repellant etc) faired much better in the long run. Whatever size you choose, you need to be comfortable with it.

[Lorna]

Thanks for this very sound advice Times Two. I've now got another larger daypack – the Camelbak Trinity ( on sale at Paddy Palins for half price at the moment), which is a ladies specific pack – 3 litre hydration system and 26 litres for cargo. It looks and feels ideal. I intend to carry 2 x 1 litre bottles as well and may well only fill one but will take the advice of my guide. I plan to carry everything I need for the day so that I don't need to chase down my porter unnecessarily. Cheers

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