Hydration Backpacks! Which Hydration Pack Is The Right Water System For You?

Before the inception of hydration backpacks and the development of portable hydrating systems, many athletes and adventure junkies relied on the old methods of hydrating their bodies with standard water bottles and canteens.

This way of getting hydrated was sufficient at the time, but it limited their complete concentration and performance, especially during high endurance extreme sports such as mountain biking and motocross racing!

When your complete mental focus on your activity is mandatory, having to reach for a water bottle could easily take your attention away from spotting that deep unexpected hole on your mountain trail, and involving yourself in a serious fall or crash! However, having a portable hands-free hydration backpack could be considered a necessity for your safety.

These packs are not limited only to athletes taking part in extreme sports, but also for many individuals that enjoy leisure trail running, snowboarding, skiing, hunting, and also hiking. Safety of course will always be on the forefront, but having the flexibility to maintain their level of activity, without having to stop to find a necessary water source, is also an important benefit for many leisure athletes as well.

Nothing is worse than getting into your groove, your adrenaline is at its optimum level, the powdered snow is calling for you, the running trails are cooperating in your favour, or you finally tracked that animal that took you all day to find, later realizing that you have run out of fluids, and now have to find a water source to do a refill. What a bummer that would be!

Now That You Need A Personal Hydration System, Where Do You Begin?

If you have never purchased backpacks with the hydration systems before or you just don't know where to begin when you start your researching online, don't worry! Many of the online outdoor outfitters and bag suppliers that offer these systems have made it very easy for you to distinguish the difference between each pack, their function, and unique features that are tailored to your individual requirements!

They even go as far as labelling them as outdoor hydration systems, running hydration systems, snowboard backpacks, hunting packs, and the distinguished list goes on. All you need to do is answer a few questions that apply to your daily activity, and that's all it takes to determine which one is right for you.

When you're about to purchase a hydration backpack, don't base your entire decision on price alone, because even though the more expensive bags may have additional features, you may not require all those extra bells and whistles. On the other hand, you may purchase a cheaper system, later realizing that you got one that did not have all the required features that would benefit you during your desired activity.

You want to base your decision on your specific needs. Be sure that whatever hydration system you select, that you're getting one that will sufficiently hydrate your body without the pack becoming a deficit to your overall performance. The last thing you want is your pack to be too heavy, bulky, or too small, where you have to either stop for many rests, or repeatedly source out many water refill stations.

Now That I Know How Important The Right Hydration System Is To My Activity, What's Next?

Now if you're not sure what questions you need to ask, below we have come up with a small list to start you off on the right track, or in your case, the right trail!

1. Some questions you should easily answer, is how long do you plan on being out for the day, and how far away will you be from a necessary water source? This will help you determine the size of the water reservoir you need, and if you also require a backpack large enough to carry spare reservoirs for your full day of activities.

2. Another question could be for women, and the question would be: does size matter, or is comfort your #1 concern? This may sound like a silly question at first, but when you start searching for a hydration backpack, you will quickly notice they have models with special features that are specifically designed for women to accommodate the unique shape of their bodies.

3. How often do you plan on using your hydration system pack? This particular question may be very important for the individuals that are basing their decision on price. No sense spending tons of money on a sophisticated backpack system if you're only planning on using it once every six months or year.

These questions will get you started, and as you search online for your desired hydration system, the variety of styles won't be so overwhelming as more answers come to you. Now the next big question is, there are so many models out there to choose from, which one do you think is best for you?
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We will continue this discussion, and try to answer some of these questions for you in our second part of our Hydration Backpack Article #2, and we can offer you some tips on finding out which model will suite your activity and lifestyle the best.