by Paul Brook
If you're anything like me, you've probably tried lots of different bladder water systems in the past and you've probably been disappointed. I for one have ordered quite a few cheap ones and they break on you and they leak on you. And that's not good, especially when the bladder is inside your backpack or your rucksack and everything starts getting wet.
Here we have possibly the best solution I've come across so far. This is the Viper Modular Bladder Pouch. Read on and I'll explain why I think it's so good.
The first thing you'll notice is that this camo pouch has a three tier MOLLE system on the front so you can attach even more things to the outside of this pouch. And on the back you can attach the pouch to your favorite rucksack so that it's always with you and easy to reach. There are some poppers that when opened, reveal the bladder itself, which is 1.5 litres capacity. And this enables you to change the bladder at any point if you so wish or just remove it for easy cleaning.
To fill up, you simply unscrew the main cap and pour the water in. Then when you've filled up the bladder you close that section up to seal it all in.
There is an excellent grab handle on the top of the bag itself. And the hose is held in place with some excellent little velcro tabs which enables you to keep the hose in one place at all times. It also has a lovely neoprene cover over the hose which will not only protect it but keeps it in place.
On the hose there is a "bite valve". So in order to get the water out you simply bite down and then you're able to suck the water out. And there is also a little valve that you can turn to control the flow of water so you can have the valve on or the valve off depending on when you want to drink or not.
Staying hydrated is so incredibly important when out and about, especially if you're doing long extended hikes. But even if you're doing short hikes, making sure you've got regular water intake is key. And a bladder pouch system is going to help you stay more frequently hydrated so you don't have to keep going into your bag and opening bottles - it's just there, ready to drink from the mouthpiece. Also, a good bladder system will make sure the water stays exactly where you want it to stay - in the bladder and not all over your kit.
You can buy the Viper Modular Bladder Pouch directly from this site.
May 2019
