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Correct [[Practical Hydration| hydration]] is of vital importance, and sometimes it is necessary to carry your drinks while running. '''Remember to drink based on your thirst, as over hydration is dangerous and can be fatal, while [[The Science Of Hydration| dehydration]] is far less of an issue than most people believe.''' Carrying fluids is always inconvenient, so choosing a hydration system is a matter of finding the least bad approach. There are several options open to you:
* '''Handheld bottle'''. Because the bottle is in your hand, you don't have problems with it jostling, rubbing, or banging against you. However , the bottle occupies one (or both) of your hands, and can tire your arms. In some situations , it can also change your biomechanics and running form.
* '''Waist pack'''. Putting your fluids around your waist frees up your hands and moves the weight onto your body. You can carry more fluid in this position than in a handheld bottle. Unfortunately, waist packs either put pressure on to your abdomen, which causes digestive problems, or it puts pressure on to your hips, causing the problems in the muscles of your hips and legs. Waist packs are particularly problematic for the ITB, as they put pressure on the activating muscle (TFL).
* '''Back pack'''. Using a back pack allows for the greatest quantity of fluid and keeps the weight on your shoulders and back which are stronger than your arms or abdomen. The downside to a backpack is that they tend to bounce and chafe while running.
|}
=Running Packs=
If you need to [[Self Supported Runs| run all day self-supported]], you'll need more than a hydration backpack. I've found that 10-15L is a reasonable compromise on capacity and weight. These packs will carry 2-3L of fluid, plus extra food and clothing in case conditions change. I tested a number of packs with a standard load of a 2L bladder, two ensure drinks, a light, waterproof top, thermal top, hat, gloves, clif bar, and six GUs. The contents end up weighing 120oz/3.4Kg/7.5Lb, which is more than I'd like, and a challenge for a running pack. I've been using the Nathan Synergy Pack for some years, and its shortcomings have led me to evaluate a range of running packs. I've ranked them roughly in priority order, with the Synergy pack at the end as a reference.==Ultimate Direction Hardrocker Adventure Vest 4.0 (Top pick)==This update to the [[Ultimate Direction Hardrocker]] pack has a great array of features, and good capacity. I found <jfs id=" B07573PRKS" nonl="true" noreferb="true" n=" Ultimate Direction Adventure Vest 4.0"/>. Like its predecessor, it carried my standard load with ease, and while it took some effort to cinch things down, the results were worth the effort, and the pack has good control of the load, with minimal pendulum motion or bounce. It's a pack that can certainly carry more than I intend, and it's the only pack (so far) but at that I tested with an increased load of 190oz/11.9Lb/5.4Kg. At that load, it's still surprisingly comfortable, though that much the weight does tend tends to make running quite a bit harder. However, if you doing a [[Self Supported Runs| self-supported run ]] in a dodgy weather, and you want to be prepared for minor emergencies, then the extra capacity is great. There is loads of attachments and pockets to keep things organized, and . One of the few negative changes I found the 2 with this update is there is only one collapsible water bottles bottle on the shoulder straps . These collapsible bottles help to balance out the weight in the main compartment nicely. The ability to shorten the shoulder straps a little help tweak the fit, though adjustment is a little tricky, and can't be done with the pack on. The main downside to this adjustment mechanism is that the hard plastic buckles can chafe quite badly. I had to put some foam padding in that section of the pack to prevent problems.* 13.3oz 1oz in weight(claimed 14.1oz), with a claimed 13L 16.4L capacity. It's a similar size to my Synergyor Hardrocker, with room to spare when loaded with my standard gear. * The pack is made of moderately harsh and abrasive material, but the edges are reasonably soft. Watch for the hard, plastic buckles that rest against the small of your back. * The back of the pack is a transparent mesh, which might improve breathabilityin theory, but didn't help much in practice. * It does not come with a hydration bladder, but there's a sleeve that UD says holds 2L and held my bladder with ease. Access to the hydration bladder is a separate zipper, which makes refilling easier. The transparent back makes it easier to check how full the bladder is without removing it from the pack. * There's a stretch pocket of the bottom of the back of the pack, and a bungee cord over the topof the back of the back. The bungee cord cinches down the pack if it's not full (clip the bungee to the top of the pack for best results.) There are hooks for the bungee further back that allows for better compression with partial loads. Not having the bungee cord go the full length of the back of the pack is a bit of a negative, as you can't cinch down the lower load effectively. (The original Hardrocker was better here.) * There are lots of pockets. * The * There are two zippered pockets on the "hip pockets held my belt" near the small of your back. These will hold gloves on one side and or a small hat on the other, with or a bit number of room to sparegels. The right-hand pocket also has another open pocket behind it.* There* On the right-hand strap, where the shoulder strap turns into the hip belt, there's an internal a small zippered pocket with a clip for keys, stretchy fabric. This will just about hold a standard sized iPhone without a good place for valuablescase. * The * On the left-hand strap, where the shoulder straps each have an strap turns into the hip belt, there's a small open pocket for bottleswith a stretchy fabric. You can put the larger sized iPhone in this pocket, but it includes a cinch bungee to hold them in place's not very secure, and it impinges on the pocket above. There** On the right-hand shoulder strap, there's a stretchy pocket over the bottle pockets that holds a few GUs. Below the collapsible water bottle pockets there's . It has a stretch couple of pouches running around the pocket on one side and that will hold a zippered pocket the othernumber of gels each. There** On each shoulder strap, about where your sternum is, there's also a small zippered pocket made of stretchy material that's so far up would hold a few gels. Be careful putting anything hard in here as it could dig in.** On the left-hand shoulder straps itstrap there's actually on your backa fairly large zippered pocket that will hold a large sized iPhone with ease and have room to spare. It seems upside down when you look at the pack, but makes sense when The positioning of this pocket means that itdoesn's ont tend to dig in, something that can be an issue with something is large hard is a cell phone. * The pack includes two one 500ml collapsible bottles bottle (mini-bladders) that fit with the pack nicely. I swapped the two bottles for Ensure bottles for my standard load. In practice, I would probably have put the contents of the ensure into one of the included bottles and some of the water from the bladder into the other, but I wanted to stick with the standard load for this test. The included soft bottles would bottle work betterwell, as the hard ensure bottle were noticeable on the shoulder straps, digging in a littleand you can squeeze them to get more drink out quickly. * There are two sternum straps to spread the load. The four ends of the straps slide up and down easily over a wide range. * An iPhone/iPhone plus will fit in the The lower shoulder sternum strap stretch pocketis a stretchy, a simple change which really improves comfort and the iPhone will fit in the larger zippered pocketload control.
* There's no attachment for a hydration hose, though there are loops on the shoulder straps.
* There's a small black color matched blue whistle, which I wish it was a brighter color, but is a great touch. * There are no side straps to pull the pack in closer to the shoulder straps, but the ends of the shoulder straps have a length adjustment at the bottom of the pack. This is was a unique feature of the first time I've seen Hardrocker pack, but UD now include this approachon most of their packs. Note that the plastic on the adjustment can rub against your back, but in practice it seemed and I had to install a square of closed cell foam (from a cheap sleep mat) to help with the fitprevent skin abrasion. * The thermal top, rain coat, light, hat, gloves, ensure, and bladder went in the main compartment with ample room to spare. I put the Ensure in the front pockets and the GUs in the smaller front pockets. I still had plenty of pockets empty, which is really nice. * I got the mediumsmall, which should be 3023 -39 32 inches, but I was close to the limit on how tight it would go with fitted my 36 -inch chestnicely. * The pack sits fairly low on the back, and isn't as stable as some smaller packs. The Patagonia Fore Runner is a similar size, but more stable. I struggled to get it adjusted quite right, and there was still a bit of pendulum movement, but not too much bounce. * The Hardrock logo on the pack might put some people off<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">File:Ultimate Direction Adventure Vest (3).jpgFile:Ultimate Direction Adventure Vest (2).jpgFile:Ultimate Direction Adventure Vest (1).jpgFile:Ultimate Direction Adventure Vest-adjust.jpgFile:Ultimate Direction Adventure Vest-front. I would wear a race TjpgFile:Ultimate Direction Adventure Vest-shirt to a race I'd never done, but I think for this pack it's innocuous enough that I'd feel comfortableback.jpg</gallery>==Ultimate Direction PB Adventure Mountain Vest 4.0 (Highly Recommended)==This update to the [[Ultimate Direction PB Adventure Vest]], and like its predecessor, it's highly recommended. <jfs id="B07572T2LS" nonl="true" noreferb="true" n=" Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest 4.0"/>.This pack came very close to being my top pick, having good capacity and great load control. It's a nicely foldout pack, with plenty of features. The larger zippered pocket on the shoulder strap and the plethora of other convenient pockets means you're less likely to have to take this pack off when running. In the end, the only thing that let this pack down is its capacity isn't quite big enough for a [[Self Supported Runs| self-supported day run]]. It's close, especially if you can hang some stuff off the bungee at the back, but there's not quite the margin that I think you'll need. On the other hand, if you're doing your runs in warmer conditions, doing shorter runs, or are prepared to take larger (potentially life-threatening) risks, then this pack should be on your list.* 1413.2oz 9oz in weight (1312.3oz 7oz claimed), with a claimed 16L 13.3L capacity. It held my standard gear, but there was not a lot of spare rooms, so I think 16L is overstating things, and it's smaller than Patagonia's 10L pack. * The pack is made of moderately harsh and abrasive fabric, but the edging is nice and soft. Watch for the hard, plastic buckles that rest against the small of your back. * The back of the pack is a transparent mesh, which might improve breathabilityin theory, but didn't in practice. (At least, not if you have a plastic hydration bladder just behind the mesh.)* It does not come with a hydration bladder, but there's a sleeve that UD says holds 3L 2L and held my bladder with ease. Access to the hydration bladder is a separate zipper, which makes refilling easier. The transparent back makes it easier to check how full the bladder is without removing it from the pack. * The main zippered compartment held most of my gear, but my rain jacket, thermal top, hat, gloves, and light, but only justhad to be tied to the bungie cord. * There's a stretch pocket on over the lower half full length of the back of the pack, and a bungee cord over the top half of the packthat. The bungee cord cinches down the pack if it's not full, but it's not as effective as a full-length keeping the load staple. The bungee that would compress cord will cinch further around the whole main compartmentpack to stabilize smaller loads. * The hip There are lots of storage pockets . ** There are two zippered and hugepockets on the "hip belt" near the small of your back. These will hold gloves or a small hat, or a number of gels. There's just room for a standard sized iPhone without a case. It** On the right-hand strap, where the shoulder strap turns into the hip belt, there's a squeezesmall zippered pocket with a stretchy fabric. This will just about hold a standard sized iPhone without a case.** On the left-hand strap, but I managed to fit where the shoulder strap turns into the hip belt, there's a small open pocket with a thin thermal top stretchy fabric. You can put the larger sized iPhone in this pocket, but it's not very secure, and it impinges on the pocket above.** On the both shoulder straps, just above the water bottle pockets there are small Velcro closing pockets that are big enough for one just to see or maybe 2 gels. Each pocket has a slightly different closing mechanism, the way couldn't say if it would fitone is better than the other.
* I like the extra small bungee loops for attaching things to.
* There's an external internal zippered pocket with a clip for keys, a good place for valuables. (This is the vertical zipper on the top left of the pack as it's worn.) * The right shoulder strap has a zippered pocket that holds ~3 GUs, then theres a larger zippered pocket that would hold ~16 GUs. Just below that is an open stretchy pocket that's wider that it's deep, but would hold 6-10 GUs, depending on what's in the pocket above. * The left should strap has a similar zippered pocket that holds ~3 GUs, then a pocket with an included 500ml collapsible bottle (mini-bladders) that fit with the pack nicely''. ''Just below that is an open stretchy pocket that's nicely proportioned and would hold 6-10 GUs. Below that is yet another pocket, this time zippered. (The top most zippered pockets on both sides are above the shoulders when the pack is worn.) * There are two sternum straps to spread the load. The four ends of the straps slide up and down easily over a wide range. The lower strap is a stretchy, which improves the comfort and control of the load more than you might expect. * There's no attachment clip for a hydration hose, though there are loops on the shoulder straps. * There's a small gray blue whistle, which I wish it was a brighter color. More importantly, I wish I could reach it with the pack on, but it's too far back.
* There are no side straps to pull the pack in closer, which I think would have helped this pack.
* An iPhone/There's no accessible storage for a larger iPhone plus will fit in either shoulder strap stretch pocket or except the larger zippered open pocketthat's not very secure. * I got the mediumsmall, which should be 3123 -40 32 inches, but I was close to the limit on how tight it would go with fits my 36 -inch chest, and I suspect the small size might have been a better fitnicely. <gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">File:Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest (3).jpgFile:Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest (2).jpgFile:Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest (1).jpgFile:Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest-back. jpg* The pack sits higher than a traditional pack, but lower than the AK or the VaporKrarFile:Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest-front. Motion is will controlled, but not quite as good as the smaller UD AK mountain vest, or the similar sized Patagonia Fore RunnerjpgFile:Ultimate Direction Mountain Vest-adjust. jpg</gallery>
==Patagonia Fore Runner 10L (recommended)==
This is the biggest surprise of my testing. The Fore Runner is a day pack with the lid removed and not much else done to make it suitable for running, other than adding some stability straps from the shoulder straps to the main pack. However, this pack is one of the most stable I've tested, clinging to my back like a loving koala bear. The pack is much bigger than you'd expect from the claimed capacity, or maybe it's just that everybody else's claimed capacity is a wild exaggeration. While this pack does of the core features really well, coupling loads of gear and carrying it comfortably. It falls short on the features that make a pack a "running pack." There's few pockets, and little gear falls at hand while you're running. This is a pack you're likely to have to take on and off fairly frequently during a run, and certainly a lot more frequently than I would like.
* I got the small/medium, which should be 35-40 inches, and it fitted well. I'm not sure there's another four inches of chest capacity however.
* The pack sits midway on the back, slightly lower than many running packs. I wished the sternum straps adjusted for height, but they worked well enough for the shoulder straps not to dig in. The pack was nice and stable, with little pendulum movement or bounce.
<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">
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==Ultimate Direction AK Mountain Vest (recommended)==
This is a wonderful pack, but it's on the small size for a [[Self Supported Runs| self-supported day run]]. It's quite a bit smaller than the UD PB adventure vest, and a lot smaller than Patagonia's Fore Runner. It handled my standard load, but there was little room to spare. On the other hand, it was wonderfully stable, and if you can manage with its size, then it's a great pack.
* 12.7oz (with empty bottles) in weight (7.1oz claimed), with a claimed 11.5L capacity, but it seems much smaller. I managed to get the bladder, rain top, thermal top, and light in the main compartment, with hat in one hip pocket and gloves in another.
* It does not come with a hydration bladder, but there's a sleeve that UD says holds 2L and held my bladder with ease.
* I got the small and medium sizes by mistake. The small, which should be 24-33 inches, fit reasonably well, though I was at the edge of what was comfortable. The medium, which should fit 31-40 inches seemed a little too large and I was pulling the straps to the limit of their adjustment.
* The pack sits really high up, almost between the shoulder blades. It's a stunningly stable pack, with almost no extra movement. It's more like I've put on an extra 5lb over my upper torso than I'm wearing a pack.
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==Nathan VaporKrar==
The VaporKrar is a much lighter pack, and not really quite big enough for self-supported day length runs. It only just held my standard gear and it didn't feel secure.
* With my standard load, the pack feels overstuffed, with too much of the pressure on the spine rather than spread out over the back. The pack feels like it's only attached towards the top, and sways like a pendulum. Removing some of the gear helps only slightly.
* The front of the pack works much better, spreading the load over the chest without any hotspots or rubbing.
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==Ultimate Direction Jurek FKT==
This pack is way too small, and the straps are uncomfortable, boarding on painful. I couldn't get the pack setup to avoid the discomfort.
* The pack doesn't feel big enough the small size should fit 38 inches and my chest is 36. The straps feel too far apart and dig into my deltoid muscles and collar bone.
* The pack sites quite high up, but is fairly stable, probably because of the pressure the straps put on my shoulders.
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==Salomon Skin Pro 15==
This pack has a whistle. There the good new ends, with an uncomfortable pack that seems poorly thought out and it's hard to believe anyone tested it before release. There's lots of capacity, but no control of the load, relatively few pockets, and a total lack of comfort. The shoulder straps dug in enough to make that I can still feel them as I type this. If you want to run a long way, this pack will make it seem like you've gone further, turning the first mile into five.
* The pack is unstable, and reminds me of running with an American "book bag". It's like running with an angry cat on your back, swinging from side to side and bouncing up and down. The shoulder straps accentuate the problem, digging in and hurting the shoulders.
* There's a small gray whistle, which I wish it was a brighter color as it took me a while to track it down. However, a whistle might save your life, so I can't complain too much. Not about the whistle anyway.
* ''There are no side straps to pull the pack in closer, or length adjustment on the shoulder straps, and the fit was what I would best describe as "crappy."''* ''There's only one size, but I don't think size was the issue per se. It wasn't too big or too small, it just didn't work properly. ''<gallery widths=300px heights=300px class="center">File:Packs17.jpgFile:Packs18.jpgFile:Packs16.jpg</gallery>
==Nathan Synergy Pack==
I got this pack as a prize at an ultra that Nathan sponsored, and never thought I'd use it due to its larger size. But as I started doing longer self-supported runs, I found that I needed the capacity. The Synergy works, but I wanted to see if there are better options, so this pack is my baseline standard I'll use for comparison.
* There's no hip pockets.
* The pack bounces more than I'd like, and doesn't have enough elasticity to hug as well as I would hope. The bounce can be controlled by tightening the pack down, but the side adjustment is not easy to access when wearing the pack.
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=Hydration Bladders=
I've tried a variety of hydration bladders over the years, and I've recently discovered the Geigerrig pressurized hydration bladder, which is rapidly become my favorite. I've been greatly surprised by how much better I hydrate with a pressurized bladder. While it doesn't seem like that much effort to suck the fluid from an unpressurized system, the additional effort results in less fluid delivery in a given time (you drink more slowly.) Because you can't breathe and drink at the same time, this slow delivery while running makes hydration quite a lot harder. The other advantage of a pressurized system is that the bladder stays a fairly constant size, something I prefer as it keeps the hydration pack a little more stable.
==Geigerrig Pressurized Hydration Engine==
The Geigerrig system appears to be patented, and includes 2 separate chambers, one for your drink, and the other for the pressurized air. This means that assuming you squeeze all the air out of the fluid chamber, you never get a frothy mixture. This system also completely separates the drink and air tubes, so there's no problem with stocking up on a carbohydrate rich drink, as it won't clog up the pressurization components. This approach is not without its caveats, and in fact, there's actually quite a long list of minor problems…
* The most obvious issue is the price, as the Geigerrig retails for around $50 in the US. <jfs id=" B005FVMUHU" noreferb="true" nonl="true" n="Geigerrig Pressurized Hydration Engine"/>
* Strangely, the capacity is a little smaller than advertised. I found that the 2-liter held about 1.8 liters and the 3-liter held about 2.8 liters.
* Because the Geigerrig doesn't have any interior baffles, the drink sloshes around quite a bit. You effectively have two bladders placed back to back, so the fluid sloshes against the pressurized air. This never caused me a problem, but it was a little noisy. It's actually a little bit more slosh than you would get from an unpressurized and unbaffled bladder.
* This is a pressurized system that relies on manual inflation, so you need to have the inflation bulb accessible to add more air during the run. This can be an issue depending how fully loaded your pack is and how it's designed. With the Hardrocker, I could easily and conveniently locate it in one of the shoulder pockets, but that takes up valuable real estate. When I'm carrying more gear, I tend to place it in the outer mesh pockets at the very back, and I can just about reach over my shoulder to add more air on the run.
* Some runners have found the on/off valve for the drinking tube to be a little awkward, but I haven't had any issue. Just grab the end and do a "lefty-loosey righty-tighty" twist.
* My first Geigerrig bladder started leaking badly on my second run with it. Luckily, the leak was in the pressurization system, so I could still use it as a normal, unpressurized bladder. I've not heard any reports of this being a widespread problem, and they offer a lifetime warranty, so I'm working on the basis that I was just extremely unlucky.
* The final problem is that you have a hose connection point on the front and the back of the bladder. Many hydration packs placed the bladder close to your back, so these hose connection points can easily rub. I found I needed to arrange the bladder with the pressurization connector facing away from my back, and the drinking connector facing towards the small of my back. I'd already put a small piece of closed cell foam over my Hardrocker pack (see above), so this lower connector didn't rub.
The key takeaway from this long list of minor problems is that they are all fairly minor. Having used a pressurized hydration bladder, it would be really hard to go back to an unpressurized system. The reduction in drinking effort makes it far more likely that I will stay appropriately hydrated, and I wish I'd had access to this system long ago.
[[File:Geigerrig Pressurized Hydration Engine.jpg|center|thumb|300px|]]
==Watertite Pressurized Hydration Bladder ==
Having fallen in love with the Geigerrig system above, I was curious if I could get all the advantages for half the price. (<jfs id="B01DT03JEG" noreferb="true" nl="false" nonl="true" n="Watertite at Amazon"/>.) Since the good news is that this system is indeed a pressurized hydration bladder, and it is well under half the price of the Geigerrig system. Unfortunately, this bladder should only be used with water, not sports drink. For me this was a deal-breaker, as I rarely if ever carry just plain water. The reason for the "water only" mandate is that the pressurization bulb is on the same hose that you drink from, so any fluid is going to get into the pressurization system and clog it up. A second reason for "water only" is that the Watertite bladder doesn't have a separate department for the pressurized air, and a sloshing effect will cause the drink and air to mix up and make a froth. This isn't too much of a problem with plain water, but a sports drink will result in quite a bit of frothiness, and the drinking that frothy mixture can cause digestive discomfort. I'm also a little concerned that the pressurization might cause a leak, and with a single compartment system you to lose all of your drink, whereas this a reasonable chance that a similar leak in the Geigerrig system would leave you with a viable if unpressurized bladder.
==Non-pressurized bladders==
I've not found one non-pressurized bladder significantly better than another. I've got on well with most of the name brands, including Camelbak, Platypus, Nathan, and Ultimate Direction. Before the Geirerrig, I'd settled on using the <jfs n="3L Camelbak Crux" id="B01LA5FCJ2" nonl=true noreferb="true"/>) as I like it being slightly wider at the top than the bottom to move the fully loaded weight slightly higher up, and I find the plastic handle around the opening makes it easier to fill up. The bite valve works okay and the on-off switch is pretty good. However, it's all slight advantages over similar bladders, and using the bladder that comes with your pack helps ensure you have a good fit.
=Storing Bladders=
It's easy to get mold in a hydration bladder, and once that happens the best option is often to replace it. Rinsing with dilute bleach works for some people, but it often leaves an aftertaste. Rinsing and drying the bladder, then putting it in the freezer will prevent mold growing. If you rinse with rubbing alcohol, the bladder should dry more quickly. Use Ethyl Alcohol, not the toxic Isopropyl and remember the fumes are flammable.
[[File:StoringBlad.JPG|none|thumb|500px|To prevent mold, it's best to store hydration bladders and hoses in the freezer.]]