water bags thoughts
Posted by: gstamer
on Nov-18-12 6:20 PM (EST)
Some of my peers prefer placing water bladders under their knees. I tried this once -- I hate of the feel of it (it felt confining) and it impeded my leg drive.
I put multiple dromedary bags behind my seat. Depending on the trip I will carry multiple 4 liter bags. The top bag has a dromedary hydration system to keep me hydrated while paddling (allowing a clean deck and no water weight on my back). Having the same bag for hydration and storage gives you more options should a bag fail.
I prefer multiple bags over a single bag. I agree that having "all eggs in one basket" is not the best plan. I haven't had any dromedaries leak but I have seen racoons chew through milk jugs to get water in the Everglades.
There isn't much room for the bags to shift behind the seat in my kayaks. I have capsized in dumping surf in Iceland and elsewhere with this setup and had no problem rolling or with the the load shifting.
I don't want bags that can leak in a hatch -- with all my dry gear (even if it is drybagged). Also, on a steep beach I like being able to remove my water bags INSTANTLY -- with that weight free, I can more easily pull the kayak up the beach. In one situation I almost had to throw my bags over a berm and quickly haul the boat to safety, before the next wave hit.
Greg Stamer