Gear Review: Using a GeigerRig Hydration Engine with other brands of packs
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I have a GeigerRig Hydration Engine but my backpack was not made by GeigerRig now what?
One of the things that I had wondered when I received my 3 liter GeigerRig Hydration Engine was how easy it would be to hook that up to different backpacks that were not specifically created to use the GeigerRig Hydration Engine. I was really not surprised at all at how easy it was to retrofit my 3 backpacks of choice with the system. Granted it did take a little bit of creativity to complete the task at hand with limited resources.
The first pack up is my old trusty REI Alpine day pack. This pack has a built in hydration pouch in the pack with a tube outlet at the top middle of the pack. The nice thing about this pack was that the tubes were able to be run out each side of o of the outlet and connected to the straps with out any issues. One thing I was able to do was “barrow” a few pieces from my GeigerRig 700 pack to connect the tubing and the Power Bulb to the straps.
REI Alpine
The Second Pack was a smaller day pack. It is the REI Flash 18. With this pack I chose to not use any of the GeigerRig accessories. I ended up using two smaller pieces of nylon cord and two cord locks to hold the Power Bulb into place. The drinking tube was threaded through a loop on the other shoulder strap. Even though these were hooked to the straps I did find it to be a little uncomfortable having the Power Bulb tied on the way it was. This was because the shoulder straps themselves are not ridged and collapsed in on itself when anything is tied around them. Even if I was to use nylon straps, zip ties, or really anything else the results would be similar due to the strap type. If I was to get really creative I could have put something behind the Power Bulb and the strap that was ridged to keep the shape of the strap. Both tubes came up out of a opening at the top of the pack. This pack also had a hydration sleeve.
REI Flash 18
The last pack I chose to outfit with the 3 liter GeigerRig Hydration Engine was my Ultralight Adventure Equipment Catalyst. The neat thing about this pack is that it has hydration tube holes on both sides of the top of the pack. I was able to slide the drinking tube through some of the existing loops and bungees on the strap. The Power Bulb was attached with the nylon cord and the cord locks. For a more long term solution I might think about using either nylon straps or even the reusable gear ties.
ULA Catalyst
Overall it was very easy to hook up the system to the different packs and took very little effort to do so. With a little but if creativity you can use the system on pretty much any pack as long as there is some type of hole to run the tubes through and places to connect them to the straps. I can even think of a few ways to use the GeigerRig Hydration Engines for lots of non backpacking uses however that’s another blog post.
One thing I would like to highlight is that you can purchase several items to help hook the system up to your backpack. The Power Bulb Holder and the Insulated Tube Garage are two of the ones I found most interesting. Check out the GeigerRig website for more accessories.
The Bottom Line
Easy to use on any pack you own. You can even use it without a pack. This is one versatile product that simply just works great.
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I bought my first Geigerrig system without the pack and have been using it with a Camelbak pack that I’ve had for a few years. I try not to buy more gear than I have to so it worked well for me.
Plus, I think it’s more about the performance of the system than the pack. There are a lot of packs out there that feel great and fit my needs. Not so many hydration systems.
It’s nice to see that the Geigerrig system works with so many packs.
One of the things that the Geigerrig system has going for it is being so versatile. So many ways it can be used and the community and the Geigerrig company are still learning about them and even crating them. I am very excited to see where the future takes us with more innovation and technology.
I can see where using the hydration bladder with a different pack would save some money if you already have a pack. But won’t this dilute the coolness factor of the Geigerrig system? There have been a lot of great reviews but I still haven’t seen anyone review the coolness of the Geigerrig system. Have you guys seen the videos of this pack? In one video, they make a bomb and place it into the hydration pack (with the hydration bladder in place). In another video, they take a Geigerrig hydration pack and throw it out a window of a truck going 100 miles per hour allowing the pack to slam into the asphalt. I love telling people about my Geigerrig hydration pack because it’s cool as crap. I mean… it is a very well made, durable piece of gear. But if you have it disquised in another hydration pack, you don’t get to tell all the great stories. When you’re hanging out around the campfire, you might need a few good stories. Just sayin’.
I found the videos at http://www.geigerrig.com
It would not detract from the Coolness factor at all. This is because it has the Power Bulb that is typically strapped to the other shoulder strap. People tend to ask what that is on your pack no matter the pack because the Power Bulb and the whole Geigerrig hydration engine is so new to the market that people have not really seen them. At least where I hike often. I have seen the videos very cool stuff. I like the one where they put the dry ice in the bladder itself and it expands to the size of a basketball before failing.
Good point, Adam. The Power Bulb does make it hard to disguise. I missed the video with the dry ice. I’ll go back and check it out. Great post as always, by the way!
Why thank you. There are two videos one where they put the dry ice bomb inside the bladder without a backpack the other they put the dry ice bomb inside the bladder and that is inside the backpack. Needless to say it goes kaboom but before it does it shows the real strength of the system.
How well did the Geigerrig bladder fit into the built in hydration pouch? Was it a tight fit or did it have plenty of room for when you pressurized the bladder?
It worked great in both of the REI bags. They both had pouches that were rather stretchy and had no issues. On my ULA pack I ended up actually putting it on top of my gear and did not use the hydration pouch because it was only built for a 2 liter hydration system and was quite small with just the water and the extra hose connection. I typically put my water on the top like that anyway so it did not hinder performance of the hydration system or the pack itself.
Geigerrig Hydration Pack I am not sure about and have questions, I feel in cool weather the tube will freeze because you will be unable to blow water back into the bladder. The second is there filter, is it .1 micron or less? The next problem is the bag will take more room in the pack, I feel this is a major problem due to going on smaller hikes with 1 liter of water in my Platypus instead or 1 liter in Geigerig bladder which still takes the room of a 3 liter bag. I’m not slamming the bladder but everyone should know limits to the equipment you are using, and if you don’t fill the bladder with air then what is the point of using it.
Freezing Tubes: In cold weather any system has potential to freeze. With the GeigerRig system using the quick release valve you can release some of the air pressure and blow back into the system. Then to re-pressure simply close the release valve give the Power Bulb a few pumps and off you go.
Filter: To learn more information about the filter and all of its technical glory visit the filter FAQ page here http://www.geigerrig.com/hydration-packs/accessories-filter/faqs.html
Room in the pack: As you drink the water it allows the second chamber to fill with air. It does not take much to create enough pressure to push the water through the hose. If you have a 1 liter hydration system at any given time will only have a combined liter of water and air in the system.
Hope that answers your questions.