Dedicated h20 on the second line?
 

Most gear whores are always attempting to perfect their rig or see what new gear is out there. One deciding factor for me in gear wear/placement, is water. I know some folks always carry canteens/platypuses on their second line, and then there's those who never do, relying on a camelback instead.

I'd like to hear pros and cons on whether or not you think water should always be carried in the second line in something like a canteen or a platypus or whether a seperate camelback will do.

Thanks.

I am a big believer in water. I would say carry it everywhere all the time.

I am a belt and suspenders man.

Camelback and Platypus on Second Line, plus Platypus (empty or full, depending) on First line.

TR

What about the Nalgene bottles? Have they fallen out of favor? I still have 1 quart issue canteens, was considering replacing them with Nalgenes.

I have two, use them every day. But I don't think they replace canteens for carry on a belt.

I use two plastic pilot flasks in my chest rigs, along with a camelback on my back if I'm not wearing a ruck.

TR,

Sir, don't you have a chest rig without water on it? I think I have a pic of it on my other computer.

I love my CB,but my concern is that there could be a time where you take it off (driving) and then you are ambushed and have to e&e and aren't able to grab it. Without water on your 2nd or first line, you'd be fucked. It seems in alot of pics of guys in Iraq (contractors and army) that no one has any water carriers on their second line.

It would be nice to drop the canteens off my second line, but I could see where that would come back to haunt you.

Any camelback only folks out there?

I always wore my camelback. I harp on it to my guys to ensure they have water on. My boys are slowly learning to understand the whole "train as you fight" mindset.

It had a Hydration Sleeve on the back before it ever left the house, and a .5 liter Platy in a pouch.

TR

Absolutely. The two things you never want to be without is water and ammo. How you rig it and how much you elect to carry is going to depend on your particular situation. The camel back came into the inventory long after I hung up my webgear and while it looks like an easy way to carry water I have often wondered if it is at the expense of being able to haul/wear other equipment. We used to carry quart canteens on the belts and stuff empty collapsables in our cargo pockets or rucks to be filled when we hit our last water source prior to occupying RON positions or moving thru uncharted areas where we were not sure we would be able to get water easily. Of course identifying water sources for replenishment is not only part of good planning for your own folks but also good planning in hunting down the advesaries who also need water.

Jack Moroney

Copy.....do you leave the camelback in the sleeve when you drive/ruck, or do you remove it?

It depends.

If I were humping a large full-framed ruck for more than an hour, I would take it off and put it in/on the ruck.

For an assault pack , I might take it off, depending on how it rode, and if I were humping the ruck, or just carrying it casually. If I took it off, I would put the bladder inside the ruck.

For driving in a vehicle with padded seats, unless it is absolutely full, I think it is okay. On a vehicle with hard seats, I would have to look at the length of the discomfort.

HTH.

TR

Can you sit with one of the slimline camelbaks in a jeep, or is it too thick?

Thank you,

Solid

Thanks for the reply Sir. I find that for myself, humping a ruck with a full camelback sucks.

Basically Mett dependent.

So where's the "camelback only" guys?...I know there has to be a few....

Not sure, I'll have to go to the museum and check out a jeep.

TR

;) I used the generic term because I figure that humvees are not the only light vehicle used, and that even then they come as standard. I use an old (and thick) camelbak when freeskiing and its actually quite comfortable in cold, hard, helo or lift seats. I wear it underneath my ruck.

Solid