buying a camel bak
 

im looking into getting a new camel back.
Now i know i can hop into my local Mountain co op store here in london and grab a platypus 3L bladder for $28 but then i need a carrier for it. So i seen these on LA Police gear, im an avid lapolicegear fan.

http://www.lapolicegear.com/tac1-camelbak-ambush.html

http://www.lapolicegear.com/camelbak-thermobak--ab.html

Are these worth getting, or are there better options for the money?

Im gunna be using it for my own running and also for airsoft

ON A SIDE NOTE these come with MOLLE and STRAPS, so i can use it like a backpack for running, and molle it onto my vest while airsofting

Also (i just thought of this) I will be running a 24-32 hr assault pack one day when i start going to LONG milsims. So is it worthless to get this camel bak because ill be spending money on an assault pack eventually, or is it worth it to have both

These camelbaks come with the bladder as well.

Ah yes Never thought of that.. Guess ill grab one of these camelbaks for this year and get a pack maybe next year

if you're playing that long of a game, you better hope you're not hucking that assault pack for the entire length of the game. The camelbak is useful to go lightweight when you have the opportunity to dump weight at a CP or respawn. Also you learn to run lighter weight pretty quick, it's easier on your body to fill your bladder with 1L every few hours than it is to haul 3L of fluid with you at all times.

Nice find. Thanks love the Omega $20 cheaper... your savin me money ;)

read your post wrong... my bad lol

Get the ambush, it's the short/wide and it doesn't hang down off your plate carrier like the thermobak
And camelbak bladders are in every way vastly superior to platypus & blackhawk bladders.

Any links?

Keep in mind it has to have molle AND straps for when i wanna run with it

I use this Camelbak. It attaches directly to your vest and is pretty low profile. Holds 3L.

Camelbak ArmorBak 102 oz/3.1L Coyote 61138: Amazon.ca: Sports & Outdoors

Edit: Forgot to mention, it doesn't come with straps, so you do need MOLLE to attach it to.

http://www.midwestpolicegear.com/med...-hydration.jpg

Has shoulder straps, but it's really hard to find a camelbak with molle straps. What you do is attach grimloc D-rings to your plate carrier and just clip the camelbak on. It's fairly secure and REALLY easy to remove. Which comes in handy if you want to use the camelbak for sport, or carry an 80lb rucksack on your plate carrier

What's the diff between that and
This
http://www.lapolicegear.com/cathom10.html

My questions would be:

-What fluids can a camelbak handle? What can't they handle?
-Is it superior to a canteen?

It's worth it to have. Gives you options. Running it in an assault pack is all well and good but having a smaller pack for those days you don't need to lug around the bigger pack is a huge asset.

Forget camelbak, source military, get the rider. 3l, awesome bladder, has easy attach straps for Molle and shoulde straps :-)

Source is also good, I just love camelbaks, been using their products for years, even had a delta-5 way back when.

The thermobaks have a longer and thinner bladder with no center baffle. So it normally comes halfway down your battle belt, and fills up to be more round, making it EXTREMELY awkward to carry a pack over top of that.
The ambush is wider, shorter, and has a center baffle so it fills up to a flat shape, making it much more enjoyable to carry light packs or lean back against something. It also doesn't come down and rub against all the pouches on your belt lol

for $120... Thats way over what i wanna spend.. i know i can get one for 60-80.

The razor on source military looks AMAZING.. SUPER FLAT... but no shoulder straps :(

Precisely. Plus, hydration tubes and mouth pieces aren't the easiest things to clean if you use sugary drinks

oh as for fluids, you can put literally anything into a camelbak; gatorade, sugar water, beer, vodka, just as long as you rinse it out with hot water after
I've done all of the above lol

I've also left water in it in the fridge for 3 months (woops) it grew mold, but only within the liquid, it didn't actually stick to the pack and I just rinsed it out and I used it another year before buying the ambush
On the blackhawk reservoirs, you can actually see mold eating through their anti-microbial layer

Camelbak (as in water bladder)

-I never had problems with Blackhawk ones
-Camelbak, one of mine leaked at the attachment point (super glue fix the leakage)

My favorite camelbak is the Armorbak AB. The biggest selling point is there DASS (Direst Armor Securing System) you can attach it to plate carrier and tighten it to keep the flow. Its 3.1L in the short fat setup to prefect for platecarrier (was designed for IOTV vest)

The only case I could see someone buying the bladder seperately is the Geigerrig where you can pressurize the water (bloody expensive and doesn't carry as much water as typical camelbak)

I was thinking more about mineral water.

Also, you are superior to Google. :D

http://www.skdtac.com/SearchResults....arch=Hydration
And if you just want one strictly to mount to your vest
http://www.skdtac.com/PIG-Hydration-...-p/pig.503.htm
That's the one I have, and I love it.

My Hydration Carrier

Just got it this weekend. I like it. Three compartments: one for the bladder and two for other stuff. Or I could take out the bladder and use it as a backpack.