Geigerrig has been making some really cool water packs and filters for a while now. They really stand out for the pressurized system – meaning that the bladder not only has a line out for water to drink, but it also has a line out to a bulb (think dr.’s office!) that you can use to create pressure. This actually comes in handy when you want to get more water quickly, give some water to your dog or even use it as a solar shower.
The water bladder – called Hydration Engine – is very durable and has an extra layer of nylon fabric sealed to the back of the bladder to protect it from puncture. The bladder also has quick release valves that make it easy to add an inline filter (review on that below) or detach the hose so you can clean the bladder (top rack dishwasher safe!) or fill with water. Cleaning is easy – just snap off the hoses and turn the bag inside out. The wide mouth and slide top make filling up easy too. The Hydration Engine comes in 2 sizes – 2Land 3L.
Geigerrig makes several accessories as well as Rigs (backpacks). We tried out the In-Line Crypto Filter with our 2L Hydration Engine and found it to be very easy to use. It is not the first inline water filter, but it sure is handy. Just clip into the bladder then clip the water hose to the filter. Done. This set up should do fine for most of us in North America. It removes 99.9% of Cryptosporidium and Giardia. The filter is lightweight (1.5oz) and is good for 50 gallons of water. Plus the price point is great.
They offer an In-Line Virus filter as well, but we have not tested that out yet. All in all, this is one handy system and it has not let us down in the month of testing in the Colorado backcountry.
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