Platypus Big Zip SL Hydration Bladder

I try not to write reviews unless I've tested gear at least 3-6 months with consistent abuse and I'm at the 5 month mark with no problems. I can't comment on durability yet, as I need to test it for at least another 6 months before I'm completely sold. Over the last 10 years or so I've had several brands, especially Camelbak, and all of my previous bladders have failed me in too short a time period. I'm not a fan of the design in which you screw the cap down as I always seem to have leaks. The Platypus design intrigued me so I made the switch and I'm glad I did. I've taken my 3L on dayhikes, overnights, trail runs, road runs, and I'm planning on using it for a Ragnar relay I'm doing next month in Southern California. However, I've not used it in temps below 20 degrees and I don't ski or snowboard, so I can't say if it's useful for those particular pursuits, though other reviewers have commented upon using it for snow sports. It fits my Marmot Ultra Kompressor, Osprey Stratos 36, Osprey Aether 85, and Mountain Hardwear Truckee 35 with no problems. The hose is easily detachable from the bladder, which makes the bladder easy to refill. Overall, it seems every bladder brand has its own drawbacks, but I definitely recommend the Platypus for all active pursuits. Oh, and it has no plastic taste!

The most important reason why I bought this bladder over a camelbak was because it's BPA free. I couldn't stand the plastic taste of the water from the camelbaks. Other nice things about this is the wide mouth for easy cleaning and the ability to disconnect the drink tube for easy filling or cleaning. It won't get in the way. I wish they allowed for the removal of the blue SlideLock closure as well. It can get in the way as it hangs on its cord so it has to be held aside. One major drawback to this bladder is how thin the bag is and it's durability. The thickness feels ok when touched but when I saw it tested by a squirrel who dropped a pine cone on my brother's Platypus, it didn't hold up, sadly. There were several punctures from the cone and when we filled it with water, it was leaking like a sieve. It happened the night before we were going to hike to the top of Mount Whitney no less. Luckily I had some duct tape. Later it punctured again when my brother lightly placed it on a boulder. More duct tape.
By the way, the photo makes this bladder look like it's mylar coated or something similar but it's actually transparent.
It really depends on what's more important for the individual. Durability like the camelbak or BPA free. I just can't stand the plastic taste of the water in a camelbak.

I just got the 1.8L bladder to use with my North Face Chugach 16 pack. The bladder fits well in the hydration sleeve. The bite valve is a little large for the insulated sleeve in the shoulder sleeve though. I can get it zipped, but I can see it being a little difficult to do out on the hill, especially with gloves. Not a huge deal though. Other than that, the system functions as advertised. I like the large zip opening, and the bite valve delivers a strong stream. Overall a great product.

I have been using camelbak bladders for about 11 years and once I switched to platypus I was totally sold. I hated trying to open my omega bladder sometimes, it was painful trying to unscrew the lid and if I didn't tighten it to a 175 ft lbs of torque it would leak.

The big zip doesn't leak, the plastic slide for the zipper works flawlessly. You can freeze these (I do) and they can take boiling water (allegedly).

I have had no problems with the durability of my platypus bladder as other reviewers have mentioned, but had patches on both my camelbak omega bladders. My current big zip has 700+ mi of backpacking and 200+ Mt biking and is patch/leak free.

I have used Emergen-C, NuuN, and the Camelbak tablets in my big zip with very little permeation. With one or two washes the flavor is gone. I wash out with dish soap and dry thoroughly after uses.

Overall, far superior to omega bladders. In my experience these are lighter, stronger, and simply a better design. Good luck!

Love Platypus and will never buy a different brand of bladder again for these reasons:
Indestructible-I have had one for more than 10 years now and is still going strong
Zip top: never leaks, easy to to mix drinks in and put ice in.
Valve: doesn't need a shutoff valve like other brands because the nipple never leaks.
Buy this brand and you will never go back.

This is the first time I used a Platypus water reservoir and it worked great. No leaks and the mouthpiece actually worked the first time. I really had to struggle with my last camelbak mouthpiece.

I've only tested this out at home, so I can't vouch for it's durability over time in tough conditions, but so far so good!
I was worried that the blue plastic piece across the zip opening would be cumbersome, and unnecessary weight, so I tested the bag without it. I was pleasantly surprised when the piece slid off easily when I tried to remove it, but I didn't get the feeling it would slide off accidentally. Once I filled the bladder up with water, I squeezed it and flipped it around to test the zip closure, and it didn't leak or show any sign of weakness. I also attached the drink tube (no leaking or dripping!) and taste-tested the water (tasted fine to me). When I took the drink tube off a small drop of water came out of it, but that was all. I saw no reason to worry about it dripping significantly or squirting when taking the tube on and off, which is a relief.
I bought the 3 liter/100oz to put in an Osprey Atmos 65 pack, and it fit fine. This is the largest size recommended for that pack, and the top did stick out a bit from the hydration reservoir, but mostly because of the blue sliding piece (which can be removed).

I upgraded to this from using my water bottle in a side holster in my pack and the improvement is amazing. I put the bladder in an outside pocket on my camera backpack, and the hose is still long enough to reach easily to the holder on my shoulder straps. It's so much faster to take water breaks without stopping or even using hands. I haven't had any problems with leaks from the bag, hose, or mouthpiece. I've used this for 8 months and didn't even realize it had a shutoff at the mouthpiece because it's never leaked, even in the open position.

this is great because like the name suggests, the top zips off. Its essentially a giant zip lock bag. It makes it really easy to scoop up water from a river and then add purifying drops to it. I don't feel as if it will ever come unzipped as it clicks into place, and I am never worried about losing the top because its connected to the bag. very nice bladder all around

After using Camelbak's for years and not being happy with how leaky the new Antidote version is, I tried the Platypus. I was happy that it didn't leak under pressure, however getting a good flow of water from the bite valve is a difficult task. Compared to Camelbak's, it's downright difficult. The other issue I find is that it's not nearly as easy to fill in a faucet (pre-hike). This wouldn't be a problem while on the trail, but completely filling it in a faucet is pretty much impossible. I can't speak to the issue about the slide-lock in the other reviews as I haven't put enough miles on it yet (nor doubt I ever will due to bite valve issue). If any of you water reservoir companies need a new design engineer (the 2 mentioned apparently do), I'm available for hire!

I got the "bro code" discount after I bought Marmot Drakon 35 backpack and it arrived without a reservoir. An error was made in the product description, but backcountry of course hooked it up after ten mins of negotiations. I took the advice of others and took off the blue zipper and it really works greatly! no leaks, great flow, zero plastic taste. I even filled it up with fat tire beer and with a thorough wash their are no lingering flavors...I have never owned a reservoir before but will certainly stick with Platypus in the future. Good Job Goats and Platypus!!!!

I have had a Camelback bladder for years and switched over to a Platypus bladder when my backcountry pack was stolen. So far, I love it. I always had issues opening my Camelback bladder as the grooves on the lid were angled the wrong direction for opening the lid. The zip top is super easy to open or close and it is great to be able to dry out the reservoir to prevent any odd tastes or smells.

The widemouth zip makes filling and cleaning easy as well as does the quick disconnect hose. You can also keep this in the freezer which is awesome. I actually store mine in the freezer to prevent any mold at all from accumulating. There is no plastic taste, but the flow seems a bit weaker than some of the other bladders I've used but is overall not too bad. Great bladder, I definitely recommend it.

A MUST!!!! take off the plastic slider and throw it away. It wears the bladder extremely fast and leads to leakage. ( just close the bag by hand and problem solved ) also carefully remove the metal rivet ring. As far as over priced its worth it for being BPA free but if it wasn't for that fact its just a heavy duty zip lock bag.

The last time I used a camelbak it leaked all over and it was hard to get water thru the mouthpiece. The Platypus Big Zip SL worked great the first time I used it and I would buy it again.

I finally converted over to the 3L Bigzip Platypus bladder after always using the Camelback brand bladders that came with my packs and would never go back. The difference between the water flavor (or lack there of in Platypus) is like night and day. The BPA free bladders by Platypus are easy to use, well made, and leave your water tasting like water instead of plastic! What an amazing upgrade!

love it! the zip thing at the top is so cool..

very easy to fill, and hasn't leaked once!

I had the BigZip 2L for two years and a half, after that the zip started leaking. The problem was at one of the zip's ends - it was too close to the margin, and the water eventually found a way to escape through the zip's channel. I'm not sure this is a clear description of what happened, as I am not a native English speaker, but to me it is clear that the manufacturer does not have good quality control, as the zip molding is badly done. Other minuses of this product are :

- the zip is very hard to close, especially in cold weather - you will loose a lot of time trying to close it
- the blue "platypus" inscription and everything else imprimated on the water bag started to fade away from the first use in a day hike, painting my pack with blue. After a few trips, the whole water bag looked like it was 100 years old
- the iron in the attaching clip started rusting after a few weeks - again looking like 100 years old
- hose is too long - you will end either with too much hose out, dangling in front of you, or with too much hose in your backpack, possibly strangulated by other objects or the convoluted positions inside the pack
- the mouthpiece does not have a cap - this is not hygienic, othe companies offer this in the standard kit
- if there is pressure on the water bag (too tight backpack), and the faucet is opened at mouthpiece, the mouth valve will give away, allowing water to pour - this is especially bad when you have it completely in your backpack fully filled
- the safety blue fastener/handle is annoyingly dangling when refilling

Fortunately, I decided to switch to another company making hydration systems, and the BigZip is only an ugly memory now.

The bladder is definitely better than the Camelbak, but the mouthpiece is largely less good. It often leaks a little bit when the same shutoff valve doesn't drip at all with Camelbak

Had one of these for backpacking in New Mexico. worked great for 9 days of the trek until our last day (day 10) when coming down switchbacks the the zipper broke. Nothing duct tape can't solve for a day. Just glad it didn't happen on day 1!

Has two KEY features. First, the drinking tube detaches from the bag so you don't have to re-tread the tube every time you fill the bag. Second, the wide "zip-lock" opening allows for easy filling and cleaning

I bought this as a replacement for the bladder that came with my DAKINE Shuttle bike pack when it started to leak. Overall it is easy to fill/clean and has never leaked. The drink tube diameter is small though so it makes you feel like you are drinking out of a straw, not good when you are sucking wind and need a quick drink. For this reason i will try a different bladder next time.

I recently got the Platypus Big Zip SL bladder in the 2.0 liter size to put in Patagonia's 750 cu Endurance Pack, primarily for mountain biking. I thought that the basically glorified zip lock bag design would be good for easy filling and drying out. (I always like to get my hydration bladders as dry as possible so strange things don't start growing...) I also liked that this bladder comes with a shutoff valve and 90 degree bend for the mouthpiece, unlike with CamelBak which sells the bladders and shut off valves separately unless you buy their whole backpack. The piece that makes the drink tube removable does add a bit of bulk, but with a bulkier mouthpiece and shut off valve, it is nice to be able to route the tube in the other direction and just leave it there. It also gives the added bonus of helping the tube dry out more quickly when it is detached. For now I'm pleased, though I'm wary of so many "extra" parts that could break. All the more reason to get this through Backcountry because of their sweet return policy. I guess only time will tell. I know people who prefer the Platypus mouthpiece to CamelBak's, but for me it's taking a bit of time to get used to. Overall, I think it's a neat design, and if you're looking for an alternative to CamelBak's bladders, I would definitely recommend you give this one a try.

Great bladder that's easy to fill, but the bladder isn't as good as the one CamelBak makes.

this is my favorite bladder i have or had. i am on my second one because a 2.5" thorn punctured through mt backpack and into my bladder. but there isnt a bladder that i know of that will stop a nail like thorn. backcountry though sent me another and im off again.the drink tube disconnect bit is great and cant easier then the way the top works.

Easy to fill, easy to connect to drinking tube, and durable. I use this with a Dakine Helipro DLX 20L pack when I ski and it withstood a couple wipeouts without rupturing or losing the seal at the zip-lock end.

Putting ice in the platypus bladder is easy and I like the bite valve a little better over the Camelbak's.

The absolute best hydration bladder on the market. I've tried the camelbak, hitec, and outdoor products. I also had the original platypus and this one is a definite improvement with the blue sliding lock. Althought the original one never leaked, I was always skeptical. This one took the question out.

It's also easy to clean.

In 5 years, I have been through 5 water packs, until I got this one. The removable tube is helpful when you are filling the pack because you don't need to pull the tube through the hole in your pack to free the whole unit. You can simply clip the tube back in and stuff the water pack into your pack.

My main problem with previous water packs is that they leaked, not necessarily within my pack but from the spout/mouthpiece. So far I have taken this one on dozens of trips, including travelling abroad, and have had no issues with leaking. The locking feature on the mouthpiece obviously helps this.

Finally, the elastic cord attached to the piece that zips the unit closed means that you won't lose it or drop it. It fits snug and secure, and again, has not caused any leaking yet.

Highly recommended if you want to stay hydrated while you are on the move.

It doesn't leak, it sits well in the daysack and I could refill it without having to take the bladder, nevermind the drink tube, out of my bag - major plus. The 2L was perfect size for a 15L daysack.

In the next version, include a cap so that we can hygienically cover the mouth piece when not using it.

I picked this up after doing a lot of research on bladders. I found that the ease of use with the Big Zip was pleasing. I usually like to sway away from the trends so I didnt go with Camelback. I have nothing but posistives to say about this bladder. It zips closed well and the quick disconnect tube is very nice! I have a Osprey Kestrel 48 and it fits nicely and works very well. I would recommend this to anyone!

This bladder seems to work well, and I certainly can't argue with how easy the wide opening makes filling and cleaning, but I did have issues on a recent race that was a 7-mile MTB climb. I nearly passed out trying to suck the water out of the bladder--the choice was either to stop and hold it overhead, or go without. I don't know if I did something wrong, or was just sucking too much wind to be able to pull the water, but it was disappointing. I'm going to give it another try to see if I can figure it out.

I just purchased this bladder because I was a little tired of the same old trouble everybody has with camelbak bladders, and I figured what the hey might as well try a different style and I will either have the same issues or new issues which I can then make a better decision next time. I am sold on Platypus. The only issue I have with this bladder is the mouth piece is a little bigger then my old camelbak so it won't fit snugly in my should strap and it kept getting caught on stuff, the lift chair, my buddy while on the lift chair. All this needs is sometime for me to find a way to secure it. Other then that with the huge zip top it is so easy to get ice and water in it, in case you forget to through it in the freezer the night before, and it dries out so fast with that top open there is no worry of mold or mildew. I also never experience any leaking from the mouth piece or the hose connection at the bladder. I hated having to thread the hose through the shoulder strap every day, and I have had no leaking or issues with the hose quick connect.

Great high quality hydration bladder. I've never had any problems with anything from Platypus. You don't get that plastic taste like you do with Camelbak. Very easy and efficient to use, the tilted spout makes it easy to drink out of when it is in a pack. Also the detachable hose makes it so you don't have to wind it through all the holes etc. just to take it out. The best feature though is the zip top, makes it extremely efficient to fill up. No more screwing on tops or messing with other closures, just put the top on and zip, it's closed. Never had any leaks.