Platypus Platy Water Tank

I bought this to have extra filtered water easily at the ready while in camp. I really wanted the 4L but it wasn't available at the time so I got the 2L. I am pleased with it although it takes some finagling to get the water in initially. I use my pump filter and it doesn't want to stand up to filter into it until you get a little water in the bottom to support it standing up. The bag seems durable and well made while still being light weight and easily packable. Still wish I'd held out for the 4L but am happy with my purchase.

I was upset when I lost my 2L version of this bag, that I had for several years and used over 11 months in the woods. I replaced it with the 4L, and enjoy the extra capacity, and the zipping mechanism has been improved and zips closed much easier now. It packs small, is light, and they hold up well. But DANG it is expensive for what it is.

We use the water tank as the clean end of a gravity powered water filtering configuration. The tank is easy to carry and is very light weight considering the quality of the construction and the capacity.

The only complaint I have is the clear plastic yellows quickly. It does not affect the taste of the water but it's very unpleasant looking. After 4-5 trips out I simply replaced it so I don't have to live with a yellow water tank.

http://www.backcountry.com/platypus-drinking-tube-kit

I have used the water tank on multiple-day kayak trips. Since packing water along on longer trips isn't very feasible, I would filter water each evening from the river to replenish water bottles and use for evening cooking and morning coffee. It folds flat and easily packs into storage compartments.

I would have it open in my pack 50% of the time, I use it more for car camping now. Always had a hard time getting the ziplock to close properly.

I like this better than my dromlite bags. Easy to pour water in, zip up is working so far. Spout pour is fast. Great for the table. Folds flat

Just hope I don't lose the cap..

Perfect for backpacking. Folds up nicely and doesnt take much room and adds practically no weight. The ziplock top works wonderfully as long as you make sure to seal it properly. I filled it completely up and flipped it upside down with no leaks. Stands up on its own nicely at camp with water in it and the top opening is great for many different uses.

We bought 2 bags, a 4 L and 6 L for the AT trail in GA last month. The ziplock type closure is a little tricky but it was easy to work with but once closed it was leak proof. Loved the wide opening which allowed for east filling and the handle made it easy to pour out of the spout. Highly recommend.

After dealing with some awful cheap collapsible water jugs (the clear red capped type) for kayaking and car camping, I had it. I was sick of their poor performance, inability to stand up on its own, and plastic-tasting water. I decided to upgrade and spend a few bucks. After much research, I decided to give a 4L Platy a try. This has now gone through a full summer season of kayaking and car camping, being thrown in boats, packs, on picnic tables and the ground and it handled it all beautifully. I read some reviews saying the zip-top didn't stay sealed and was unreliable. It was pretty easy to run my fingers along the top sealing it, with a quick inverting of the bottle when done as a test, and off I went. I never had one catastrophic sealing failure.I love this water tank and don't hesitate to recommend it.

once the boating party found out i was carrying one of these on my boat - there was a request to cook up specialty cocktails in it every night! great for mixing up big batches of whatever concoction you can dream up. While great for carrying water - the wide-mouth opening, and gussetted bottom for stand-alone ability, makes it ideal for mixing up drinks for large parties too!

This bag combined with a Sawyer screw on filter is a match made in heaven. Especially if your collecting water from a lake rather than a flowing river or creek. With my 4L platy tank, I filled 7 liters of nalgene a day for 6 days. The seal blew open on me only once, thus learning the pressure limit of the bag. Durability showed well too. I rested it on twig covered dirt, rocky shore etc. No issues. Easy to clean too with the big opening and all. A +

I've been hiking with a through hiker for a couple of years now who carries a couple of these on every hike. His are labeled for clean and unsanitized water (cooking, washing, etc.). I've been watching him utilize these effectively to manage his camp duties and efficiently fill drinking and cooking vessels. His behavior is illustrative of someone who's got his system dialed in (after half a year on trail, I guess one would).

I decided to take his lead and picked up an MSR Dromlite bag. Not the best choice. The dromlite is nice and light, has a few options for disseminating the water, but they fall short in a number of ways:



* carrying - the platypus has two carry handles, reinforced by plastic for easy transportation

* freestanding - The platy will stand while the zip top is open and water doesn't spill out. The dromlite can't stand and if you open it up, water will gush out.

* big opening for scooping - scoop a bowl or nalgene full of water right out of the vessel if you like

* pouring - they both have a small opening, pouring feature, but the playpus handle and shape makes it pour just like a pitcher.

* durability - this is TBD. Will the Platypus crystalize? Will the Dromlite last longer? remains to be seen.

I picked up the platy and couldn't be happier. I have an loder platy 1L bottle with a squirt top that can be added to this for even more versatility.



I'll probably keep the MSR for now, but if I need to buy another high volume vessel I am going for another water tank.

I bought two 6-liter tanks for a backpacking trip on the Channel Islands three years ago now. A hell to carry but really worth it, not much water there.
Anyway, I've used them a lot since then just for car camping mostly, and have never had an issue. The zip-lock style top closes easily for me, and as the recommend I flip it upside down to make sure it's properly closed, and I usually don't see a drop.
Finally, as some users have mentioned, it is compatible with the rest of the platypus line which means you can screw a platypus hose on it, or probably their filter although I haven't tried.

This little tank is pretty useful, and has been fairly durable. I've had some Platypus products leak after some use, but this thing is going strong, probably because it never spends time full in a pack getting beaten up.

It does its job well, but sealing the top is an exercise in frustration. I'm not sure I've ever gotten the top of it to seal. The little zip lock top has become the butt of jokes for us, and is essentially just aesthetic.

I think that one of the best uses for this product is to fill it up and freeze it. That way you have got a block of ice that you can put in your cooler. As the water melts you can pour it into a bottle and drink ice cold water. It is also great for backpacking once you get to camp. It is pusher light weight and pack down really small.

I love this water carrier, but it is a bit tricky to seal, and you have to make sure it is sealed, otherwise, things can get wet. I used this on a kayak-camping trip in the ADKs, and it served us well. Ample capacity in the 6L for two people, for drinking, cooking and cleaning. Compacts down easily when empty.

Been using the previous style of this--stood up tall "portrait" orientation--for 5 years of backpacking, and it has been overall well worth the money, more durable than it looks, easy to use and clean. Just this weekend a pinhole developed in the bottom corner of my 5-yr-old bag, so will replace it with this new style if I cannot repair the leak myself. Turning the old version on its side ("landscape" orientation) should cure the old problem of being top heavy and occasionally spontaneously falling over unless on absolutely level surface or less than full. The old-style too-stiff zip-closure top never worked more than a few times but turns out I really didn't need it, anyway--just folded over top to keep out leaves and bugs (maybe this new version zip closure is improved?). I attached a leash to the cap to prevent losing it.

You can freeze these and then use for drinking water as it thaws. Will last in cooler up to 36 hours. We use 3 of the 2L and sure beats melting ice all over your food!!!