Water in the parks - Camelbak or Filter bottles?

[wimama]

After reading a few threads saying that Orlando water doesn't taste good, I am trying to figure out what to do about water in the park. I am pregnant and even when not pregnant I drink a lot of water. I want to make sure I stay well hydrated this trip.

My DH and I both have Camelbak backpacks with water bladders. I am planning on ordering some groceries and having them delivered to our hotel when we arrive. So, I can order several gallons of water from a store to fill up the water bladders and get some ice from the ice machines.

The other option I am thinking about is those filtered water bottles by Brita or the Bobble bottle. I know you can get water from restaurants, but I am thinking that it would slow us down to constantly be waiting in line for water.

What is our best bet?

 

[2Monkeys]

We used the filtered bottles and filled them with ice & water before leaving our room. Then, as needed, we got a cup of ice water from wherever. Doesn't have to be a restaurant...any snack place that has fountain drinks can give you a cup of ice water. We never really waited in line, just looked for places without a line. I guess if you are going at an extremely busy time, you may have to wait. To me that beats lugging around a bunch of water bottles, or having to go back and forth to a locker.

There are also drinking fountains around that you could fill up with, but those gross me out!

 

[WizardLarz]

I've been to Disney tha past 3 years and I do not have any problem with the way Orlando tap water taste. If you have super taste buds maybe you would notice.
Also some people who don't drink water a home get to WDW and do not want to Pay for the soda that they migh normally get with a meal and get a water instead. So tasting plain old water may taste odd.
I would go with the Filtered waterbottle. The other option is buy the single bottle flavor packs of Crystal Lite or Koolaide type drink mix to add ,that way saving the money on the new fancy filtered water bottle.

 

[wimama]

We don't do any of those flavoring mixes. My DS has some food sensitivities and can't use them.

DH and I prefer plain old water as well. We will need at least one backpack in the parks anyway, because I need to bring food into the park for my DS. The Camelbak water bladders are pretty easy to use. You can drink water without pulling a water bottle out of your backpack. We use the packs whenever we go for day hikes. The main down side would be the added weight in the pack and mainly having to carry the bags of food and gallons of water back to the room from the resort lobby.

 

[tzolkin]

We are big fans of the hydration backpack.

Ours have other compartments and hold everything we need to take into the parks and you don't feel like you're lugging around water bottles. DH likes to be able to take a quick sip of water while pushing a stroller and being able to give the kids a drink without having to open a bag or spill.


We would fill the backpack(s) in the morning before heading out to the parks and then ask for a cup or two of ice any time we stopped to get something to eat. That was enough to refill the bags and keep the water cold.

I don't particularly like the tap water there, but no one in my family has complained.

 

[wimama]

We are big fans of the hydration backpack.

Ours have other compartments and hold everything we need to take into the parks and you don't feel like you're lugging around water bottles. DH likes to be able to take a quick sip of water while pushing a stroller and being able to give the kids a drink without having to open a bag or spill.


We would fill the backpack(s) in the morning before heading out to the parks and then ask for a cup or two of ice any time we stopped to get something to eat. That was enough to refill the bags and keep the water cold.

I don't particularly like the tap water there, but no one in my family has complained.

Did you fill up the water bladders all the way? Getting ice from the counter restaurants is a great idea. When we hike we throw a bunch of ice in there and then add water. I assume there is an ice machine at the resort so we can throw some ice in them in the morning with the water. I guess I am leaning towards the the using the waterbladders for the Camelbaks. I love not removing my backpack to take a drink of water.

 

[Virtucomp]

We thought about getting one of the camelbacks when we were going in the summer.

Do they make you sweat more on the back? I can just picture this large bag of water laying on my back causing me to sweat like crazy.

Does carrying the water on your back make it get warm? At least it would be better tasting water.

One of the problems we always have with the water fountains is finding one that the water is not warm.

 

[~Mandy~]

If you decide to go the filter bottle route I recommend the ones made by Camelbak. They are decently priced and don't leak. Personally I'd rather not carry that extra weight around on my back all day and like having the bottle, however if I didn't have a stroller I might not be so sure.
I agree with the people that say that Orlando water doesn't taste very good. I don't consider myself very picky about water but even the smell of the water from the shower is a bit unpleasant in my opinion.

 

[wimama]

If you throw enough ice in the water bladder the water stays nice and cool even on a long day hike. We have day hike packs that have chest straps and waist belts. They are designed to carry pretty heavy loads, so much so when we fly we stuff them up and use them as our regular carryons. I plan on just taking my food, maps, digital SLR camera and of course water in my pack.

I think any back pack can make you sweaty on the back wearing it, but Camelback has smaller packs that are designed to be used while exercising. They wouldn't make you very sweaty. It just depends on how big of pack it is. We have hiked with them mid summer and they never really bother me much.

We bought our packs around 8 years ago for our honeymoon we spent hiking. But our are similar to this heavy duty pack

http://www.rei.com/product/811574

You can get ones with little to no extra storage and they are not very bulky.

http://www.rei.com/product/811610

Just search for Camelbak pack and there are tons of models.

 

[cm8]

We thought about getting one of the camelbacks when we were going in the summer.

Do they make you sweat more on the back? I can just picture this large bag of water laying on my back causing me to sweat like crazy.

Does carrying the water on your back make it get warm? At least it would be better tasting water.

One of the problems we always have with the water fountains is finding one that the water is not warm.

To answer your questions, No and NO, We use a CB every trip and it actually keeps our back feeling like an AC from all the ice that we carry in it .

I'm not sure if anyone has issues with their water warming, but we first fill the bladder 3/4 filled with ice (or more) and then pour water we bring with us over the ice and that usually last the whole day for us

I should also mention that we have a 100oz bladder or 70 oz, it really helps to keep us hydrated and we each have additional space to store our personal effects

 

[tzolkin]

Did you fill up the water bladders all the way? Getting ice from the counter restaurants is a great idea. When we hike we throw a bunch of ice in there and then add water. I assume there is an ice machine at the resort so we can throw some ice in them in the morning with the water. I guess I am leaning towards the the using the waterbladders for the Camelbaks. I love not removing my backpack to take a drink of water.

There are ice machines at the resorts. DH would fill it completely with ice and then add some water. Then refill with ice whenever we have the chance. I think that's part of why the water taste doesn't bother me. If it's ice cold it tastes fine.

We thought about getting one of the camelbacks when we were going in the summer.

Do they make you sweat more on the back? I can just picture this large bag of water laying on my back causing me to sweat like crazy.

Does carrying the water on your back make it get warm? At least it would be better tasting water.

One of the problems we always have with the water fountains is finding one that the water is not warm.

Ours have a bit of padding between the water and your back, so some air can circulate. But, they're also cooler than a regular backpack since ours is always filled with ice. DH also likes it because it sits higher on the back than a regular backpack so your lower back (where he sweats more) is not covered by the bag. Also it's more comfortable and because it sits so high and is relatively flat you can even leave it on when sitting on many attractions and benches.

 

[PhillyMc]

I love my 100oz CB, I also picked up the insulated tube so I always have cold water right handy. As much as I love CB filter bottles they just don't seem to remove the sulfer from the water which is what gives WDW water it's bad taste. I would deff use the CB you'll stay cooler, you will need a backpack anyways so make it easy on yourself.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

We just got filter bottles and we LOVE them!