Source Hydration Bladder WXP - 3 Liter (100oz) Water Bladder with High Flow Storm Valve - Featuring All Hydration Technology Advantages (4305530003)

When I received this bag, I was pleasantly surprised at the little details I hadn't given much thought to, but was always annoyed/wary of with other systems. The system can be broken down in to three portions, so I'll cover those individually.The bag: has a completely smooth surface, heavy duty, a good opening with an easy to grab handle. Hose entry is at the bottom of the bag bag. The smooth surface means water just beads up and rolls off, so you don't end up with a wet bag when you're in a rush. Give it a quick shake and you're good to go. The hose detaches using a quick-release mechanism, but the QR system also has a built in valve so that you can disconnect the hose, fill the bag up, then clip the hose back on to the bag and be on your way. This is important when you have to pass the hose through a dedicated hydration hose hole in the top of the bag; normally you'd have to have the bag within 1 ft of the water source, but with this you can separate and reconnect the two easily when refilling the 3L bag.The hose: has quick release mounts at either end. One end goes in to the hydration bag, the other the mouthpiece. The hose itself has light insulation which prevents it from becoming lukewarm on a hot day; it's noticeable in terms of the water actually being warmer, but it's also noticeably cooler than other systems I've used like Osprey, Platypus and Camelbak. The hose itself is a replaceable item that can be purchased separately, so if your hose builds up algae on the inside this is something you can explore - the most common reason for me replacing the hydration bag in my existing hydration systems. Again, the hose uses the quick release mechanisms that are self-sealing, so you can unclip things and water won't spray everywhere.The mouthpiece: twist and lock design. It comes with a dust cover attached by a thin thread. To drink, twist it to unlock the mouthpiece, then use it like you would a low end bicycle waterbottle. Most of the mouthpieces on the market require you to bite down or squeeze the mouthpiece to get water flowing, but this is a more simple mechanism, so if you let the hose drop without closing it it will start leaking water everywhere (a potential minus). Once again, this is a replaceable item so if you damage it you can replace just the mouthpiece rather than the whole hydration system.A second minor minus is the dust cap gets in the way a lot when trying to put the cover back on the hose; the thread holding it to the hose connects to the mouthpiece on the outside of the L bend at a fixed point and if it wraps around like mine does a lot you can't put it back on to the mouthpiece without looking at it. This is a minor point and I could just remove the dust cap, but as I use this for cycling it happens to me a lot and looking at it while doing 25 mph isn't exactly an option. Since it's just a bit of cord, to get around this when I get the right sized replacement cord I'll simply cut the existing one and replace it with one that's slightly longer - the dust cap won't sit as closely to the mouthpiece, but regardless of the orientation of the cord I will be able to replace the dust cap cover over the mouthpiece.

I've been using hydration systems for around 20 years, and this has been the best of all of them. The ability to unfold the top and get into the bag for cleaning and drying solves most of the problems I've had with other products. The source doesn't produce any noticeable tastes and seems quite durable. The quick disconnect fittings work perfectly with Sawyer filter quick disconnects, and Source's own accessory for filling the reservoir through the drinking tube works well, too. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is the drinking valve. It's a rotate to unlock, pull to open design that involves a lot of manipulation of the drinking surface compared to, say, Camelbak's method of popping open a covering cap and using a bite valve. Water flow is a little less, too. Honestly, though, that's a minor drawback when compared to the durability, extreme ease of cleaning and compatibility with my filter company's quick disconnect fittings. I'm unlikely to buy anything else, going forward.

Excellent water bladder. I used it for a 13-mile ruck and I never had to stop to rehydrate. Cleaning it was easy, too, and it hasn't leaked.

I purchased this based on the ratings and customer reviews. I used it with a 511 Rush 24 backpack and it worked great. The only reason I subtracted a star was due to the tube was a bit short for my liking, at one point, I thought I was out of water, but it was because I was pulling on the tube and had gotten it pinched up inside my backpack. All my other hydration packs are Camelbak and the tubes are longer on those.I did measure the tube, this tube is 36", but my Camelbak bladder tube is 39"The thing I like best about this bladder is the way the top has a clip that slides off so you can open the entire top of the bladder to let it dry out. Something Camelbak still hasn't figured out.I do like the dirt cover over the mouth piece. My first use was a week of hiking in Utah and with the sand and wind, this worked out well to keep my water clean.Not sure if the tub is insulated or just a protective cover, but I did notice that the water in the tube did not get as hot as I was used to with my previous hydration packs.As another review stated, the eyelet at the top of the bag worked great with my 511 pack which has a velcro strap in the top of the hydration pocket of the backpack which kept the pouch in place.Cleaning this is a breeze as the top of the pouch complete opens allowing you to quickly and easily clean and dry the inside between uses. And with the detachable tube, it fit very well into the hotel room fridge so I had cold water to start my day of hiking.

Bought this to use during a Goruck Tough Challenge. Easier and more convenient to fill than my Camelbak Omega bladder, and the construction feels way more durable. I like the fact that you can fill it without the drink tube connected (the Omega you cannot), this makes storage and loading into your pack a lot easier. I like the drinking valve a bit better on my camelback as it is just bite a suck then stop, vs the twist pull and suck then push and twist to close BUT I get a lot more water and a better flow out of the Source bladder than I do out of the Omega so there are pros and cons. On this tube the cap for the drinking valve is attached to it by way of a string of some sort that is attached to a small plastic loop. The plastic loop snapped off during an exercise we were doing so now the string just hangs and the cap is no longer attached, this will be a quick fix as all I have to do is glue or epoxy the end of the string down to the valve, but this is something to be wary about. Had I not been paying attention and I just took the cap off and dropped it to let it hang, I would have lost it. I will still continue to use my Omega bladders in all my Camelbak bags but in my other bags I will use this one instead.