The Great Outdoors Spring 2019

82 The Great Outdoors Spring 2019

HydraPak

Shape-Shift 3L

£31.50 154g

reversible for cleaning, lightweight

valve shut-off a little stiff

Sizes: 1.5L, 2L, 3L

Material: thermoplastic polyurethane

Features: slide seal, bite valve, reversible for easy

cleaning, can be frozen or illed with 60°C water

hydrapak.com

Engineers at HydraPak have

redesigned the popular Shape-

Shift 3L for 2019, with the

fundamental improvement

being the low through the

tube. Another element that

sets this hydration reservoir

apart is the ‘bafle lock’. Like

a down jacket, the bladder

is drawn together down the

middle, reducing the bulge

of the water and the overall

proile, meaning it is easier to

get into your bag and won’t

feel as bulky. It’s a simple and

clever touch that eliminates

one of the niggles of hydration

reservoirs. It also stops the

reservoir from twisting and

bending in a backpack. What’s

even smarter is that you can

unlock this bafle to get more

water capacity. With the bafle

locked, it has a capacity of

2.5 litres and unlocked it is 3

litres. Nor does it affect the

reversibility of the bag

for cleaning.

The tube is removable

too, without any leaking

problems, while at the other

end the bite valve has a high

low (20% more than previous

iterations). The valve can also

be completely switched off,

so there are no little leaks;

however, it is a bit stiff.

The opening at the top is a

slide-seal type wide enough to

quickly ill and clean, and there

was no issue closing it with wet

hands, thanks to grippy parts

on the top of the reservoir. It’s

dishwasher-safe (on the top

shelf). The material does also

seem very durable.

There was the tiniest hint

of a plastic taste, but it was

barely perceptible. Additional

features include insulated

tubes, magnetic clips and

cleaning kits.

Platypus

Big Zip Evo 1.5L

£33 160g

no plastic taste, lightweight, bale

slightly stiff shut-off valve

Sizes: 1.5L, 2L, 3L, 2L Lumbar

Material: polyurethane

Features: Secure SlideLock closure,

illing handle, quick disconnect, shut-

off valve, bafle, silver-ion bacterial

protection, certiied taste-free

platy.com

Platypus is part of the group

that includes Therm-a-

Rest and MSR, so quality

is somewhat assured, and

Platypus has been working

on products like this is the

USA for more than 20 years.

The Big Zip Evo has been

around for a while and is being

regularly updated. New for

2019 is a faster low rate (up to

50% faster) and a better taste.

I can vouch for this because

I’ve been using one from

around ive years ago, and

the mouthpiece is deinitely

improved (not that there was

much wrong with it in the irst

place). The construction is

similar to others on test, with

a removable tube, but at the

top rather than the bottom –

this makes it easier to access.

The opening has what they

call ‘Secure SlideLock’, which

differs slightly from other

openings in that it has a seal

like a ziplock bag, secured

with the lock. It’s easy to open

and ill, especially as there’s

a handle. The lock itself has a

plastic loop that allows you to

attach it to a compatible bag.

The mouthpiece is opened

with a lever. It’s designed to

be one-handed but was a

little stiff. The low rate has

improved and is perfectly

adequate, but not quite as

effortless as the CamelBak

reservoir. One thing I like

about this model is the bafle

in the middle, which keeps

the proile low in the bag.

Finally, the ‘big zip’ of the name

makes it very easy to clean, an

element helped by the silver-

ion treatment that protects it

from mould and bacteria.

A huge plus for this bag is that

there is no discernible taste at

all. Impressive. It also comes

with a little clip for your bag.

Gear comparative review