Editors Rating

Source Tactical has been around since 1989, which means for 30 years they have been growing and climbing the ladder of success in the world of hydration gear. They are naturally a tactical company, which means their products are truly made for use in certain areas.

Most of the time, the use is for people involved in the Armed Forces or possibly certain police forces. Really, they make their gear possible to use for anyone but the design is quite clear from the start.

The company currently owns the rights to several different patents and inventions in the world of hydration gear. That said, it can really be difficult to beat a company that has so much going for it.

The cool thing is that the gear is designed by former military members. They also take ideas in from what current military and elite services recommend, which is truly smart. Let’s find out more about their gear itself.

Source Tactical’s Battle Tested Hydration Gear

You may not see many companies out there that can actually say that their products are battle tested by military members. Yet the Source Tactical team can because they have been used by several different Armed Forces members for years now.

They learn from each and every issue and success that people have with their products. This is the hallmark of great hydration gear brands to us. When you learn from mistakes, you can only become better as human beings and businessmen and women.

The company has 3 different forms of hydration gear that they currently make. Those are:

• Hydration Packs
• Bladders
• CBRN Hydration

These three are joined by multiple different types of hydration accessories. Thankfully, these can be bought separately, which allows you to save money as the consumer.

First, let’s explain what the main three are and why Source Tactical does things a bit differently. The biggest thing is that all of their gear was designed by them with exclusive patents on most, that includes most of the products from those lines.

CBRN Hydration Systems are forms of gear that allow you to connect your gas mask right to your main pack. Of course, for those unaware, CBRN stands for Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense. That means they’re going to be wearing literal lifesaving gear and will need hydration.

These systems made by Source Tactical allow them to do to have the much-needed water without needing to readjust or remove anything. They have all been lab-tested and approved from ALL the environments a CBRN specialist might encounter. All of this was done with pure Source Hydration Tech as well.

Up next are the bladders. These are smaller contraptions that can be similar to that of a water bottle. The major difference is how they are made and how much they can hold. Source makes them attachable to their backpacks as well as others. They also hold 1 to 3 liters of liquid.

They made attachments to them that allows you to drink from a small straw-like device that can be rigged to your backpack. This allows you to move and drink at the same time. Then you can just take them out to refill them.

Hydration packs are brilliantly made by Source too. They look like normal backpacks, because for the most part, well, they are! The difference between them and others is that they include a clip-on attachment, usually a bladder of sorts, that can be added to the inside of the backpack.

From here, you have a rig set up that takes your straw and mouthpiece and puts them into every possibly smart place within the pack itself. You then just fill the detachable bladder when you want more water.

The backpacks themselves can hold a lot of products and they’re made for long-term carry. This results in comfort straps as well as a comfortable back to avoid discomfort. The technology made by Source Tactical used in this pack are:

• Glass-Like™
• Care-Free
• Grunge Guard™
• Taste-Free™
• Widepac Closure

To learn more about each one, click here.

Price Range:

The prices for the Source Tactical brand seem pretty reasonable based on what we’ve seen as the industry standard. For bladders, you’ll spend between $30 and $50. For CBRN model equipment, you’ll spend an unknown amount sadly.

Due to what these are made for, they ask you to contact them to learn about the product more. This includes the price for them too. Sadly, we cannot know exactly why this is, but we have one big guess.

They may need to make them special to fit the gear you’re using currently. Since this can differ off and on, they may need you to inform them more so they can quote an accurate price.

As for the Hydration Packs, they’re among the industry standard when speaking on prices from other hydration gear brands. They cost between $90 and $400. The cost goes up or down depending on the size of the bag it appears.

As for the accessories they sell, it appears most of these have to do with products you already see on the products they sell. So this is merely replacement material, which is cool of them to sell. A lot of brands want you to buy an entirely new product from them when you really never needed to go that far.

Source Tactical selling these major accessories separately is a classy move by the company. You’ll spend under $40 for every single thing here, with the highest being a replacement Convertube and a Hydration Upgrade Kit.

Of course, this is not even mentioning their other impressive tactical gear.

Editors Rating

Like most people who know about them, we’re big fans of the USWE-Sports brand. They have some of the best products for the outdoors that you will ever find. However, they are one of the best hydration gear brands on top of this.

Sure, they sell a lot of great things you can use on a climb, hike, or camping. Many great outdoor brands do, of course. Yet they really stand out in the hydration genre due to the impressive gear they have made.

They really stand out with hydration backpacks. These are unique to them, not the genre, but the style of the bags. To top it off, they have several things they invented that no one else really sells.

Let’s examine the cool things that make them stand out.

USWE-Sports Hydration Gear

As mentioned, the brand has tons of impressive hydration products. The bulk of them may be things related to backpacks. However, they have others as well. Here are some of them:

• Shape-shift™
• Ultraflask™ 600
• Disposable™ hydration system
• Disposable™ cap adaptor
• Sp™ handsfree
• The Zulo 2L Race Belt
• Zulo 2L Summer
• Zulo 2L Winter
• The Zulo™ 2
• ELITE™ WITH HYDRAFUSION TUBE
• Rr1™ hydro 500
• Helmet handsfree kit™

You’ll quickly notice a few patterns. One of them concerns the name Disposable™ while the other goes by the name of Zulo™. The first revolves around an invention by USWE-Sports team that allows you to use a, well, disposable hydration system meant for short-term use.

The concept is that you need the cleanest product possible to avoid problematic bacteria and what not getting into your water. Unlike other bladders, it remains clean for a short period of time and will ensure a lack of issues that normal bladders may have after long-term use.

The Zulo™ line is merely a water holder in the form of a bladder that you can wear on your waist like a fanny pack.

Another highlight is the Helmet handsfree kit™ that is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a helmet you can wear that has a water connection to it, allowing you to drink on the go. This is perfect for those like to bike. The others are things you might see go with these as well as their own stand-alone invention.

As for the hydration packs, these are the versions they sell:

• A2™ challenger
• Airborne™ 2
• Junior Version Airborne™ 2 
• The Airborne™ 3
• Airborne™ 3L with accessible phone pocket
• Airborne™ 3 junior
• The Airborne™ 9
• Airborne™ 9L with accessible phone pocket
• The Airborne™ 15
• Airborne™ 15L with accessible phone pocket
• The Outlander™ 2L
• Outlander™ 3L
• Outlander™ 4L
• The Outlander™ 9L
• The Vertical™ 4
• Vertical™ 10
• The Ranger™ 3
• Ranger™ 4
• Ranger™ 9
• The Patriot™ 9
• Patriot™ 15
• Patriot™ 15L With CE-Certified Back Protector
• Pace™ 12
• H1™ racer
• Lizard™ 16
• Lizard™ 16 junior
• Xc™ elite
• Xc™ junior
• Prime™ 26
• Explorer™ 26
• Tanker™ 16
• Scrambler™ 16

As you’ll see, the Airborne™ line is their most common type. This is the prime one that they have focused on for the last number of years. Although they have other lines like Outlander™ and Patriot™ lines, with others on top of these. Of course, they have two or few in the line.

You’ll note from them that several have an “L” for liter in the name. This is how much the backpack can hold. The biggest is clearly the Prime™ 26 and Explorer™ 26 as they both hold 26L of contents. This makes them the deepest bags and the most expensive.

While some do not have the “L” in the name, you just need to go by the number to see how many liters it equals out to.

Price Range:

Considering there are many companies who get involved in hydration gear, we were impressed with USWE-Sports and their prices. Among all the hydration gear brands that we have looked into, their prices seem to be the most affordable.

While their main line of products outside the packs are great, they do not exceed $60 from what we can find. Meanwhile, their hydration packs look pretty good price wise too. You’ll spend anywhere from $50 to $130 on them.

Of course, the bigger the bag the more likely the price will be a bit higher. Currently, they have sales going on. So you’ll be able to buy some of these for reduced prices.

They also offer very fast shipping on ALL orders too.

The brand also has a warranty on most of their products as well. This breaks down to a 2-Year Limited Warranty. Disposable hydration bags are not counted in the warranty for obvious reasons. To learn more about the warranty, click here.

Editors Rating

IceMule are as their name sounds. They are veterans at keeping things cold. This is why they are mostly known for things like coolers. You can think of them like that of brands like Yeti, for example.

Temperature control is essential for these guys. However, IceMule’s biggest thing that they do is often overlooked due to their impressive work elsewhere. They’re actually a great hydration gear brand!

They have a unique set of gear that you need to see to believe. However, the most important thing is that they’re doing what others are…but in a completely different way. They are absolutely amazing!

Let’s give into the gear!

IceMule Hydration Gear

When we think of the best hydration gear brands, we have to consider why we should put them on the list. Are they better, truly, than others in this genre? Do they do things no one else can? Perhaps, they do things no one else has even attempted yet.

That is where is IceMule falls in. They have gear that we love but not for the same reasons you’d us loving other hydration gear brands. It seems like they stumbled across something due to how effortlessly they managed to do what they do.

They have a few products you should concern yourself with. First up is something known as THE ICEMULE CLASSIC™. They have a few different versions of it, those are known as THE ICEMULE CLASSIC™….

• Mini
• Small
• Medium
• Large

Next up is The ICEMULE PRO™, which also has different variations, like the:

• Large
• X-Large
• XX-Large

Finally, they have something known as THE ICEMULE BOSS™.

What are they? All of them are backpacks, technically speaking. They are capable of carrying water in each version. However, they are all 100% waterproof too. The Boss version is the only technical backpack/hydration pack among them, however.

To top all of this off, they are also designed to keep everything cold. That means you could be in the middle of nowhere and whatever the temp something was when it went on the bag, it should remain once you re-open it.

The technology used in the packs include:

• PolarLayer XT™ Insulation
• IM AirValve™
• Tri-Fold DriTop™ 
• PakShield™ zippers
• MuleSkin™ fabric
• MuleSkinEV™

Overall, this is just so much but each thing is absolutely tremendous. They all do things for the backpacks or packs that you may not notice right off. But after hours outdoors, you’ll see how important this technology truly is.

Price Range:

The prices for these items are all fair and they’re about even with other hydration gear brands from what we can tell.

The IceMule Classic goes for $45 to $70. Their IceMule Pro option goes for $100 to $140. Meanwhile, the Boss model goes for $300. Other than the newer Boss option, they all come with around 4 color options.

They do have a warranty at IceMule. It goes for 90-days and they like to call it “The IceMule Guarantee.” You can return any of their items in these 90 days if you’re not satisfied for any reason, whatsoever. You can read more on it by clicking here.

They also have free standard shipping to the mainland United States of America. So Hawaii and Alaska, as well as any territory the U.S. owns have to pay for shipping. This is also in play for Canada and Mexico as well as any other country that orders.

Only the U.S. gets the free shipping option. They also seem to offer a code for all that use the site that has a 10% off option.

If you’d like to be an Ambassador for IceMule, you can. They are also in the market for Interns seemingly on a constant basis. Both of these come with perks like 25% to 40% off of their products.

If you want to find out about how you can be part of either one of these, as well as all the requirements to do so, click here.

Editors Rating

One of the greatest brands for the outdoors on the planet is the brilliant Patagonia company. It is truly one of our favorites because they have literally anything you’d want. The best part is that, due to this, they have a ton of hydration related gear.

On top of this, they have a ton of other impressive products we cannot get enough of. Let’s stick with the hydration material for now, however. What makes them one of the best hydration gear brands in the world?

Likely their variety of products. Let’s examine them and tell you all you need to know.

Patagonia’s Hydration Gear

As we mentioned beforehand, the variety here is quite impressive. The first thing that needs to be examined is their impressive wetsuits. They have quite a lot of them but the amount isn’t of concern. It’s what they can do that makes them special.

They have those one might use for cave diving as well as those that are needed in colder water. Here are the types they currently sell:

• R1® Lite (65-75°F)
• R1® Full (60-65°F)
• R2® (55-60°F)
• R3® (48-55°F)
• R4® (38-48°F)
• R5® (32-38°F)
• Big Wave Gear

They also teamed up with the Danner brand to make waterproof boots, perfect for those in the water consistently. On top of this, they have wading gear. This is something you’d use if you’re going to go into the water for work or remain in it consistently. They may also be perfect for simply wet environments like a Rainforest.

Both pants and a jacket come with this gear. They also make water containers known as the MiiR® Fitz. This is their water bottle line. Meanwhile, their line of MiiR® GPIW Badge Camp Cups are also quite impressive. They can be held over intense heat and even keep things warm or cool for a good period of time.

Most of their backpacks are hydration gear approved. They can hold any sort of sleeve you might want to add to them. They’re all also TSA approved. The main line of backpacks is the W’s and Black Hole® lines.

They’re sized up to fit anyone’s specifications.

Best of all, most of their backpacks and other gear are made out of a great deal of recycled material. They’re also all Fair Trade Certified™ too. They even promote something they call The Footprint Chronicles® as well. This is something they use to be up-front with their customers about where their products are made.

The idea of The Footprint Chronicles® is to show how they promote both safe and fair practices at their factories. They pay fairly based on our income scale and hold themselves accountable in promoting and realizing a great environmental responsibility. This is why they use so many recycled materials in their products.

Price Range:

Depending on what you’re looking for, the prices can really vary. For the wetsuits, you’re going to be spending a minimum of $180. However, none surpass the $600 mark, which is pretty fair for a wetsuit that can handle different forms of temperature.

For gloves and boots in the wetsuit department, you’ll spend $30 to $100 depending on the product. The backpacks are also fairly priced for what they do. Depending on the model and how big they are, you’ll spend anywhere between $100 and $600.

The water bottles are usually less than $40 while the boots in partnership with Danner are priced around $500 to $600. They are made by Danner after all, so that is not a bad partner to have yet it does mean the cost will be a bit higher.

Patagonia offers free shipping on orders over $75 and even have a brilliant warranty. They call it the Patagonia Iron Clad Guarantee. The company believes in their products so much that they will replace or repair them for any reason, as long as it does not have to do with normal wear and tear.

To learn more about this, click here.

Editors Rating

The Arc’teryx brand is a Canadian based company from Vancouver, British Columbia. Due to where they’re located, it should come as no surprise that they know a lot about the outdoors. They specialize in this area, but their hydration gear is something incredibly special.

They sell gear of all types as here. The Arc’teryx brand likes to call their backpacks “day bags.” Don’t be thrown off by that or anything. This is not the only place they shine, as it seems like they can’t help but be great in every department.

Since they are an outdoor company, they know what to expect. That means they’ll want to make products they’d want in the field. Clearly, they have spent a lot of time around water. All of these products seem to fit. Let’s go over them.

Arc’teryx Can’t Be Stopped

They have several different hydration products that we really enjoy. That includes things like hydration vests that they call the Norvan 7 & Norvan 14. They also have gloves that are great for use in the water as well. Both are insulted and capable of working with touchscreen phones while you wear them.

They can even stand up to severally cold and very hot conditions. The Arc’teryx brand also has what they call “Shell Jackets.” They use names for the jackets that fall under what you might see at a frat or sorority.

You’ll see names under Alpha, Beta, Zeta, Sigma, and more. Many are specially designed to handle their own water sleeve and have a connected mouthpiece allowing you to drink water as you’re moving. They’ll keep you warm as well. Not only are they perfectly insulted but they’re also as waterproof as it can get.

Now we move on to the backpacks that are all impressive. The bags are laminated and incredibly 100% waterproof. That means if a rainstorm comes or you fall into a creek, river, etc. then your bag’s contents won’t get wet.

This can be essential when storing things like maps or possible fire-making equipment. The bag is equipped with various webbing on the outside to allow custom attachments. This is where you can employ some creativity.

The webbing is incredibly strong, so you can store quite a lot.

The bags come with N400-AC² pack fabric for the inside. The shoulder straps are amazingly comfortable, allowing you to avoid needing extra padding. It comes with N400r-AC² nylon 6 ripstop, Burly™ Double Weave fabric, and HyPUR-cel™ foam.

This backpack also employs RollTop™ tech to seal the bag. It can hold up to 45L in contents, or about 11G worth.

All of their bags seem to be like this, each offering their own unique tech and greatness. Some are smaller than this, while some can be slightly bigger. Overall, this particular bag just shows their amazing camping/climbing backpacks.

Price Range:

The price range for the Arc’teryx backpacks is considered to be relatively industry-standard. We cannot claim that all of their bags will fit our average, as they come in a wide variety. However, the average price for the camping bags is between $150 to $200.

Despite this, they have just a few bags they are below this as well as a few above it. The jackets vary as well, but you’ll usually spend no more than $400 here. Most in-between the smallest and biggest charge. This has them going for $100 to $300 most of the time.

The vests go for the same amount. Meanwhile, the gloves are mostly under $200. Many are less than $100, in fact.

The Arc’teryx brand offers free express shipping on their items, which is great to see. This puts them in a good spot among camping backpack brands, as many offer a version of free shipping. However, some tend to do it on the size of the order.

They also have a 60-day return policy on any item. The company has a technical lifetime warranty on several products, but it’s a “limited warranty” they claim. They say in their section regarding the warranty that an item “will be replaced or repaired at the discretion of Arc’teryx for the practical product lifespan.”

Since this is something good to mention about them, the Arc’teryx brand has a tremendous sustainability program that deserves merit. If you want to find out more about this, click here.