Boli 5 Litre water tank.

 For the last couple of years i have been using a Platypus 3 Litre water tank on backpacking trips.
I have found it a very useful piece of kit. That’s down to the fact that for an overnight camp i only have to fill it the once. A bonus once your settled in the tent.
The 3L has for some reason been deleted from the Platypus range which now only comprises the 2L and 4L in the tank models. Why Platypus have decided to ditch the 3L is beyond me as i have found it perfect.

Platypus tanks.

• The 2L weighs 66 grams and costs around £21
• The 4L weighs 103 grams and costs around £26

You have to be prepared to take some stick with the Platy version as it looks like a ladies handbag. (See image below), but who cares.

Then i came across the Boli 5 Litre collapsable water tank and although i am not in the market for a replacement tank right now, i thought i would share it with readers who may be, as the spec. and weight of the tank is excellent for such a capacity and the price is outstanding.

Boli 5 Litre water tank.

• Boli 5L water tank weighs just 69 grams and costs £6.99. 

That’s quite a saving on both weight and on the wallet.
 You may think that 5 Litres is too big, but in reality you only have to fill it with enough for your requirements and the tank rolls away and weighs so little when stored in the rucksack.
In comparison it weighs the same as the Platypus 2 Litre.

I think its great value for money and a viable alternative to the more expensive offerings. Ideal too for  D of E groups.

Available from Amazon here.

Recycle and save money.

I was clearing away rubbish to the recycling bins when i realised the foil bag was still in an empty wine box.
So when i separated the box and discarded it, i found not a foil bag but a polythene type bag similar to dedicated water carriers.
It had me thinking i could use it for backpacking and save a little cash.

The tap came out from the bag quite easily and my first thoughts were, how do i get rid of the smell of the white wine.
I filled a basin with boiling water and soaked the bag and tap until the water was cold. Most of the smell had gone but not enough.
I then soaked them again in sterilising solution for 4 hours and it was good enough.

I filled up the bag with around 2.5 litres of water, replaced the tap and threw it around a bit to see if it would burst. It stayed intact.

I braided a lanyard, making a loop in the centre and glued it around the outside of the seam on 2 sides so that i would be able to hang it when in use and also strengthened the corner with duct tape where the strain would be taken.

On completion the carrier weighs 40 grams.

                                      

When rolled up the carrier takes up very little space. This is a 3 litre bag and it takes up about the same space as my 1 litre Platypus.

I suggest that when the tap is pushed back into the bag, only go about 3/4 of the way in. It's still secure and watertight, but it makes it easy to remove to fill it up.

The above photo shows the bag filled with 2 litres of water. I didn't want to put 3 litres in at this time because the lanyard had only been glued for about 1 hour.

I think if i did need to put 3 litres in, i would probably leave it on the ground anyway.

All in all i think it's a good bit of recycling. If anybody wants to me to make them one please send a new box of wine to me at........... only kidding.

And if it bursts at anytime just think of the pleasure you can have in emptying another box.