[pct-l] MSR Dromlite 4L - any problem with lid leaking

[m_factor at hotmail.com (Mara Factor)]

I have a 4L Dromedary (not Dromlite) that I've used for years without a 
single leak.  I bought it in '95 or '96 which, I believe, was years before 
they came out with the Dromlite versions.  They had a voluntary recall a 
year or two later (nothign to do wtih leaks) so the bag I currently use is 
probably seven years old.  It's been on a thruhike of the AT, 700 miles on 
the PCT, and a host of other trips around the world.

When I bought MSR's first bite valve option for the bag in '99, it leaked at 
the cap end immediately and I returned the bite valve.  When I saw a new 
design, I  bought that and that leaked at the cap end as well - back to the 
store it went.  Finally, a few years ago, I saw yet a third design (as best 
I can remember) and that has proven to be a winner.  No leaks.

I do have to be careful not to pull the bite valve off the hose but even 
that takes force and isn't really an issue.  I now use a film canister over 
the bite valve to protect the valve from dropping on the ground and find 
that works great.  Somehow, perhaps because it's bigger and more visible 
(better reminder?), I no longer seem to pull the bite valve off the hose.  
Also, the bite valve part needs periodic replacing.  It starts to drip every 
now and then but with the film canister cover, it's not enough to be 
annoying or worry about losing any significant amount of water.

So, with the regular cap, I've never had a leak.  With the bite valve, once 
I found a design that didn't leak, no problems.

As for filling it, I find the first 3.5 liters are easy enough to handle.  
It's that last half a liter or so that gets difficult.  I usually put the 
first 3.5 in through the wide mouth opening.  I then close the wide mouth 
and use the narrow opening for the last bit of water.

To prevent the sound of sloshing from driving me crazy, I squeeze all the 
remaining air out through the flip spout.  If I'm using the hose, I hold up 
the hose so all the air goes into the hose and then squeeze  out the air.

I did once test a Nalgene lid on the bag to see if it would work in an 
emergency and I wasn't happy with the results.  It leaked very easily, I 
think because the Nalgene lids are much less flexible than the Dromedary 
lids.

Before I relied on it, I also tested the Dromedary by filling it 3/4 full or 
so and making sure the lid was tight.  I let it sit until I was sure the 
entire exterior of the bag and lid were completely dry and then squeezed and 
tossed it around a bit.  I was pretty rough with it.  Not a single drop came 
out and as far as I can tell, it's been water tight ever since.

I have never talked with anyone who has ever had a Drom... bag leak.  I 
can't say that about any other brand of hydration system bag I've heard of.  
That said, the Dromedary bag isn't light.  If you decide to go with them, 
fill them with water and then play catch with them, roll them around, 
squeeze them, etc.  If they leak, take them back.  If not, you probably will 
have convinced yourself that they are reliable.

Bets of luck,
Mara

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Visit my Travels and Trails web site at:

http://friends.backcountry.net/m_factor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



>From: backpack45scb <rbalcorn@gmail.com>
>Reply-To: backpack45scb <rbalcorn@gmail.com>
>To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
>Subject: [pct-l] MSR Dromlite 4L - any problem with lid leaking
>Date: Thu, 30 Dec 2004 15:41:31 -0800
>
>I was about to buy several of these for our section A trip, but
>noticed a review on one site that said several with lid leaks, MSR
>replaced, but still had lid leaks on replacements. Anyone experienced
>this? If so, did you find a substitute lid that worked ok?
>Thanks
>--
>Ralph Alcorn
>http://www.backpack45.com/longdistance2.html
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