Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

There are many positive reviews this bladder, enough to led me to purchase it. Please allow me to argue why you shouldn't. The most common praise for this bladder is it "has no taste". This is indeed a quality one should look for in a bladder, and my Hoser does not add a chemical flavor to water, nor does it hold an introduced flavor. It isn't a compelling feature unique to the Hoser, though, as none of the name brand bladders suffer this anymore. Platypus's own literature claims the bladder is BPA free. Again this is industry standard in 2011. Let's talk about where the bladder falls short and why I recomend the Camelbak Antidote bladders instead: Unlike the Camelbak bladders the Hoser, has a very small fill port. So small it is very hard to fill the bladder from a hose or campground spigot without spilling water everywhere. The Camelbak has a handle with which to hold the bladder while filling, the Platypus does not. It is difficult to achieve a full fill because one runs out of places to hold the bag. The Camelbak has a quick release attachment for the drinking tube, the Platypus does not. One is forced to fish the drinking house out of their pack simply to fill the bladder if using a Hoser. One must put the bladder and the hose in the fridge if they wish to chill their beverage. The Camelbak bladders have internal baffles to keep jiggle to a minimum, and to aid in drying. Platypus does not. In fact the Platypus can be a pain to dry fully. The Camelbak Antidote series has a set of thin folding arms which hold the bag open when drying, greatly decreasing dry time. The Antidote series includes a shutoff valve, Hoser does not. The Platypus Hoser series of bags appears to have a multi-layered laminated plastic film construction. This is a common way to inexpensively achieve desired properties, but risks delamination in the long term. The Camelbak bladders achieve their properties with a homogenous construction. This bag is currently $10 less expensive than an equivalently sized Camelbak Antidote. Not a savings in my opinion.