PlatypusPlaty Flexible Water Tank

This bag is tough. Unlikely you will damage it with normal use unless you are really careless. I bought it for backcountry hunting. Started with a waterbrick but it is just a bit too bulky to pack in. This unit seemed like a good alternate choice. I liked the zip top concept to help ease filling in certain circumstances and allow for easier interior drying when done. While I was concerned by the negative reviews which complained that the zip did not stay shut, I decided to take a chance.So, no way around the fact the zip does not want to stay closed when the unit is full. The slightest outwards pressure on the carry handles causes the zipper to pop open. But this issue is fairly easily remedied.When I first received it, I used some paracord type material run thru the handle grommets with one knot and the use of a cordloc to secure the center of the zip. This works pretty well and may be satisfactory for most people, particularly if you aren't trying to pack it while full in a backpack. If you really want to make it secure, go to the hardware store and get two sets of 1/4 inch aluminum screw posts. These fit the grommet holes perfectly and you almost certainly will not get the unit open without first removing the screw posts. Bit of a pain, but not too bad and basically bomber then.Definitely loses a star because I had to engineer a fix myself. For its cost, this thing should have come with some way to securely close it. It works for my purposes, however, and I will keep it, but I probably would rate it 3.5 stars due to expense and design issue. There probably are cheaper alternatives for many users. The waterbrick is an interesting concept (I have one) and, if space is not a constraint, you might want to look at it.After buying this, I also bought the SE - Emergency Water Bag - 5 Liter Capacity, 180 Micron - EWB5L for less than $5 on Amazon. It's 3 days after I filled it up with water to check for leaks and its still not completely dry inside (mostly dry but can still see water droplets). So, the Platypus design makes a huge difference to drying time. This one also feels more "brittle" than the Platypus and the handle clearly will not last as long. To be fair, it is touted for "emergency" use where the Platypus clearly is designed for real world regular use. The SE water bag may well work for many people who aren't going to be overly rough or accessing difficult water sources. I just wish the Platypus was a bit cheaper and they should have included something to secure closure at the price charged.UPDATE 10/15Just got back from a 7 day trip. We were filling our water bags from the fresh water output at a cattle tank. The first time I filled, I put this bag in my pack. By the time I got back to camp, half the water had leaked out. Even with the fix I noted in place, the water pressure still forced the zip open between the handles. At the second fill up, the handles had to be interlaced to create cross tension and we had to hand carry this bag--a real PITA in the terrain we were in. That at least stopped the leak which occurred between my added screws. My buddy was using an MSR bladder and we had zero issues with it. I packed it in my pack and put serious pressure on it with my tension straps with no issues. I'll be switching to the MSR. Unless you just want to buy something that really doesn't work for its intended purpose, I would look for other options. Barely functional if your going to fill it in your kitchen sink and put it on the counter.

I had bought a Coghlans collapsible 5 gallon water container for when we take the camper out. I would fill it with the water from our house (well water with a filter on the house) for our dogs water bowl and general use. It was quite difficult to use and took up a lot of space. You had to press down on it while having the spout open to get the water out, otherwise it was beyond slow. We like having the water jug around for use because sometimes water hookup isn't available or the idea that strange water can upset your dogs tummy. My husband agreed with me that though we loved having the extra jug of water, we needed something different.I saw the our spout jugs on a couple of web sites and was thinking this was the way to go. We were over at our Cabella's and they had a 4 liter Platypus water tank for +$30. Thankfully I checked Amazon and saw the one I had put into my cart for later as the 6 liter one for under $28. We put in the order. It got shipped super fast. the Amazon packaging was excessive to say the least. But it was here!This water tank is a nice large size. The handles make it easy to lift up and place it out of your way. The 6 liters seems like so much more. It can be a little tricky at first learning to pour from this jug, but once you've got your groove on, it all good. I think that this was an excellent purchase and the only thing that I could think that would be better would be to have the water filter for it. My husband was uber impressed with the price on the purchase and I think that the quality of the product is worth more than I paid.

Great for outdoor use I find. As long as you don't bump the zipper the wrong way it'll stay closed pretty well. The zipping portion is strong but relatively easy to peel open and if you don't really mean to it can open up kind of easy and dump water if not prepared for it. I tried using it at home as apart of my every day gravity filter use as well but I have to turn the bag on it's side to get the water to go. I have reached up and bumped the zipper unintentionally and have lost a bit of water that way. Other than that it works very well as a water tank/carrier. You pour well with it and my platypus hose screws right on the end well with no real leaks. Thick plastic so it should last a good long time. Not so great to be used with a filter system though, my Sawyer gallon bags seem to be less of a hassle.

Having a foldable bucket for water when backpacking is really nice. It allows you to collect water, bring it back to camp, and filter or treat it there, as you use it.I've used these "buckets" for years. This is a replacement. Only "issue", yeah, the closure is tough to get to completely work. My old one used to be oriented vertically, instead of horizontally like this. I preferred it that way.But, if you have never used a bucket to collect & treat your water, it's a luxury.This item is quite light for it's capacity, and folds down reasonably small.

Excellent.Easy to fill. Used for multi night wild camping.Don't expect to carry water in it during the day though.This is just to carry from stream to camp.Obvious I know!

Very good!

As you probably know, water is very wet, and gets everywhere if not properly kept under control. This little device is just the thing you need as it keeps all your water in one place, and stops it sploshing about and going everywhere, and it magically lets you pick it up and carry the water to places you wouldn't normally find it. What a great invention. I'm surprised no-one thought of it earlier.

Comprata per sostituire la precedente ghirba ultra-leggera che ha iniziato a dare uno spiacevole sapore di plastica all'acqua.Questa Platypus 4 litri durante due trekking di 3-5 giorni ha mostrato di meritare le 5 stelle.Descrizione e dimensioni.Materiale sintetico molto flessibile, inodore piacevole al tatto e alla vista. Vuota è poco più grande di un foglio A4 (vedi foto) e ha uno spessore di un paio di millimetri, occupa pochissimo spazio e pesa un terzo di altre ghirbe. Puo' essere piegata o arrotolata.Ha una larga apertura nella parte alta (vedi foto) che permette una rapida asciugatura ed una accurata "igenizzazione" dell'interno. Questa apertura è sigillata da una robusta zip-loc (quella delle buste sottovuoto, per capirci) più facile da chiudere se bagnata.Le maniglie sono di nastro di nylon nero (simili a quelle delle buste dei supermercati) di circa 2,5cm sono assicurate al corpo della ghirba attraverso 4 occhielli metallici agganciati all'inspessimento dello zip-loc. Le maniglie sono comode: rinforzate da una plastificazione che ne rende più agevole il trasporto a mano.Il becco ha un diametro di 2.5cm ca ed il tappo in plastica bianco chiude bene ma non è assicurato alla ghirba; non ha una filettatura standard, sarà difficile trovare un sostituto se perso. E' posizionato in alto, a ghirba piena e tappo aperto non esce acqua, e permette di dosare bene l'aqua anche a ghirba piena; la ghirba non ha, mentre si versa, il fastidioso "rinculo" delle taniche rigide.Sta in piedi da sola (vedi foto) e sembra proprio un "ornitorinco accucciato". Al sole non sembra scaldare l'acqua e non ha dato sapori strani all'acqua contenuta (appositamente lasciata al sole.Volume: 4,0 litriPeso: 102 grammi (vedi foto)Conclusione:Ha un prezzo esagerato per una ghirba, ma fa bene il suo lavoro. Attenzione a non perdere il tappo!

Material hochwertig, öffnung zu unsicher, lässt sich leicht mit zwei fingern öffnen. Das Risiko will ich nicht eingehen alles nass zu haben und kein wasser zu haben. Hätte mir noch einen zusätzlichen verschluss gewünscht, denn sobald die hänkel auseinander gehen ist es offen. An den zwei löchern könnte man es binden, denke aber für den preis sollte das doch safe sein. Geht deswegen leider zurück. Die Qualität wär super. Er lässt sich sehr gut reinigen und trocknen durch die große öffnung.