Reviews > Hydration Systems > Bladders > MSR CloudLiner > Thomas Vickers > Long Term Report

Mountain Safety Research (MSR) 2 Liter CloudLiner Hydration Bag Field Test Report

October 10, 2006

Tester Background:
I grew up in the piney woods of southeast Texas. Camping was a quick trip into the mosquito-infested woods behind the house. My style has evolved and over the last 4 or 5 years, I have begun to take a lighter weight approach to hiking gear (I still use sleeping bags and tents, just lighter versions). While I have flirted with lightweight hiking, I feel that I am more of a mid-weight hiker now. My philosophy is one of comfort, while carrying the lightest load possible.

Using the CloudLiner:
I have continued to use the CloudLiner a great deal during the long term phase of this test.  One main change that I made during this part of the testing was that I did not thread the drinking tube through the hydration port on my pack and I stashed the CloudLiner on top of my pack contents instead of in the internal hydration sleeve. 

These changes may not seem to be severe, but this is the way that I normally carry my hydration system and it exposed the CloudLiner to more wear and tear than it saw during the first phase of this test. I was pleased by the fact that I didn't puncture it at some point during the test. I have been using a different type of bladder because I feared something like the CloudLiner would puncture in my pack, but the CloudLiner never let me down.  I don't carry too many sharp objects in my pack, but I do realize that there is a lot of shifting, crushing, and smooshing going on when I am moving at a fast pace.   

Filling the bottle:
My main issues with using the CloudLiner come from filling it in the field while using a water filter.  The filter that I use has a hose that needs to be inserted into the CloudLiner.  The large opening of the CloudLiner makes it hard to work the filter, keep the hose in the bladder, and keep the bladder from rolling and spilling.   A cap with a smaller filter opening might be something to consider here. It would make the issue of spilling while filtering much less of a problem, at least for me.

Carrying the bottle:
Another issue that I developed had to do with carrying the CloudLiner outside of my pack. On many occasions I would carry the CloudLiner to the water's edge for filling, then have trouble carrying it back to my campsite. The handle on the bladder was great for filling purposes, but carrying the CloudLiner for more than a few feet with the handle was not something I wanted to do more than once. To solve this problem, I threaded some cord through the holes that are located at the top corners of the CloudLiner. After I filled the bladder with water and screwed the cap on, I picked the CloudLiner up by the cord. I could loop the cord over my shoulder or carry it in my hand.  It wasn't the best way to haul this hydration system around, because I had to hold the cord and the drinking tube/bite valve at the same time. 

Fit:
1. Will the MSR CloudLiner fit in all the packs I use?
I have only used one pack so far, but considering that it is my summer/daypack, (which is smaller than my winter/extended trip pack), it should fit into any pack that I own.

2. Is it shaped/sized to fit in various locations on/in packs?
I have tried it in two locations so far; the internal hydration sleeve and on top of my pack contents in the main compartment.  The CloudLiner fit nicely in either location, no matter how much liquid I carried in it.

3. Will the drinking tube fit through hydration ports?
I consider the hydration port on my summer pack to be rather small, but the drinking tube fit just fine and I could pull it in and out of the port smoothly. 
 
4. Will the bite valve fit through different hydration ports?
The bite valve was a whole other beast.   The angle of the valve, combined with its length made it a bear to thread through the hydration port on my pack.  This grew to be frustrating when I stopped on the trail to filter water and refill the CloudLiner.  It took too much time and effort (in my opinion) to get the bladder, hose, and bite valve disconnected from the pack.

Usage:
1. How well does the “high flow” bit valve deliver water?
It delivers great big wet gobs of water.  I never felt like I had to suck to get enough water.  It took a while to get used to the 'perfect' method of biting the valve, but as far as keeping the water flowing, it was great.
 
2. Is the bite valve really “no leak”?
Yes. It never leaked when I used it. It was clipped to the shoulder strap of my pack, banged against my chest, was left on the ground, and stepped on.  I never had an issue with water leaking out. There may have been a drop or two, but never a gusher that I would complain about.

3. Will the bag/drinking tube develop any permanent odors?
Not from my usage. I filtered lake water into it. I used it with powdered sports drink and on one occasion I left the sports drink in the bladder till it molded. There was never any odor that could not be washed out.

4. How easy is it to clean the bag and drinking tube?
I found it pretty easy to clean. The one instance where I had moldy stuff on the inside, I merely filled the bladder with my cleaning solution and water, sucked on the bite valve till it the drinking tube filled with solution, then I let it sit for a couple of hours.  After that, I unscrewed the cap and drained the cleaning solution out, propped the bladder open with a close hanger, and let it dry over night.

5. Will the CloudLiner and drinking tube stain? (I often use powdered drink mixes in my hydration systems)
From this test I can say that I have not stained the CloudLiner.  This includes healthy doses of powdered sports drink and lake water.

6. How easy is it to carry the CloudLiner? (Without a pack, by hand) Does the handle help with this?
Straight out of the box, the CloudLiner is not that easy to carry for any real distance.  The handle mainly facilitates filling, so I had to attach some cord to the holes at the top of the CloudLiner in order to carry it (full) when it wasn't in my pack.  I worried about the durability of this set up, but I have seen no issues so far.

7. How easy is it to filter water into the CloudLiner? Will it remain steady/stable/unmoving during the filling procedure?
As a bladder, the CloudLiner likes to wobble and roll as it fills.  It would be much easier to do with a filter if MSR offered a fill cap with a spigot of some sort. This would provide the CloudLiner with a smaller diameter opening to insert the filtered water hose into and make the 'wobbling' much less dangerous and less likely to spill.

8. Can I use the two holes at the top of the bag to hang it with?
Yes. I have already done this, but it scares me.   The holes have not torn, but with a full load of water in the CloudLiner, they stretch a bit.  It is not the best way to carry the bladder, but it has proven to be the easiest way.

Durability:
1. How durable is the CloudLiner? (Does it hold up to abuse in a pack?)
I have not punctured or torn it while testing.   This includes a lot of time riding inside the main pack compartment, on top of other assorted gear.

2. Will it resist punctures while in a pack?
Yes.

3. Will the CloudLiner develop any permanent “tastes” or colors over time?
None at this point.  It has held a variety of liquids, but has not discolored permanently.

4. Will it leak at any point? (Lid, seams, drinking tube connection, etc)
No, I never had any problem with leakage.  If I sealed the cap tightly and didn't squeeze the bite valve, then I was good to go with no water shooting out unexpectedly.

Final thoughts:
I like the MSR CloudLiner as a hydration system, but I feel that this is the only role for it.  I prefer my hydration system to work as an in camp water supply as well as an 'on the go' water supply for when I am hiking.  The CloudLiner is perfect for this second job, but once it was removed from my pack and used around camp, I discovered that is was not that useful in the first role.  Continued use of the CloudLiner will result in it being kept in my pack and some other container used around camp.  This would eliminate my need to filter water directly into the bladder and I could just fill it from what ever container I filter with.  This probably means that I will not continue to use it on extended trips since carrying extra water containers just adds weight and extra steps to my water filtration/drinking routine.

For dayhikes and other short term activities, I love the MSR CloudLiner. It will most definitely continue to be my hydration system of choice when I know that I won't be filtering water on the go or remaining out long enough to require refilling the CloudLiner.  This means geocaching, dayhiking and probably bicycling. 

Likes:
1. Fits in hydration sleeve.
2. Bite valve delivers PLENTY of fluid.
3. Fill cap/opening is wide enough to easily add powdered drink mixes to the bladder.

Dislikes:
1. Bag is "floppy" and hard to filter water into it.
2. Difficult to carry when full without modifying.

Reviews > Hydration Systems > Bladders > MSR CloudLiner > Thomas Vickers > Long Term Report