Looking for a hydration pack to fit onto existing paddling PFD. Any locals on this forum with recent knowledge would be most appreciated.
I’m not familiar with hydration packs, but wouldn’t that expose it to direct sunlight, making it as tepid as dog milk fresh out of the tap. Even though it would add a little weight to what you carry, I imagine it wouldn’t actually have any impact on flotation if you were in the water?
I have one from REI that doesn’t piggyback on a PFD but I’ve seen them online that do and have their own case.
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Not local and suspect that if Portland is anything like my area, you’ll probably be buying online since there are few shops that stock relatively esoteric stuff like this unless its a dedicated paddling shop. REI, I know, doesn’t keep this stuff on the store shelves.
Google is your friend! “PFD Hydration Bladder” brings up a number of results. Kokatat makes this prohttps://kokatat.com/tributary-hydration-system-lvatrb2rd0cduct, but examine the straps to make sure they align with attachment points on your PFD.
Depending on the design of your PFD, you could get one of the Camelback sleeves and make your own attachments system with 1 inch webbing and some quick connect buckles. The advantage of the sleeve is that (most of them) are insulated and you could put a soft freezer pack in with the bladder to keep things cool. You could also look on the website of whatever company made your PFD and see if they have one.
Sweet!