The level of resistance to change and anything new (within this
forum) sometimes bothers me
its not often that I feel compelled
to chip in my 2c worth but being a Medic and having used camelbaks
(and derivatives) almost my whole NSF/NSMen experience I feel I
should try to correct some misconceptions here
(Those whove read the SBO thread will remember I usually carry 3-4
litres of water on me using a camelback plus bottles)
Take for instance this comment,
water bottles are still the best and more practical.
for example, somemore get heat stroke and needs water urgently.
with a water bottle we can quickly pour water onto him and let him
drink from the bottle very quickly. we definitely won't be able to
this with the water bag.
This surely is a case of the tail wagging the dog
has anyone
ever considered that the best way to prevent the above scenario is
to prevent heat exhaustion in the first place?
Dehydration is the main cause of Heat Related Casualties. In
military operations, dehydration cannot be avoided but its
severity can be managed. Management of dehydration state involves a
strategy of managing limited portaged water and infrequent water
resupply.
To cut the medical theory short (read A Commanders Guide to Fluid Intake for more
indepth info) ... a sound practice for a soldier is to take
frequent sips during operations and then as much as they can during
resup phase.
Herein lies the problem with the standard water bottle
configuration on older webbing
accessibility. Consider a soldier
in FBO or a soldier carrying cumbersome/manpacked loads. It is
difficult to access the water bottles and as such rehydration
usually in large quantities in infrequent intervals (during rest
breaks).
A camelback system allows the soldier to rehydrate frequently
(every 10-15 minutes) in small quantities (a few or more sips)
without having to depend on rest breaks or help to access
bottles.
Trust me I know about this from personal experience. Try carrying a
stretcher, MOP plus rifle and you tell me how you can access your
water easily. 84mm Ammo carriers and MG ammo carriers will also
understand the problem.
Basically when youre limited to your carried water, you want to
drink frequently but not so much that youre pissing it all away.
When you have resup, fill up your bottles/bags and then drink as
much as you can of whats left.
As for the need to splash water quickly on a heat stroke casualty
i) Firstly most camelbaks Ive used have a very large inlet orifice
bigger than even the mouth of a SAF water bottle. The 5 added
seconds required to access the water bladder is not life
threatening in this instance.
ii) In any case, I can also cut the bloody bag and 1206 him after
he recovers
Im quite sure hes not gonna quibble over the few
ten dollars when his life is at stake.
the worst part of the waterbag is that it is hard to
wash! shld some dumbass pours syrup or sugared water in, its
difficult to have a good wash as it hard to dry, or
impossible.
And the water bladder is harder to wash compared to water
bottles? How so? The opening on the water bladder is usually bigger
than a water bottle. Again I use camelbaks pretty extensively both
when I mountain bike and during NS/Reservist. I also do put syrup
in it, especially for civvy use. I dont have a problem keeping it
clean
try running a solution of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
through it, works wonders.
Nostalgia, familiarity with the known and resistance to learning
the new/unknown, can sometimes get in the way of innovations that
really do work and in this case can save lives.
