MSR  Dromedary Bag - 4 Liter

I bought this bag for a cross-country bicycle tour, where I'd have intermittent water access. It was perfect, since I kept it empty and rolled up most of the time, but could fill it when need be. My only issue has been that the cap leaks. I wish the mini-cap didn't have the hinged spigot part, because that's what leaks, but I appreciate having the mini-cap so I can pour easily into a water bottle.

This is a tough water bag. I take four or five day trips on the Wisconsin River when I can, and potable water is only available at a few points. I have two 4-liter dromedaries a hydration pack, and a couple of collapsible Nalgene canteens. I'm slowly replacing the others with dromedaries just because it's so durable and easy to tuck away in a corner or under the lashing cords. Very little "bladder taste." Granted, after one trip down the river they look a little worse for wear. That river mud just won't wash off sometimes. But man, they can handle rough treatment.

I use this as my main water source container when I am backpacking. I have the 5 liter one and have been using it for about 7 or 8 years I think. The bladder is extremely durable, you can drop and drag it across rocks or rough surfaces and not have to worry about damage. I use it for both a hydration bladder, and "back up" to what I have in my water bottles when I am moving from place to place. MSR sells an adaptor screw down cap that has the hydration hose attached. So you can put this upside down in the top of your pack while you are moving and drink water out of it if you like. The lid/top also has a nice ergonomic feature where the lip curls back so you can pour it into pots for boiling, or other canteens. They also sell water purifiers that you can screw into that top and pump clean water into it from a water source which is pretty awesome. When I am backpacking, this is something that is ALWAYS in my pack. light, sturdy and just all around awesome. Better quality than anything else I have seen, and versatile enough to make collecting, purifying and storing water simple and safe.

this is a great product for everything I use it for backpacking to store my water and hydration pack. the only cons is you have to purchase the hydration hose to drink out of separate for $20

I've use MSR Dromedarys for about 12 years. They are tough, I've never had a leak and the versatile cap is useful. But they are awkward to fill in some circumstances; if your are holding bag with one hand (and say hanging on to grip so you can fill in a mountain stream with the other) then you can only get it 3/4's full. If you lie the bag down all the water will come out. (Yes sometimes you want to clean your hands of giarrdia bearing water before putting the cap on). Compare that to a Platypus "bottle" which can stand up on its own, is transparent so you can see how much water you have and which will take a drinking tube or a cap. A girlfriend complained of a plasticky taste (of water from the MSR, not my saliva) so I got her the Platypus. After extensive comparison I see that the Platypus is a better product for most hikers. Platypus and MSR are two brands of the same company but the design thinking of the Platypus strangely doesn't seem to have changed MSR's approach to waterbags.

I have one of these and one of the red, non-reinforced ones. I very much prefer this one. The red one is good, but I just have an uneasy feeling about it. This one is much more durable. EXCELLENT add to the pack.

I'm a motorcycle adventure rider and I and all my friends use the MSR water bladder's of all sizes for motorcycle camping. On our last camping trip my friend filled his water badder and set it on his hard bag of his BMW but forgot to clip it on. We were going down the interstate at 70+MPH and the bag fell off. I was in the rear of the pack on my bike and saw it skip down the road. Skip Skip Skip Skip. I got off my bike and walked back to retrive the bag when this guy in a car driving down the interstate smiled at me and RAN IT OVER at 70+MPH with the front and the back tire of his car. Thump Thump what a jerk. So when I picked it up out of the road I was very amazed to find it was still full of water and no leaks. The plastic parts were scratched from the asphalt but it still holds water. We all had a good laugh around the campfire that night passing around the bag and looking at the asphalt scars. That bag is just getting started and it has many adventures to go in its life. Great product MSR! So it should stand up to any Zombie Apocalypse. That bag is awesome. I would rate that that bag 5 stars and add a skull and cross bone with an exclamation point.

Great way to pack extra water without filling up your pack with bulky bottles.

This is one of the least criticized products around, rave reviews much like the slightly lighter version in red. I have criticisms. First of all, it's good, and MSR is a vendor a hiker could simply decide to use for everything, and be constantly happy. They deserve your $$. But, 1. It's awkward, to fill, handle, or use because the flat bladder shape wants to discharge the water whenever you open it. A more "bottle like" shape, with one box-like end, would be handier, think of a 1gal cloth shopping bag that stands by itself. 2. I was disappointed with the attachment cordage around the edge, a major feature of Dromedary over the Dromlite. The cord becomes very loose & floppy when the bag is filled (because the bag shape changes) making it far less useful for tying on a pack. (You want it tied on, not put it in a pack, for easy access.) This has an obvious solution; the grommets for the cord should be slots big enough for straps - viola perfect to strap on a pack and no need for the cord. 3. The little flip nozzle is worthless to drink from unless you have the the patient of the mythical Job, and the one weak point for potential leaks. Just unscrew the smaller cap, but don't drop it and lose it! Ideally this flip nozzle would have a much larger stream and so risk of cap loss would be nil. Other choices exist for "flat when empty" water containers, indicating a big market, so MSR might do an upgrade to this otherwise fine bag and take all the sales.

Pretty much everything that can be said about these dromedary bags is already in the reviews but I thought I would echo a few of the others. I purchased this during my 2015 pct thru hike just after finishing the desert section and starting into the mountains. Basically to replace the two 70oz platy bags i'd been using since I didn't need to carry 7-8 liters of water anymore. At no point during the remainder of the hike did it even come close to failing. Some people have expressed concern about the 3-in-1 cap leaking, but after months of continuous use, mine did not. For those that mentioned the water tasting like a car tire... well you do have to rinse it out a few times when you first get it. I left water in it overnight, rinsing it out each day for two days and the taste was gone, never came back. As far as versatility and durability goes these dromedary bags are second to none. They store enough water to be used in a group setting for cooking at a base camp, or filling up first thing in the morning, hiking all day, and still having enough water left over for dinner that night. You can drink straight from the bag if you are so inclined, or attach a hydration tube and sip while walking along. Personally I use it as a reservoir in my pack and refill my water bottles as they empty, that way I always know exactly how much water I have left and can ration as necessary to reach the next water source. A fun trick you can do with these bags when your out in the back country for extended periods of time... Lash it to the outside of your pack so it's in the sun for about an hour and let the water heat up. Then use a small carabiner to clip it to a branch or someplace high, open the small pour spout and you have a about a 5 min warm shower! Yes it's a trickle, but it beats wading into a glacial stream to rinse the dust off any day! Also... on cold nights fill it with warm, not boiling, water and use it as a pillow! The cloth is actually quite comfy.