Platypus Big Zip SL

I had the BigZip 2L for two years and a half, after that the zip started leaking. The problem was at one of the zip's ends - it was too close to the margin, and the water eventually found a way to escape through the zip's channel. I'm not sure this is a clear description of what happened, as I am not a native English speaker, but to me it is clear that the manufacturer does not have good quality control, as the zip molding is badly done. Other minuses of this product are :

- the zip is very hard to close, especially in cold weather - you will loose a lot of time trying to close it
- the blue "platypus" inscription and everything else imprimated on the water bag started to fade away from the first use in a day hike, painting my pack with blue. After a few trips, the whole water bag looked like it was 100 years old
- the iron in the attaching clip started rusting after a few weeks - again looking like 100 years old
- hose is too long - you will end either with too much hose out, dangling in front of you, or with too much hose in your backpack, possibly strangulated by other objects or the convoluted positions inside the pack
- the mouthpiece does not have a cap - this is not hygienic - other companies include a cap in the standard kit
- if there is pressure on the water bag (too tight backpack), and the faucet is opened at mouthpiece, the mouth valve will give away, allowing water to pour - this is especially bad when you have it completely in your backpack fully filled
- the safety blue fastener/handle is annoyingly dangling when refilling

Fortunately, I decided to switch to another company making hydration systems, and the BigZip is only an ugly memory now.

I purchased this unit to use during a 50 day pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain this summer. As you might imagine I've been training for some months. I've used the Platypus on six walks lasting 3-5 hours each. I installed the Platypus in my backpack where the water reservoir belongs. This is what I know: Properly tightened the hose unit worked loose and drained water down my backside, twice. In my opinion the hose/reservoir inion is poorly designed...just too simple, it could never work in the intended application. The bite valve is not at all user friendly. The fill opening (also where the hose attaches) is too small especially compared to other units costing only slightly more. Yes, the product is quite light in weight...it just is not functional as a portable hydration unit. If one wants to haul water around, it would be great. Remember 2 liters of water weighs 4.4 lbs. so a few more ounces for a world class product (which REI does carry) is a much better choice...good hiking!

1st & foremost, if you are unfamiliar with hydration systems & this is your first one, it's fine, it'll do the job required. If you have always had Camelbak's however & thinkin of buying an alternative, this is not it! I bought this as I required a 2L instead of my 3L Camelbak to fit into a differant backpack, and they were out of stock of the 2L CB's. The "Hyperflow bite valve" was not as quick as I had become accustomed to with my Big Bite Valve on my CB. A used it a few times until the blue part of the "Hyperflow bite valve" fell out & I had to close the valve to prevent losing all my water! Just awful product. Maybe mine was just defective, but I'll stick to Camelbak's in future

This product has several features that I appreciate. The large opening, for one, and the quick disconnect for the hose is another; my Katadyn water filter plugs right in, making refills at the stream a breeze.
Alas, is has a nasty plastic taste that I was unable to eliminate, guess Cascade Designs needs to do a better job of screening their "new materials" :-P.
I returned this product to REI, in exchange for one of the MSR Cloudliner reservoirs.

The zipper top started leaking after about two years of use. Does not appear to be fixable.

I purchased this bladder first for my Osprey Stratos 24 and later to use in my Aether 60 pack. I ultimately will be returning this as it's a poor fit for either due to the way it inflates.

I say beware based on your pack because this may fit for some but I would not suggest it for Osprey packs and would instead get the Osprey/Nalgene branded one. This is only a 2L bladder and when used in the Stratos 24 pack (with its arched back to allow ventilation) the bladder literally fills much of the center of the compartment and requires me to fill my gear in the sides. I tacked that up to the Osprey design for that one.

However, my Aether 60 has a reasonably flat back and still has much of the same problem getting this bladder into place. It's near impossible to put it in without unloading the center of the pack and even then, the bladder protrudes over 4" into the pack.

So for my needs, I purchased the Osprey branded bladders that are wider and do not intrude into my pack space so much (even though it's a full liter larger). I can also easily load those into a loaded pack due to the reinforced design - yeah, a bit more weight but worth the convenience.

The Platypus also had a plasticy taste that irritated me and it was severely worse once the contents warmed up. I usually put a tiny bit of gatorade in my bladder anyway so this was not a major concern for me but the two times I was caught without any more drink mix, it was pretty gnarly.

After using the Osprey bladder, I've also decided I hate the bite valve on these. They only work at one angle (well, 2 if you 180 it) whereas the Osprey bite valve works at any angle due to its round design.

So I give this three stars because it's a generally good design and very lightweight without sacrificing much quality. I can't attribute the fit problems 100% to Platypus as I've never used this on anything but an Osprey pack and it could be partly due to their design. If the bladder was designed to be wider and not inflate so that the depth at the bottom matched the width, it would be a real winner.

My "no" recommendation stems from the fact i feel that there are better options out there.

One of the reasons that I purchased this product was due to its advertised weight of 4 ounces - otherwise, if it were heavier, I would have simply used another brand. [After all, 4 ounces is a quarter-pound. ;)]

Even though REI lists the weight as "Average Weight," the manufacturer of this product insists on the packaging that it weighs 4 ounces. And I have good reason to believe that this isn't one of those "average weight" matters.

The bladder, hose, bite valve (indeed all the components required for proper use) should weigh 4 ounces as advertised. It actually weighs 5.55 ounces. That is significantly inaccurate. I was displeased when I weighed it and discovered it to be an ounce and a half heavier than advertised. I think that's about 28% off the mark.

[Note: The hose clip can be removed to reduce the weight by 0.2 oz. The blue-slider closure at the top must also be removed for the weight to be accurate (4 ounces) -- though this is not mentioned anywhere on the packaging (...) and would significantly deminish the product's efficiency/integrity.]

I will, however, recommend the Platypus Big Zip SL based upon its features/functionality, but not without warning (for those it may concern) regarding the inaccuracy of the weight.

Okay. I got 3 years outof it which is okay I guess. The plastic is indestructable. The quick connects are very covenient but they scare me. Extra o-ring, spring and housing to get danaged and fail, although the auto-off feature is cool. I only got some minor occasional dripping out of the hose connection, but I would rather just have a compression nipple hting there. When and if they fail, you can simply cut the hose a bit and refit.

And the major problem: your zipper will fail. Even with the slider installed, it will leak. It gradually beame harder and harder to close until I was biting it to close it. Now it's in the garbage.

I liked the design overall however the zip function is a little awkward and gets harder to zip with time. I could live with that but not the leak that developed on a welded seam near the zipper. New bladder time! Sorry, Cascade.