Hydration Backpacks

One of the most useful tools to come along in years the hydration back pack allows you to carry up to 100 ounces of water as you hike and metal detect, move equipment or whatever you need to do. It also has compartments for your GPS, pocket knife, lunch or anything else you might need for a full day away from your vehicle. Most of the hydro packs also have a nice ring of plastic or heavy duty material to where you can attach your bungee cord for your metal detector. These packs can run well over $100.00 for the Camelbak models but you can find less expensive models like the Sierra models at Costco. Personally I like the Camelbak Mule but have a Sierra for backup, the Mule runs about $70.00 and can be found on special sometimes as low as $39.00. It comes with a 70 ounce water bladder but I have chosen to replace that with a 100 ounce water bladder. Normally in mild temps the 100 ounces lasts me almost all day. Another cool feature is if you are metal detecting and want to bring an extra coil you can hook it onto one of the snaps and off you go. You can also attach a small pan and even carry sample bags. You can also clip on a GPS unit or walkie-talkie and keep in touch with your hunting partners.

Often when gold prospecting hunting for a new spot I'll use a 14 or 17 inch coil and pack a smaller 8 inch along too. Of course you have to be careful and not hurt your back. These units offer no real back support like a traditional backpack but having that drinking straw handy is real nice especially in a unit designed for the purpose. In my opinion they are not heavy. Sometimes when I'm hiking and working an area looking for gold nuggets with my metal detector I'll hang the hydropack in a tree and stay in the general area to keep my back free and then move on to the next area. The real reason I hang it in a tree in here in the southwestern US there is a very high chance you could return and later find out a scorpion has crawled inside, or a spider or maybe even find a snake real close to it. Much less chance of that happening in a tree as opposed to on the ground. You've got to always be thinking of safety.

In case you are wondering here is what I normally carry in and on my hydropack:

Extra 45 caliber ammo
Food for the day
Benadryl (in case of bites or stings - see your doctor first)
Multi tool or knife
Keys and cell phone
Wire ties
GPS unit
Sample bags
Extra detector shaft (if hiking a long way)
Extra coil (if hiking a long way)
Pan (if hiking a long way and there is water)
Extra detector battery