Reddit reviews Source Outdoor SNEP Convertube Water Bottle Adapter Into A Hydration System Kit

I got a bladder hose like this with a few different adapters so it fits smart water bottles and nalgenes

Nice thorough review. +1.

I have the similar AK rig, and I have to admit, I wish I had gone with a 100% MOLLE rig.

I did a chunk of research the other day, and I think personally I'd have to go with a waist-loaded option. For whatever reason, having straps on my shoulders makes it annoying to really couch a blaster in my shoulder, on top of the straps -- don't ask me why, it's just always... Not quite right.

That said, if I had to rebuy my rig, I'd spend a bit more and get this setup:

• Condor Gen 2 BattleBelt + Condor Duty Belt
  
• Condor Dual AK Mag Pouch or Tri AK Mag Pouch
  
• Single-Point Sling
  
  I'd probably go with a double pouch on each side, carrying 8x18 + 2 or 3 in/on the blaster + sidearm + holdouts. More than enough.
  
  Everything's on the waist, out of the way so you keep utmost in upper-body maneuverability. Everything's also off to the side, so you can go prone/flat against walls pretty easily on either side, whereas the chest rig made bellying up to a wall less than ideal.
  
  If I wanted to go for extras, I'd want to look at a Mag Recovery Dump Pouch for one side.
  
  For those that want the shoulder support, you can get an H-Harness
  
  Now for the really crazy research that I did.
  
  I considered adding hydration of some kind, which gets a bit tricky for waist packs. The slickest hydration pack I could probably find was the Condor Hydro Harness which actually fits nicely with all of their gear -- but you need to have a compatible chest rig to use it properly... Which means things on the shoulders. Even more cobbled together solutions, such as an H-Harness + Hydration carrier has the same problem, although less so.
  
  Fortunately, there are solutions! MOLLE-compatible 'side' hydration pouches, such as the Source Kangaroo 1L or the Blackout! Side Hydration Pouch would take the water off the back. 1L is a lot less, as most backpacks are 2, 2.5, or even more in capacity. The downside of any hydration pouch is twofold in this case:
  
  

1. You don't have any good way to keep the water line near your mouth, since you lack shoulder straps.
   
   
2. Cleaning bladders is a pain!
   
   That said, Source does make some pretty awesome extras, both of which seem really useful the former of which may even work to deal with problem #1 in this case.
   
   There's another alternative to this, too, though! I personally find my Nerf habit totally niche, so I always feel a bit guilty getting something JUST for Nerf... But Nalgene bottles or the like are really useful otherwise, so that's always a nice option.
   
   

• Getting just a MOLLE Nalgene carrier or generic bottle pouch would work fine. Solid Nalgene bottles have pros and cons though. Pros: it's rigid and strong, which means it takes impact and wear very well. Cons: It's hard, so it doesn't collapse, and it's generally more bulky.
  
• You can get soft Nalgene Canteens in 32oz or 48oz and put them in some sort of suitable pouch. I imagine the 32oz canteen would fit rather well in the standard bottle carrier, although I don't know how well the bottle carrier collapses, making the presence of a canteen possibly moot.
  
• Turn any Nalgene (or smaller water bottles, if the usual 32oz is too large) into a hydration carrier with a straw adapter. Popular ones include SmarTube or Source SNEP, both of which include a Nalgene-compatible 63mm wide-mouth adapter, and the Condor Nalgene carrier has a straw pass-thru in the top. Obviously, the downside to this is that the thing you're drinking from generally needs to be upright to ensure constant water supply. Not that big of an issue, but it does limit canteen pouch options to ones that will hold the thing upright.
  
  I personally think I'd lean towards the straw option, as it's easier to clean and more universally usable, although I'm not entirely certain I'd like the bulk of a Nalgene bottle on my waist and the slosh factor, both of which are lesser issues when dealing with a bladder. Maybe I'll try and find a suitable pouch for a 32oz Nalgene canteen and get the SNEP...
  
  EDIT: Malformed link.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004QMF0U8

Any bottle you have or want, with this

I also am not a bladder fan and could not adapt to shoulder bottles ( though they do a great job as a counter ballance) I found an inbetween solution. Source makes a kit to adapt a hose to water bottles (prob DIY one aswell) This might be a good temp solution if you are not ready to spend on a pack yet. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004QMF0U8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484171712&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=source+hydration+bottle&dpPl=1&dpID=313jEs5YEAL&ref=plSrch

No real experience with this product but it could be a good compromise between the ease of drinking with a hose without the annoyance of refilling a bladder inside the pack. Different reviews say that it works on Smart Water bottles. Might be something interesting to try out.

I have used two systems in my time spent hiking. One was a 96oz [Nalgene wide mouth canteen] (https://www.amazon.com/Nalgene-96-Ounce-Mouth-Canteen-Bottle/dp/B000BS0AR4/ref=pd_sim_468_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B000BS0AR4&pd_rd_r=6G5N7XE6N68GYYMSM1ZB&pd_rd_w=IB7cI&pd_rd_wg=6zKwz&psc=1&refRID=6G5N7XE6N68GYYMSM1ZB) with a [Source Convertube] (https://www.amazon.com/Source-Outdoor-Convertube-Bottle-Adapter/dp/B004QMF0U8). The second is a [Osprey 3L bag] (https://www.amazon.com/OSPREY-Hydraulics-Reservoir-Liter-Color/dp/B01JSSNKRO/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1498454724&sr=1-2&keywords=osprey+3l+hydration+bladder).

I loved my Nalgene/Source convertube combo. Easy to fill and clean. I had an unfortunate situation with hot water tasting like scalded onions being put into the bag(not my mistake but I paid a heavy price for it). After cleaning it with bleach twice, the water tasted normal but the bag smelled like the onion water for a little while. After 4 bleach cleanings it smelled fine. The Nalgene ended up busting when I had to break hard in my car. It fell from the passenger seat into the floor. I e-mailed Nalgene about but didn't get a reply. I was interested in finding out if they thought the bleach or the hot water might have compromised the bag. The hot liquid warning was for 212 degrees and the water was not boiling when placed into the bag. The Source hydration kit was great. It worked flawlessly. No taste or smells. Easily cleaned. The rubber washer that I lost didn't seem to be a standard size and was impossible to replace. Otherwise I would still use it.

With the Osprey I found that the throughput of water was higher than the Nalgene/Source combo. The water has a slight plastic taste. I have used it less than 5 times and the plastic taste has lessened with subsequent uses. So I am hoping that it will go away completely. The hard side of the bag helps a lot. It would be harder to place it into my Osprey bag without it. The quick connect tubing is a good idea. The bite valve is harder to clean than the Source one I had. The Osprey bag itself was as easy to clean if not more so than the Nalgene wide mouth canteen. The tubing is stiff and makes it difficult to connect the [Osprey quick connect kit] (https://www.amazon.com/Osprey-Hydraulics-Quick-Connect-Kit/dp/B00IO06L92/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1498455360&sr=1-3-fkmr0&keywords=osprey+adapter+kit). I think a nice touch is that the plastic clip that holds the flap shut is attached to the bag so it will not be lost. I love the magnetic chest strap clip that came with the bag. A thing to note is that when I purchased the my hydration bag, it listed that the bag under normal use should last a year. The description was vague as to how much use it was tested for in a year. I have a feeling the upper seal will eventually fail but it has not leaked on me yet.

Overall, I have not been disappointed in either of my choices. Both of the choices I have had will perform quite well. I would substitute a Platypus bag for the Nalgene if I had a do over.

There are adapters that allow you to use a drink tube with a bottle.

http://www.amazon.com/Source-Outdoor-Convertube-Bottle-Adapter/dp/B004QMF0U8

These are a little gimmicky, but the idea is pretty simple. I used a similar set up before getting a pack that facilitates water bottle use a little better (on my old pack I couldnt retrieve water bottles with the pack on). Quality might be hit or miss, but considering what it really consists of there's not much to break. It's a bite valve, a tube, and a cap with a breather valve that screws onto a bottle.

It only solves some of the issues brought up. You still won't be able to judge remaining water.