Pros: Durable, replaceable bladder, appropriate sizes available
Cons: Can’t dry bags easily after use, the fill opening is very difficult to use, the spigot dispenses water slowly.
Yackman’s Recommendation: Skip the Pack Tap and keep looking for the perfect water transporter.
In continuing my search for the perfect water carrier for kayaking, I stumbled across the Pack Tap by Sea to Summit. I have a bunch of Sea to Summit products and find that they are thoughtfully designed and well made. The Pack Tap almost makes the cut, but not quite.
The Pack Tap is designed for backpacking, as are moist of the other hydration products reviewed here. Even so, it would adapt well to the small spaces for storage found in sea kayaks. The Pack Tap comes in several sizes. I ordered the two-liter Pack (similar in volume to the Platypus Bottle reviewed earlier) and the six-liter (similar in volume to one of the MSR Dromedary bags, also reviewed earlier).
Both Packs have a tough nylon 420D rip-stop nylon exterior. But unlike the Dromedary Bags, there is no waterproof material bonded to the inside of the rip-stop nylon. The Dromedary Bag’s waterproof bonding material is what gives water stored there such a bad taste. Instead it holds a replaceable Mylar bag. Mylar by itself is tough. The addition of a tough nylon outer bag virtually assures that the bag will not puncture and flood a closed hatch. And, Mylar imparts no taste to the water it holds.
So why doesn’t the Pack Tap make the cut in my estimation? There are two reasons. First, like the Platypus, the Mylar bag has a small opening that will make cleaning and drying the bag after use difficult. Unlike the Platypus Bottle however, you can’t see through the Mylar to see the condition of its inside. And the Mylar bag is nearly as expensive to replace as the Platypus Bottle. Second, and most important, the cap to open the Pack Tap bag doesn’t screw on; it pops out of its holding ring in a process I was never able to complete. I had a water bag by Sterns with the same type
of opening. I got rid of it because it was so difficult to use. The spigot on the bag is a lever that deforms the rubber stopper to let water through. Aside from possible leakage inside your boat, the flow of water from this opening is miniscule. I don’t want to wait all day to dispense water for a cup of coffee or to refill a water bottle. Finally, the narrow fill opening makes refilling the bag difficult. This is not so much a problem at home using a tap. It can be a problem on a trip when refilling from an outdoor spigot or a water filter. (The Platypus has the same problem. The Dromedary does not.) After taking a good look at these Pack Taps, I sent them back. They were an improvement in taste and durability, but not function.
So I will continue to use my Platypus Bottles while I continue my quest for the perfect container to transport water in a sea kayak.
PS: I have been searching the web for replacement bladders. Every site says they are available, but no one in the USA seems to stock them. This could be a problem.