romania,

Great post!

I have tried freezing water in the bladder as you described. I had great difficulty getting the lid open. Water would freeze in the threads. It is nice to have that big block of ice in the bladder. It is common here in Phoenix for people to freeze their water bottles and drink the water as it thaws.

I am wondering if I should carry an additional water container. Maybe a rolled up Platypus water bag. If I have another issue I could drain the water into the Platypus.