Uh, Dave, are you sure you have the right forum?

Fire by friction we sometimes talk about, but from fingernails... no.

If we talk about self amputators like the guy who got pinned climbing, it's usually mockingly and then someone makes a pitch for PLBs.

Only a Frenchman could say that with a straight face.

To be honest, I've got 2 bladders, and I'm still not a big fan of them. Yeah, OK, "Better hydration." That means I've got to stop more often and re-fill the darn thing. And empty out the bladder more. I use them on day-hikes when I know I won't make it through 2 or 3 quarts, and there's not too much danger from a ruptured bag.

OTOH, if it's anything overnight, 1 GI canteen on the pack's waist belt, and 2 Nalgenes in the pack for me. If I go through the first quart, it's easy enough to refill on a rest break. Never had a hard bottle break on me, or freeze (in reference to my earlier post) I also think that it'd be a PITA to refill from a filter out on a trip (feedback here is welcome).

My advice: stay with what you like. Try it, don't like it? Fine, you still got a cool backpack, if you bought it as a system.

I was exagerating to make a little joke, hence the " ;-) "

Oh.

Oops.

The others will tell you my sense of humor sometimes doesn't kick in. Sorry about that.

I did not put a after that sentence, just to try to be discreet ....
but if YOU have to insist ....