Review on 2012 CamelBak StowAway 100

StowAway 100 is an All-Season Hydration Solution

By Rick Shandley

With one hundred ounces (3 liters) of water storage in an easy-fill and secure bladder, the CamelBak StowAway 100 hydration system is geared for use as cold weather hydration system. Protecting the three liter Antidote reservoir is an insulated and coated polyurethane cover that can stand alone as extra water capacity or your primary pack reservoir.

Even during spring, summer, and fall seasons alpine temperatures can go low enough to freeze your water supply. Designed to insulate the Antidote three liter water reservoir in colder conditions, The CamelBak StowAway also keep the water cool in warm temperatures. So rather than viewing the StowAway 100 as a strictly winter gear piece, we see it as a viable four-season hydration system.

Attachment points on the outside of the StowAway allow you to lash it to the outside of your pack. So it follows that StowAway is a good option for an external reservoir if your journey and specific environment require it. An example is a backpacking trip anywhere in the Gila National Forests of New Mexico. Even if you know there should be water sources along the way and located on your maps, it’s not an environment to run out of water.

There are countless backcountry regions whether they are in arid geography or way above timberline where you

Wide Mouth filler neck is upgraded for 2012, easy to fill, close and open.

need to carry the water you’re going to need. StowAway is that extra capacity water source you can look to for long-range treks.

For transportation as an additional water supply, you have four, equally spaced, D-rings to lash the StowAway on the exterior of your pack. In addition, you have a web strap loop at the bottom of the StowAway reservoir cover to secure the reservoir on the exterior, and an adjustable web strap at the top for carrying or securing it to an anchor.

At any time of year, assuming you have another 100-ounce Antidote in your pack’s primary reservoir pocket, you’ll have about four pounds of physical weight, each. In my view, these pounds are necessary if water cannot be easily replenished like in arid terrain or early mid-summer high-alpine trips up in the rocks. Even though StowAway 100 is a winter hydration solution, it’s also a year-round piece of kit.

The physical bulk of the StowAway reservoir is acceptable when you consider the utility. Even though the Antidote 3L has baffles to manage water slosh, and a relatively slim profile, it’s still a lot of water, and the StowAway casing surrounds that with 100 mm of insulation in addition to the polyurethane coated polyester (nylon) fabric. No worries, it fits fine in my daypack and perfect in the Lowe/Alpine Cerro Torre 65:85 multiday pack it is going on the next trip with.

Backside of the StowAway is free of clutter, and rides well on the outside of a pack. — Backside of the StowAway 100 is free of clutter, and rides well on the outside of a pack.

It’s a pretty robust reservoir casing that stands up to being transported on the outside of the pack. The nylon casing doesn’t yield to abrasive tree branches or leaning your pack on the rocks when the StowAway is secured to the outside of the pack. It’s a heavy-duty construction that not only insulates the 100 ounce Antidote reservoir, but protects it very well.

In temperatures where it gets down to single digits and less, the StowAway’s insulation abilities were put to the test many times this recent winter. On some occasions, it had to stay in the pack, outdoors, overnight. That’s where I could get an idea of how cold it would go before the exposure overcame the insulation. A few times, the overnight low temperatures did create icy slush in the reservoir, but I did not experience solid freezing of the StowAway system.

Cold is cold, but when the mercury drops below 32° F, water becomes ice. You can’t drink ice. And you can’t stay hydrated by chewing on it. Add to that any level of wind chill and your water source is unavailable until further notice. It only has to happen to you once, and you’ll make every effort not to let it happen again. The StowAway makes a big difference in not letting your water source freeze in the first place. It can happen, but if you keep your gear in the tent overnight the chance of freezing up your water is greatly reduced.

The StowAway has an insulated water delivery tube in the form of a sleeve covering the polyurethane water

delivery tube that does cover the length of the tube. The insulated tube cover will creep up and expose the water tube, which is enough to freeze if you don’t get all the water back-flowed into the reservoir. Ah, we learn. We try.

Unintentionally, I did allow water to freeze in the BigBite Valve on the Antidote reservoir, left the cap off. And, ignorantly, I popped the ice cube out of the mouthpiece water slit. It was my fault, and I learned to make sure the bite valve is empty also. I was always able to take a drink from this StowAway setup, even when I popped out the ice chunk, in some pretty low mid-winter Colorado Rocky Mountain temperatures. My fingers and toes where usually a bigger concern than the water staying liquid. It was in these true early 2012 winter conditions where I got to the point of trusting this StowAway system.

In bitter cold weather, you must blow back through water tube each time you’ve taken a drink in order for the liquid to go back into the reservoir. And it’s an easy thing to forget. The tube insulation works well while you’re underway and body heat and pack insulation are helping, but leaving any of it exposed overnight risk’s icing up.

The rubber cover on the BigBite Valve mouthpiece helped to cover the mouthpiece and added protection. You do have to take the bulk of the rubber mouthpiece cap into consideration when you slide it through a hydration-tube opening in your pack. But this is not a bother. I’d rather have that cap. The rubber mouthpiece cap enhances the duty being lashed to the outside of the pack, and it helps to seal up the system.

The hydration tube exits the 3L reservoir within the StowAway cover, and it does limit the reach of the water line to a degree. But the additional insulation quality of almost half the hose length also helps keep things from freezing. That’s another area that might bother some folks, but I would rather have the extra insulation protecting the water hose than have the full length of the water line exposed, even if it is insulated.

As a side note, some of the latest CamelBak (and other pack manufacturers) winter packs have insulated sleeves built into one side of the shoulder harness of certain packs. This setup, along with the insulated reservoir and water tube, seems to be an ultimate solution for cold weather.

All in all, this CamelBak StowAway has performed as well as I could have imagined, even more so. Keeping you

Four equally spaced, D-rings offer lash points.

water supply ice free is a big deal. It’s important to your health and wellbeing. Dehydration in the winter cold is a risky proposition. Once your body starts to react to the environment other risk factors, like hypothermia start to set in, leading to potential trouble. We don’t like trouble around here.

The StowAway 100-ounce hydration system is an advance as a backcountry piece of gear. At an MSRP of about $45.00, the Camelbak StowAway comes with high recommendations and it’s also a good dollar value for what you get. StowAway is a combination of two practical ideas that work very well together. With the new three-liter Antidote reservoir, you get the water volume you need to stay hydrated on a long day or overnight trip. With the insulated StowAway housing and insulated water tube, you have a protected water supply that has no relative weaknesses unless you are a frail human who thinks there are day spas in the backcountry. No complaints about the weight or the bulk. High marks for the function. High marks for CamelBak’s product planning team.

Features of CamelBak StowAway 100 Reservoir

Burst-resistant 100 fl. oz. Antidote reservoir
Huge access port for easy filling and cleaning
New cap is easier to open and close than previous versions.
Integrated Antidote reservoir baffles
HydroGuard technology inhibits bacterial growth on reservoir and tube surfaces
Insulated carrier, drinking tube, and a covered bite valve
Polyurethane-coated polyester carrier features double the insulation of a traditional pack
Zippered opening allows quick loading.
Quick Link reservoir connection system for hassle-free removal of the drinking tube.
Big Bite valve is easy to use.
Multiple lash points make it easy to attach the StowAway
CamelBak StowAway 100 reservoir includes integrated folding dryer arms that help keep the reservoir open for easy drying when you’re back home.