The dilemma: The water bottles in my Osprey Sirrus 36 pack are unreachable although I love everything else about the back so a different one is not an option.

I asked folks on one of the Camino Forums I follow for their favorite way to carry water so it could be reached without removing the pack. There were lots of great suggestions, many that I tried including a front waist pack designed to hold bottles (too bulky for me), an attachment to my strap to attach the bottle to (doesn’t work with my woman’s pack because the strap goes right under the arm so there is nothing to strap it to) and more. I had already ruled out a bladder. So the winner is….

The Solution: The Aqua Clip. It clips to the top of the bottle and has a handle you can hook in many different ways. I found it best when I hooked the handle to the strap between the pouch on the belt and the pack itself. It is secure, not in the way of anything, doesn’t bang constantly against my legs and best of all, reachable! I have confirmed this after several training walks.

Aqua clips are inexpensive and they ship quickly in the US. https://www.aquaclip.com.

Environmentalists shaking their heads at my using disposable bottles, I very rarely drink something that comes in a plastic bottle. My reason for using disposable plastic bottles is that they are the lightest of all options. I will also make sure the material the bottle is made from is safe for drinking out of after hours in the sun.

Finally, a rainy morning that gives me the chance to test out my rain gear. I put the cover over the backpack and topped that with my bright orange poncho and off I went. With the backpack under the poncho I look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Add the trekking poles that push up above my pack on my right side and it looks pretty funny. But then, this isn’t about looks.

There was a little wind and varying rain so I was happy with the test conditions. As instructed in one book I read, I wore my baseball cap under the poncho hood to keep rain out of my eyes and off my glasses.

The Verdict

Most important of all, my feet are dry as a bone. I will credit my Oboz Sawtooth BDry’s shoes for that. Any second thoughts I have had about wearing trail runners are gone.

My pack is also dry which is another huge relief.

I was surprised at how wet I am. The sleeves of my top were wet as is my upper chest. My lower legs are very making me think I will test out wearing my rain pants next time I do a wet-run. I also think I will try out my rain jacket instead of the poncho. I like the poncho concept as it seems like it would be more comfortable and cooler, but as many people claim, it doesn’t keep you totally dry.