The Wonder Bucket!

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Seattle Sports BucketA full page on a bucket? Am I crazy? What possible reason would possess you to carry the extra weight of a bucket when every ounce counts? Well stick with me for awhile and I'll give you some of the reasons I always carry a bucket while backpacking. Allow me introduce you to the Bucket. It comes from different companies, comes in different colors and varying weights. Seattle Sports (shown at right) makes one that weighs only 4 ounces and holds three gallons! It's made of reinforced vinyl, has a handle, and folds down to less than an inch thick. Some of the models are able to stand up without additional support. The handle allows you to carry water around and hook the bucket on a branch or around a picnic-table seat. I've seen them for sale at REI stores and in the L.L. Bean catalog, as well as different sporting goods stores. They cost anywhere from six to seventeen dollars and they vary in quality and thickness. Below are some uses for the bucket. If you still need more convincing after reading the uses below, check out this review on the Backpack Gear Test web site.

  • Filtering water. I use the bucket to dip water from the source, avoiding the bottom to prevent disturbing the silt, and take it back to camp or a comfortable rock for filtering. There are several reasons to filter from the bucket. First I avoid kicking up silt, allowing me to filter clear water and extending the life of the water filter. Also, if the water is already full of sediment, I can allow it to settle and filter from the cleaner surface. (Read Ken Walter's tip on speeding up the settling of sediment.) I can also get into a comfortable position for filtering; something not always possible at the creek or pool's edge.
  • Water catchment. Many times in the southwest, you'll find a seep with only a slight dripping of water. On the Nankoweap Trail several years ago, I was able to set my bucket under the drip overnight, and in the morning I had nearly two gallons of water—effortlessly!
  • Bathing. The bucket has come in very handy for me since I spend so much time outside. I like to clean up, and it helps keep my sleeping bag fresher for much longer before cleaning. In a campground with other people around, I can even take wash water into my tent and bathe in private. Be careful not to tip it over! Be on the safe side and move your sleeping bag and gear away to prevent getting them wet!
  • Luxuries. After bathing, I often soak my feet in the water. This feels marvelous after a hard day's hike!
  • Laundry. On my extended trips, I don't take clean clothes for the whole time; rather, I wear one set and bring an extra set. This way I can wear one and wash one. This in itself is worth the weight of carrying the bucket. Clothes add up. I also like to wear a clean pair of socks each day. I find I don't get blisters if I take good care of my feet, wear proper boots, and put on a fresh pair of socks each day. Washing them allows me to wear clean socks every day.
  • Dishes. I can wash my dishes by pouring water from the bucket into the dishes, scrub them, and then rinse them with more water. I do not wash dishes directly in the bucket. I have REI's folding bucket. It weighs 8 oz. is free-standing, and holds 2.5 gallons. I just discovered that they carry a new style from Seattle Sports that weighs only 4.5 ounces and holds 3 gallons! It doesn't appear that it will be free-standing, but if you are really cutting the weight, the inconvenience of propping it up would certainly be compensated by cutting off half the weight.
  • Emergencies. This was the clincher for me. During one trip in the desert, I had started out with a gallon and a half of water and headed to one of my regular water stops. When I got there the area was bone dry, and it was several miles to the next water! There was on old windmill in the area with a concrete tank underneath it. I looked into the tank and saw water about six feet down. The problem was the tank was much too narrow for me to fit even my shoulders in, which made it impossible to reach the water below. I pulled out my bucket, tied some line to the handle, and lowered the bucket into the water. When I raised the bucket, I had plenty of water. I haven't gone anywhere without it since!

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