Introduction

Children have become an integral part of our outdoors experience, and they need dependable hydration even more than we do. (Dealing with an overheated and dehydrating child can make an outing extremely miserable for both of you.)

In Real Life

Canteens lose their thrill quickly, at least in our family. This smallest of hydration systems, 35 oz (1 l) of water, was fought over by our kids. (Each of them now has a hydration system.)

The Skeeter has no cargo area, making it suitable for smaller children. (It bears mentioning that not all children have the same level of oral discipline; these aren't advised for use by children under age 5 as the bite valve could conceivably come loose and cause choking.)

A nice touch is the reflective material, every bit of which helps the little immortals survive.

Suggestions

This model has no cargo area. There were times I wished there was at least a few elastic bands and a small mesh pocket covering the bottom half of the outside, with a zipper along the horizontal mid-line. It would have made my little one bond with hers more tightly, as she always wants to have a small doll, a hair scrunchy, or a bit of candy with her.

Conclusion

We were very happy testing the Skeeter. The kids loved it, and the novelty didn't wear off. Judging by the frequent bathroom visits they were getting plenty of drinking in, and that's way better than a headachy, dehydrated kid. Our only caveat in suggesting the Skeeter to friends is having them consider a kids model with a small cargo pack built-in. We'll try to test one of those too.