Review : Source Kangaroo 1L Hydration Pouch
Cost: £54.95 (UK Tactical – 12/01/2022)
£49.99 (Tactical Kit – 12/01/2022)
Why I bought this:
Water is so important when you’re playing airsoft – you’re running around and sweating and it’s important to stay hydrated. How much water you will actually need for an event will depend on how where you are playing, what facilities you have, the weather and how you or your team plan ahead (for example bringing a team water jerry can). We would always recommended that you have at least a litre of water on your kit for when you are out in game and plan to carry more should you be away from other sources for an extended period of time.
Why not check out our podcast episode where we discussed hydration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAhd3ntyRG8
I have used a number of bladders throughout the years, but it was during the National Airsoft Festival in 2016 that I first saw the Source Hydration 1Litre Kangaroo system in use.
The system is compact and is easily mounted onto the cummerbund or back panel of a plate carrier. I have also used the Kangaroo on a belt and yoke setup as the small square pouch works nicely next to a dump pouch without creating an obstruction.
The bladder itself is also incredibly easy to fill (with a large pouring port) and modular hoses and mouthpieces mean parts can be interchanged and adapted for accessories. The bladder also includes little technologies to prevent bacterial build-up. See below for Source's marketing images.
Copyright: Source Tactical Hydration
First impressions:
The Source Kangaroo system comes in 4 main parts, the mouthpiece, the hose, the bladder and the pouch. (Note – you can buy the bladder separately to the pouch and this will fit other carrier pouches, like the Warrior Small Hydration Carrier).
Starting with the carrier pouch, this is 21cm x 19cm pouch, commonly available in Tan, MultiCam and Black (although these have also been seen in ACU, Flecktarn and OD). The pouch is made of Cordura 500 and contains a closed cell foam to insulate the bladder (keeping the water in the bladder cooler for longer). Two molle straps weave the pouch onto any molle platform or can be attached onto a belt setup.
The bladder itself opens by a slide clip on the top (Widepac). This means that you have incredible access into the bladder to make it incredibly easy to clean and fill. The slide top also means that you can easily add ice if you wanted to keep water extra cool on hot days. The bladder also incorporates a “grunge guard” and glass-like film to reduce the build-up of bacteria or other nasty stuff from building up in the bladder. To be honest – I have no idea what this stuff is or how it works – but it apparently helps keep the water cleaner for longer.
The kit comes with a 93cm hose which connects to the bladder via the Source “QMT – Quick Disconnect Technology”. This click in system shuts off the risk of any flow unless there is something connected to the bladder or the hose. So – if you disconnect the hose or the valve, water doesn’t come pouring out of the bladder.
Lastly, the mouthpiece. The standard unit with the system is the storm valve – which incorporates a lock to stop water draining out. This valve also connects to the hose via the quick disconnect system as the hose onto the bladder.
Functionality:
Testing this for a few years now I can firstly say that, whilst I am terrible at cleaning out my hydration bladders – I have never yet had one get to the point that I wouldn’t consider drinking through it. Leaving the bladder for a few months, there has been some minor little “floating bits” (I couldn’t tell you what these were), but ultimately the water still looked and smelt ok to drink. Whether it would be safe… I am not able to say – but it certainly didn’t go as rancid as previous bladders have in the past.
The bladder is incredibly easy to fill and maintain – the wide mouth of the bladder means that filling results in minimal spillage!
The pouch itself is perfect to be located around the body on any mole platform with the hose being long enough to still be easily accessible.
Due to the modularity of the system, additional parts can be swapped out as required (including optional additional accessories).
Positives:
The modularity of everything is great. The quick disconnect clip system works well and means you can swap out parts easily.
The pouch can be located almost anywhere (practically speaking) and still easily used. The pouch is also padded to keep water cooler for longer.
The bladder has a wide mouth allowing easy filling and maintenance.
Negatives:
The bladder, combined with the pouch may seem like a steep price tag when compared to other cheaper systems – however when you look at the product quality and advantages, it doesn’t seem as steep. If the bladder on its own is about £30, then a specialist pouch for another £20 isn’t the worst price you could pay.
Whilst the quick disconnect system is helpful for adapting the system to your requirements, it does have one downside. Where the connection clip shuts off water flow, during one event – the mouthpiece detached from the hose. This may have been due to snagging the hose, but it meant that without the mouthpiece, I was completely unable to drink from the bladder. I would recommend purchasing a spare mouthpiece in case this happens.
Summary:
To conclude, the Source Kangaroo 1L Hydration Pouch is a good quality and compact hydration bladder built with several interesting little technological innovations. Whilst in the upper end of cost, I believe this is warranted by the good materials and impressive “usability”.
Scoring:
Functionality: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Quality: 5/5
MilSim Value: 5/5
Overall:
