What The Mazama Water Reservoir Can Do For You

Call us nerds, but we get really excited about gear--especially when it’s an awesome new product or design that we can’t wait to share with our subscribers.

What gets us excited? You might ask. Well, we’ll tell you. At Cairn we love innovative products that help make your outdoor experience fun, healthy, safe, and all around kick-butt.

That’s why we were thrilled to partner with Mazama for our March collection and provide our subscribers with a water reservoir that is cutting-edge. We chatted with Jeremy Young-Smith from Mazama Designs (a mastermind behind their ingenious AXE 2L Hydration Reservoir), to bring you these behind the scenes details.

Mazama’s Backstory

“Our environment is an inspiration to me and a great resource for product testing”

Mazama is a family-owned business headquartered in Bend, Oregon. Founder, Matt Hoskins, established Mazama long ago with the original patented “DesChutes” bite valve which has been licensed over the years to a bunch of different companies that you know well, including K2, Nalgene, Osprey, and Hydrapak. But in the last year the brand has focused on a refresh with new colors and an innovative new closure, all of which is making a difference in what people see in Mazama.

“We think of ourselves as pioneers in bringing technology into reservoirs. The common complaints we hear include, ‘the water tastes nasty,’ ‘it tends to grow ‘stuff,’’ or ‘it doesn’t clean well.’ We’re trying to push advantages and technology as a premium brand, and we’re constantly trying to innovate and engineer new designs that our customers will enjoy” - Jeremy Young-Smith

“Hydration in Motion”

The Mazama slogan means that as you’re reaching the top of your hike on the South Sister, you’re not even thinking about hydration--it’s just a part of you and what you’re doing. That’s what they want their products to do for people. Mazama’s hydration goal is to become a second thought (even though it sounds bad from a marketing standpoint) so you can truly enjoy that amazing view you just hiked up to or that trail you’re about to head out on.

What Can a Water Reservoir Do For You?

In short, a hydration pack, using the right water reservoir, can change your outdoor experience. If you’ve ever been on a day-hike with a clunky water bottle or a large backpack, you know what we mean.

Why is using a hydration pack and/or water reservoir a smart idea? Here are just a few reasons:

Convenience is key - With a hydration pack on your back, and the Mazama or another reservoir in the bag, you will be able to power through more terrain, avoid slowing down and generally enjoy your time outside more. But that’s not all; you will also avoid digging in your pack for a bottle, fumbling to unscrew your water dispenser cap, heck, you don't even need to tilt your head back! It’s a no-brainer.

Gearheads unite! As any experienced outdoors-addict will tell you, adding a hydration pack/reservoir to your gear kit is like graduating from high school to college. Along with being functional, it gives you tons of street (or trail) cred.

Improve your performance - There are many ways you can make your outdoor adventures more enjoyable by being prepared with the correct gear, but hands-down we think investing in a high-quality water reservoir is top of the list. Drinking enough water while hiking, climbing or running with a hydration pack and proper reservoir takes the ‘thinking’ out of staying hydrated, so you can enjoy the view and focus on your form! You’ll also find that staying hydrated with a reservoir takes little to no effort and therefore will improve your performance. That’s why we love Mazama; they focus on experience, performance and quality first.

Why is the Mazama Reservoir Different?

The AXE 2L Hydration Reservoir (featured in Cairn’s March collection) is unique because it’s so universal. The Mazama Reservoir is anything but a cheap knock off; they provide the highest quality reservoir out there with a lifetime guarantee that you can really depend on.

Versatility is key - AXE 2L fits into every pack, and it has a full-length handle which makes it the industry leader for ease of filling, closing, inserting into a pack, and cleaning/drying. For day use, 2L of water is a good amount for one person on a hike, but they also have a 3L and two different shapes/sizes of a 2L.

Patented bite valve: The patented bite valve is known for its leak-proof design. There’s a push-button shut off as a second measure of safety, so as you’re running or hiking, the reservoir is not going to be leaking water.

Fresh tasting water: The Mazama line offers a high-end reservoir that delivers clean-tasting water through innovative and patented designs. Using a PVC/BPA-free film that makes water in the Mazama reservoir 100% taste-free, you can focus on your time outdoors instead of the taste of your water. The  PVC/BPA-free film is made in the US, and Mazama offers the only reservoir on the market that has film formulated and produced here rather than overseas.

Developed for strength and quality: This reservoir is tested for impact. This way you don’t have to worry about forgetting it in your hot car or packing gear around the reservoir that may cause a leak. Because we take our brand-partner testing seriously, the Cairn Crew actually executed our own strength test on the reservoir. By which we mean, we stood on it, bounced on it a bit, and really, truly, not a single leak sprung! In short, we approve!

Looking for a hydration pack to pair nicely with your Mazama reservoir? Mazama now offers super cool hydration packs, suited for all your outdoor needs. Check them out!

Where have you put your new Mazama Reservoir to use? Tell us in the comments!