OK, I would love for everyone to chime in on how you clean/disenfect your hydration pack/bladder (that is, if you actually do ).
I have heard so many things:
1. Fill it halfway with water and microwave it until the water gets hot (but not too hot to boil).
2. Using Camelpack hydration cleaning tablets
3. Baking Soda - Bicarbonate of Soda (Mix baking soda with water and allow it to soak in the bladder - anywhere from an hour to overnight. If you are getting ready to use it the next day, it's best to allow it to dry overnight. How much baking soda? I've seen recommendations from 2 tablespoons to half a cup, mixed with hot water to help it dissolve. After it soaks, rinse thoroughly with warm water.)
4. Baking Soda and Lemon or Lime Juice (This combination is also recommended, but be warned that it produces a foaming action. Mix a couple of tablespoons of baking soda in a couple of cups of water, put it into the hydration bladder. Now add a similar amount of lemon juice or lime juice and be prepared for the bubbling. Allow that to sit for 30 minutes to overnight and rinse thoroughly with warm water.)
5. Denture Cleaning Tablets (Drop them into water in the pack and allow it to work for 15 minutes as they recommend for dentures. Rinse thoroughly. Some recommend not getting the ones with mint flavor unless you want your water to always taste minty fresh.)
6. Baking Soda and Vinegar (Fill the bladder, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and shake it, then add 1 tablespoon baking powder then shake it. Now drain and rinse thoroughly. This is reported to be good to remove the chlorine taste after bleaching the bladder.)
7. Bleach Solution (Add a capful or teaspoon of bleach to enough water to fill the reservoir. Allow to bleach for an hour to overnight. Rinse very thoroughly with 4 or more changes of water. I would recommend then following that with the baking soda and lemon juice or vinegar to help remove the bleach flavor. But this is the best way to kill fungus and bacteria, especially if you see visible growth.)
8. Water and a brush only
9. Leave out in the sun
The ideas go on and on. I wonder which you think is best because (1) it has the least problems with taste lingering in the bladder and (2) killing any bacteria in the reservoir, tube and mouthpiece. I have one of my bladders that actually has this slimy film building up, so it's probably time
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." — Henry David Thoreau
1. Clean with lemon juice in the end, to get rid of any vinegar/bleach taste.
2. To prevent mold or any other fun stuff growing in your bladder when not in use, they recommend emptying out all the water and placing the whole thing in the freezer.
I have a tube that I have tried cleaning now for several days, I finally came to my senses and realized several hours of futile cleaning is not worth the expense of replacing it. The inner lining of plastic in the tube is actually peeling out, and because it has some sort of latex in it, the cleaning brush is a waste of time. Even a coat hanger won't get it out! Interesting though, the tubes are really hard to find right now, most places are out of stock, including rei.com and camelpak.com. I think they are phasing them out and going to another kind.
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." — Henry David Thoreau
I think they want you to buy thirty plus dollar bladder attached, ridiculous IMO. A few on here use the Walmart? hydration pack for twenty or thirty and seem happy with it.
If anyone knows where to buy the camelbak tube replacements online or locally that still have any in stock, could you let me know? Everywhere I have checked are out of stock, even rei.com, amazon.com, ridersdiscount.com, indysuperbike.com, bikeman.com, even camelbak.com... this is crazy!
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." — Henry David Thoreau
azdesertfather wrote:If anyone knows where to buy the camelbak tube replacements online or locally that still have any in stock, could you let me know?
Check-out your local Sport Chalet retail store and online. I have always found the Camelbak "insulated" water tube in stock. Camelbak is now redesigning their reservoir system to accommodate their redesigned packs http://www.hikearizona.com/dex2/viewtop ... =31&t=5993 so maybe the reason you can't find stock on the original design reservoir tubes.
Since you have the old model seems unless you just have to have blue you could go to Lowes or Home Depot and get a clear tube cheap. The anti-bacterial self-cleaning micro organism is a gimmick anyhow, you should still clean 'em.
I haven't cleaned or dried my primary Camelbak bladder since I got it in 2012, I just add water to it every time I go on a hike—every week or less. I've never had any issues, and it's never formed any visible mold or anything. Camelbak bladders and tubes have some sort of antimicrobial "silver ion" compound impregnated into or coating the interior, and perhaps that is a factor. I of course only put water in it, never anything flavored.
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I detach the bite valve from the tube, wash it with soap and water, rinse, then set it aside. I drain the bladder promptly, shake out as much water as possible, insert a wadded up paper towel in the bladder to allow air inside, then hang it upside down on a rack in my garage to air out. I have never had a problem since I began using them. Might just be luck.
@rayhuston
I do something very similar and I don't put anything in that bladder but water. I take the Bite Valve apart and clean it. I flush and wipe out my bladder with hot water, then after I get as much of the hot water out as possible, I hang it with a masked tape roll jammed in the opening to keep it open so the water will finish evaporating. Doesn't take long with hot water.
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I've had a Camelbak Cleaning Kit for over ten years and it works great.
Note: The plastic rack folds to fit various sized bladders. (I've used it with 50, 70, 100 and wide 100 oz bladders)
On a daily basis I just drain the tube and give the bladder a quick hot water rinse, then slide the plastic 'rack' into the bladder and rather than hang it from the hook I turn it upside down.
If/when the bladder or tube get gunky I first clean it using straight 5% white vinegar, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, rinse it, wash again using dish soap and water then one final hot water rinse before putting it on the rack to dry.
Modern camelbacks have tabs that can swivel to "hug" the bladder, to ensure that the opened bladder is fully exposed to air. I find the hanging frame unnecessary. Empty and hang upside down using the loop from the bladder holder (if you do not have a holder, then the frame seems needed). Once a year, scrub the tube with the long but tiny brush from a kit like the post above refers to, wash everything with dish soap, rinse with hot water.
More often if you put things other than water in your bladder. If you put sugary drinks I'd expect this to be needed at least monthly or more.
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Interesting though, the tubes are really hard to find right now, most places are out of stock, including rei.com and camelpak.com. I think they are phasing them out and going to another kind.
