HikeArizona.COM

IF you have a HYDRAPAK hydration bladder, there is no need to clean/disinfect it. Simply remove the inlet tube/bite valve from the quick disconnect at the bottom of the bladder, remove the slider on top of the bladder then turn it inside out & let it air dry in the sun. NO Cleaning/Disinfecting required.

Hydrapak makes a variety of bladder sizes + they are made in Oakland....MADE IN AMERICA & readily available @REI or online https://hydrapak.com/

Hydrapak is a couple of bucks less than Camelbak. Hydrapak bite valves DO NOT LEAK. The entire HYDRAPAK system, bladder/bite valve/tube comes with a lifetime warranty.

NO NEED TO CLEAN/DISINFECT HYDRAPAK BLADDERS

@AZClaimjumper
You a rep or something?

why are we shouting?

@trekkin_gecko I DON'T KNOW!?! HOW ARE YOU? HAVE YOU BEEN HIKING AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN? I'M VERY FAR AWAY!

@Jim_H
I'VE BEEN RIDING MY BIKE
AND WORKING A LITTLE TOO MUCH

@trekkin_gecko
OKAY! STAY COOL! IT'S HOT OVER HERE, AND I THINK IT IS THERE, TOO.

@azbackpackr
No! However, it seems I'm the only one in all of HikeArizona that knows there is an alternative to Camelbak.

@AZClaimjumper
I have a Platypus. I get so much free gear from my job I probably didn't even buy it. I don't remember buying it so that's probably where it came from. No free gear this year though, just unemployment payments.

I’ve used Osprey bladders for the last few years now, but I don’t have any real preference for one brand over another.

The only time I clean a bladder is if it carried water from a questionable source—then I’ll rinse it with hot water and bleach. Otherwise, I just change the water every time I hike, and if it’s going to be more than a couple of days between hikes, I put the empty bladder in the freezer. I replace the bladder once a year, so it never gets too gross.

@LindaAnn
Several things that caught my eye & helped me buy is Hydrapak bladders are translucent so I can easily see what's inside + they can be turned inside out to air dry in the sun which is something you can't do with Camelbak bladders.

I believe Osprey bladders are manufactured by Hydrapak.

@AZClaimjumper Mine definitely cannot be turned inside out—it’s the one that has the hard plastic backplate, which I do like because it’s easier to get into the pack when full, and doesn’t shift around when empty. Yes, it was manufactured by Hydrapak.

@LindaAnn
I've carried the 3L Shape Shifter; most of the time I'm carrying just 2 Liters of water, have the ziplok fastened together & the shape is more rectangular than oval so it easily fits in my backpack & can be removed easier than a 3 L reservoir that doesn't have the ziplok fastened together.

It boggles my mind at how many hikers have bought into the so-called Smart Water Bottles in preference to a backpack hydration reservoir

@AZClaimjumper
Smart water bottles are carried as extra water on the outside of your pack. They're very durable and refillable, and much lighter than the old Nalgene bottles we always used to use. I would use both a hydration bladder and smart water bottles if needing extra water. I have pouches on the outside of my pack that hold water bottles. Plus, many old-timers that I've known never switched to hydration bladders due to bad experiences with leakage with the early ones. Additionally I've had people tell me they don't want to have constant access to water via a tube because they will drink it all up immediately. That isn't my problem but I can understand it.

About 20 years ago on one of my hikes to Havasu Falls, a woman came up to us and asked us why she kept seeing so many people with breathing tubes. We very kindly told her they were water tubes and explained the water bladder system to her. We were very nice to her. But after she walked away we about fell on the ground laughing.

I always carry an extra bottle of some kind in addition to my bladder. I use the bottle to mix electrolyte drinks since I won't use anything but water in my bladder.

I’m the old old-timer who still carries Nalgene bottles

@hikerdw
I use them for kayaking and rafting trips. And car camping trips. I don't very often take them hiking anymore. But then again I don't hike as much as I used to. There are two full Nalgene bottles on the floor of my car at all times with water in them. I do clean them and drink the water and add to it, etc. We have a way we deal with them for rafting trips. We put a piece of parachute cord or webbing as a handle and then wrap Gorilla tape around and around and around to hold the parachute cord and that way we can carabiner it to the raft.

@hikerdw
Unlike the possible drinking too fast issue @azbackpackr mentioned above, my issue has become (due to aging?) that I am NOT drinking ENOUGH when using a bladder.
So I've gone back to two Nalgene's (which I can quick-draw from left or right holsters) and I still use a smaller bladder filled with ice/water to use for re-wetting my wicking-gear as it dries during the hike.

@CannondaleKid
I have no idea what you meant by rewetting your wicking gear. At least two people liked my Havasu story. It really was funny at the time.

Any way too much gear talk maketh us dull. I have heaps of gear in the living room, some of it is very old, but serviceable. Getting ready for a couple of weeks in Utah on the Green and Colorado.

@CannondaleKid Fully agree. I just can’t quench my thirst sucking from a tube and have never used straws for that same reason.

azbackpackr wrote:I have no idea what you meant by rewetting your wicking gear

Sorry, cooling gear might be more descriptive.
By wicking (cooling) gear I mean various items which if dampened (whether by water or sweat) they cool as the moisture evaporates... pretty much need relative humidity under 20%.
My wicking gear includes a skull cap, neck gaiter, wrist bands, Glacier Gloves, lightweight & light-colored long sleeve shirt or arm sleeves.

See the 4th paragraph of my response below this triplog: [ popup triplog ]