Hydration pack hows?

[skarolekMember]

…care for your “camel back”?

Thanks to Ms. WISearcher for the tip on Sam’s Club bargain price for a Jansport “hydration pack”, I really enjoyed my hiking (Saturday) and caching (Sunday) this past weekend. It was nice to have my hands free for something other than a water bottle, not have a bottle hanging from my belt and not dealing with the “sling strap” of my insulated bottle carrying case.

My question now is, how do you dry out the inside of the bladder between uses? How do you clean it? If you use soap water, is it possible to ever rinse it well enough to avoid the consequences?

FYI, This particular model doesn’t appear to be listed on Jansport’s web site – probably a special order at low price/cost specifically for Sam’s club. I liked the headphone/earbud wire routing. My Dell Digital Jukebox fit perfectly in the spot designed to hold your portable music player. Setting play mode to “random” and selecting my entire collection (about 120 CDs loaded so far) led to an interesting assortment of entertainment over the weekend. The mesh outer “pockets” were great to slip a few snacks (granola bars and some jerky) into for my fellow wanderers and I. The zippered pack section doesn’t have much room for anything except the music player when the water bladder is full.

I think this pack is well worth $20 but those seeking more serious pack functionality may wish to look at the more expensive packs…

Steve K

[kbrabandParticipant]

quote:

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Originally posted by skarolek:
…care for your “camel back”?

My question now is, how do you dry out the inside of the bladder between uses? How do you clean it? If you use soap water, is it possible to ever rinse it well enough to avoid the consequences?
Steve K

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Between uses I hang mine up with the opening at the bottom so it drip dries completely. To wash it, I have a brush kit: ( http://outdoor-rangefinders.com/hydration/brushkit.htm ) but I haven’t used it much. I have filled it one-third with water and put in a couple of drops of dishwashing soap, then shake it up and rinse thoroughly. The main thing is, never use it for any liquid other than water, unless you like mold.

[Team VenomMember]

I tend not to use soap, as you never get rid of it all. CamelBack recommends rinsing the bag out, then adding a bleach solution to sanitize it.I use a capfull of household bleach to a 72oz. bag of water. drain bag and hoses and let air dry. They do make a drying tool that goes inside the bag, along with a hanger to hang it up. I bought one years ago…think it was 10.00.
Also have the brush kit as posted before to get many many years out of your system. I recieved mine in Desert Storm, and have replaced the bag every few years( just cause it gets discolored….but is still perfectly servicable)As posted B4, just water…nothing else…

[This message has been edited by Team Venom (edited 04-25-2005).]

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