Camelbak Question

[Becky]

I have always wondered about these. How do you keep them clean, rinse out with bleach water? Do they taste like plastic? I have a big problem with plastic tasting water.

I freeze mine. I make a point of never putting anything in them other than water. At the end of a ride, I empty the bladder into the dog's dish, blow any water in the tube back and empty that, wash the bite valve, and throw the whole mess in the freezer. Nothing grows when it's that cold!

[ttaylor508]

I use my camelbacks only on long organized rides. When I am in a pace line, I don't like reaching down for my waterbottle so the camelback keeps me hydrated. I will caution not to put anything but water in it though. DH put some endurance drink in it once an has never been able to get the taste out.

They also make a drying hanger thing you can buy that you slip into the bladder of the camelback after you use it to allow it to dry out. Mine is several years old and doesn't have any funky plastic taste to it at all.

[Aggie_Ama]

I find a camelbak way to hot for me in Texas summers. This summer for necessity on the Fort Davis ride (no water available) we bought an Aquarack (like the triathletes use) and carried Camelbacks. Now we use the Aquarack on all our rides. It allows DH and I both to have an extra bottle and limit stops. If I could remove my saddle bag, I would have one on my bike too but then I would have to carry everything in my pockets like DH does.

[KatyLady]

Love my Camelback!!! I live in Houston and couldn't survive summer riding without a Camelback. I bought a new one this year and it seems to provide better ventilation on my back than the smaller one that I had before. (The design and materials are a bit different.) I fill a 70 oz Camelback with ice and then water and refill it from bottles during rides. It is amazing how long the water stays cool. I just empty it after rides and hang it upside down with the cap open.

[Grits]

For a do-it-yourself camelbak dryer, I have stretched out a metal coat hanger and stick it in my camelbak (really a camelbak knock off) with the hook side down and hang it up, using another coat hanger, so the inside dries out. Works great. I also wash it out with dishwashing liquid. I find I drink a lot more when I have my camelbak on. The weight doesn't bother me, and it gets light pretty quickly anyway as I drink.

[wackyjacky1]

Tons of great info -- thanks everyone!

Well, I think I might try a regular ol' Camelbak after all. If I don't like it for cycling, I'm sure it would come in handy for hiking and other activities. I think my latest Nashbar catalog had some good prices on them...

[Geonz]

I just keep draining (drinking) and refilling my CamelBak... figure the chlorinated water will do its disinfecting thing.

[csr1210]

Love my camelbak. The first couple of rides, the weight (all of three pounds) really bothered me, but after three or four rides, I became used to it. I freeze "half logs" of ice using crystal lite canisters on their sides in the freeze. Two of these fit nicely in the camelbak, are easy to get in the thing, and the things really do stay cold a long time.

Last weekend, after riding almost two hours, I opened my husband's to refill (while still on his back). Well it still had more water and ice left than he thought, and he got doused with ice water down his back!. He let out a shriek and pulled away while I was yelling for him to lean back down so I could close it. I was laughing so hard, I could barely get the thing sealed back up! (I did feel bad, but it was funny AND an accident).

One other thing -- If you live anywhere hot, you don't want a longer tube - the water in it gets hot-blech. I usually press my bite valve and dribble the first mouthful's worth on my body, and drink after it gets cold. I know it wastes a little water, but I get the benefit of a brief little shower to cool me off and don't have that first mouthful of warm water, so it works for me.

Good luck with the search.
Christy

[Blueberry]

One other thing -- If you live anywhere hot, you don't want a longer tube - the water in it gets hot-blech. I usually press my bite valve and dribble the first mouthful's worth on my body, and drink after it gets cold. I know it wastes a little water, but I get the benefit of a brief little shower to cool me off and don't have that first mouthful of warm water, so it works for me.

You can also blow back in the tube after you drink - no water in the tube. Works in freezing weather too

CA

[newfsmith]

Everyone is different. I've tried 3 different back-pack hydration systems ( 1 Vaude and 2 Camel-bak) but all of them chafed my neck and made my shoulders hurt (I've had adhesive capsulitis in both shoulders). Since I like constant sipping, and the ability to keep my hands on the bars while drinking I first tried carrying my water in my handlebar bag, but now I carry a 50 oz bladder in a large fanny-pack that also has room for my jacket and lunch. The hose is attached to my jersey with a retractable name tag holder I got at Staples, so it is never loose. I've also seen people rubber band the hose to the chin strap of their helmet. You can get extra long hoses for camel-baks, I think 44 inches. If your top tube is long enough, some tourists hang a 70 to 100 oz bladder there & use velcro ties to hold the tube in place, run it up the stem then use the positioning tubes to hold the bite valve several inches above the handlebars. On your back is not your only option for a hydration bladder by any means. Experiment with what works best for you.