insulating camelbak tube

[Danza]

does anyone know of a way to insulate my camelbak tube? I am having trouble with it freezing with water in the tube and then freezing my whole reservoir. i'm looking for somesort of tape of something that will keep it from freezing and keep it light; i need it quick.

[illusionistG]

Danza...this works. I have one and use it during my winter hikes in the Whites

CamelBak Thermal Control Pack
Item Number: 67541 http://www.campmor.com

[The Weasel]

Run the tube under your clothing, if possible, down your neck from the top and back out the front of your shirt. This shouldn't be unduly uncomfortable, and should minimize freezing. You might also try to have the reservoir upside down (and tube coming out the bottom) and, again, up through your back and out your neck or shirt front. Upside down may help since water freezes top down, usually.

Don't waste your time adding salt or other things; at most, they give you 1-2 degrees.

The Weasel

[greentick]

The camelback drinking tube leaves the resevoir at the bottom already.

Blow the water back into the resevoir after you drink and use one of the thermal kits. I routed mine thru one inch tubular webbing which helps but leaves the bite valve exposed. That thermal kit has a bite valve cover too.

[Alligator]

Blow the water out as Greentick18d says. I also made a "cozy" for mine from an old thin blue pad.

[greentick]

If water does freeze in the tube don't try to crush it. Put it in your jacket while hiking and it will defrost in 5 minutes.

[Kevin A. Boyce]

After a few failed attempts at using the Camelbak Thermal setup, nothing more then a sleeve for the tube and a large plastic/rubber material for a mouth piece covering, I am still not happy with it.

When I use it in conditions where there is a chance of freezing, I route it from my pack through my pit zip and inside of my jacket and that is where is stays. When I need to sip, I only have to pull it from inside my jacket, a minor hassle, but nothing major. Basically I am using my body heat to keep the thing 'warm'... That tube is the weakest link in the whole system, and I have had it freeze, with the sleeve, more then a few times to make sure I keep it close to me, and have a backup...

As for a backup, I never go out anymore in conditions where a frozen tube could happen without at least one or two quart bottles in a cozy... OR has some; the older ones I think are better, they do not have ridge plastic on them... EMS also makes them.

I also follow the recommendation that has been mentioned here, of blowing back into the bladder to prevent standing fluids in the tube, this is key.

The two events that finally prompted me to never rely on the Camelbak again was a winter trip up Mount Greylock last winter... In weather that was in the teens, the system froze up, it took me a bit of time to warm the thing up to get it to work well again... And also a trip up Mount Washington in early December, it was not 'that' cold during the day, but overnight the system froze up and I was lucky to have a few bottles to use to continue on.

Being in those conditions and be dehydrated is not a good thing....

My advice, use the bottle/cozy setup for weather where you expect conditions that will freeze the bladder system.

[LeeF]

Vodka in your water?

[Alligator]

Let me add some other things I do. I also have a cozy for the bladder. It too is made from a blue foam pad. This is far more essential in my opinion. In the morning, I boil about 1/3 of my water and add it the bladder with the other 2/3. I treat with Polar Pur. This setup keeps my water warm for much of the day. It also encourages me to drink more, as the water is not icy cold. I personally find I drink more without having to fumble around with water bottles in the cold. Whatever works to get you to drink water though is fine.

[illusionistG]

In weather that was in the teens, the system froze up, it took me a bit of time to warm the thing up to get it to work well again... And also a trip up Mount Washington in early December, it was not 'that' cold during the day, but overnight the system froze up and I was lucky to have a few bottles to use to continue on.


Kevin...just curious if you were you using the Camelback "Unbottle" that has the fabric insulation for the resevior itself beside adding the tube sheath, and still had the freezing experience? I use the Unbottle (resevior fabric insulation and tube insulating sheath during my winter climbs up in the Whites and have never run into a freezing problem. I do blow back into the resevior, and as "Alligator" mentioned I start/end the day adding 1/3 boiled water to the remaining 2/3.

[Kevin A. Boyce]

Yep, I use the 100size Unbottle with the padded sleeve. I rarely get floaties of ice in the bladder; nothing major there, enough volume of fliuds to help, but the whole tube length would freeze. The bladder is kept in the sleeve against my back in the pack, so I know body heat helps with that. By keeping the tube under my arm pit, the body heat again helps. Running it out of the pack and over my shoulder, like in a normal set up, invites the trouble.

I have not used boiling water in the system at all, I will give it a shot this winter though to see if that helps. But I will still keep the backups with me just in case...;)

[Danza]

So I have found a new solution... I used insulating tape usually used for ducting (not duct tape, sorry for the bad description). It is shiny silver and I found it in a friends room. I wrapped the length of my tube in it expecting , well not much, as an inquisitive college student I asked a fellow inquisitor to "borrow " a few thermometers from the chemistry department. Using an infrared thermometer and my freezer we performed a complete scientific experiment.
Our results are conclusive the tape alone does little to keep the tube from freezing but the freezing process can be reversed 8.3 times quicker as an average from 2 attempts. With a metered and constant blow the ice liquified within 10 minutes. This is the set-up im going with... free and easy.

[ahodlofski]

The only thing I've ever found to keep my camelback tube and resevoir from freezing is like someone here said...body heat...I've taken them on prolonged x-country ski outings...and without fail even with the insulated tube...it freezes...of course it was -5 but still...i actually found that a bottle works better in super cold conditions...usually the only bit that freezes is the nipple top or the outside edges...and that can be avoided by keeping it under some layers...its odd and inconvienient sometimes...but everything froze on me otherwise...

[ahodlofski]

That vokda in the water comment is interesting...what is the parts per liter needed to act as anti-freeze...without causing issues on its own?

Also..a fast comment I wanted to make...do ANYTHING to keep drinking water in cold weather...i've had some friends become SEVERELY dehydrated in cold weather (which helps lead to hypothermia too if im not mistaken, and i might be) ...i'm not sweating...why do i need to drink water they say...you loose a trememdous amount of water in cold climes because 1. you are exerting alot of energy while moving and keeping warm 2. the dry air sucks the moisture away from your body...and you. Wicking clothes are a perfect example of how much...one very cold day in the white mountains two years ago i skiied a couple KM in very cold weather...and found a nice layer of ice built up under my windblock layer and ontop of the wicking and polartech layer...do a fun experiment that i wanted to do..but didnt have the chance...weigh your clothes while dry..and while wet....after being out in super cold weather and working hard hiking/snowshoeing/crosscountry skiing.

Drink Drink Drink...water water water...

[trail hoss]

I took my two sons backpacking in the GSMNP over Thanksgiving - first significant winter storm this year that week. It started to snow 1 hour after we got started.

I thought I had the hydration all figured out with a MSR filter and MSR Dromlite water bags with the added drinking tube for each of us. Saved a lot of weight, just had the tubes frozen for 3 out of four days. We ran the tubes out of the packs into our clothes. The part in the clothes thawed, anything exposed didn't. Kept the Dromlite bags from freezing by putting them in a fleece and using them as a pillow at night.

Actually put a nalgene bottle in each of our packs along with Polar Pure at the last minute before we left. Since the water filter froze too, the bottles and Polar Pure saved us. Still had to thaw out the Polar Pure a couple of times by boiling the bottle and then keep it in my clothes during the day and sleeping bag at night.

I won't use hydration tubes next time it's that cold, just use the bags with the cap that comes with them and I'll probably leave the MSR filter at home too and just use Polar Pure.