View Full Version : How Do You Keep Hydration Bladder Tube Clean on a Thru-Hike?
Sassafras Lass
05-09-2012, 09:08
My husband and I are SOBO'ing in June. We've always used bottles for hydration but they don't really promote drinking on-the-go, so now we're considering using a bladder (Platypus Hoser); however, we've seen quite a few people say that the hoses will become moldy after a while. Are moldy tubes really an issue? How easy is it to clean them while thru'ing? Would we be better off just sticking with bottles? Thanks. :)
Lone Wolf
05-09-2012, 09:09
stick with bottles. you can stop walkin' more often and take breaks. there's no rush
Moose2001
05-09-2012, 09:16
On a rest day, put some diluted bleach in your bladder and let is sit a couple of hours. Rinse well. All taken care of.
moldy hoses are not a problem on a thru hike if you keep ur water clean and fresh. Bottles are okay too if you want to stop frequently. I like the Platy Big-Zip myself.
flemdawg1
05-09-2012, 10:15
Moldy tubes is not a problem because you're almost constantly putting fresh clean water thru it. Mold and other funky biologicals are only a problem when the hose and bladder are stored wet.
garlic08
05-09-2012, 15:48
This is yet another reason I gave up on hoses. Mine got moldy after a month or so of desert hiking with nothing but clean water and the occasional dose of Aquamira (chlorine dioxide). It was pretty hot, though. Those who put sweetened drinks in theirs really had an issue. I also got tired of maintaining the bite valve, pulling needles out of it pretty often, snagging the bite valve on brush and losing it, and putting the pack down on top of it and losing water. Those are mostly learning curve issues, but it seemed like a bunch of trouble for a little gain. Recycled Gatorade bottles are free, light, and simple.
Since you're hiking with a spouse, consider the buddy drinking method--store your bottle in his pack, his in yours, so they're easy to reach without both removing packs. Ideally you have a reachable low side pocket to hold a small bottle, but not all packs have that. Some people rig up holsters on shoulder and waist straps, and some pack manufacturers sell them.
Blissful
05-09-2012, 15:53
I switched to bottles. It's a pain to try and get a full bag of water in your backpack unless you empty half the gear out. A nice critter that chewed through my drinking tube one night convinced me to switch. Glad I did
You'll have less problem if you only use water in your hydration bladder with no drink mixes. Save those for a used gatoraid bottle. As some else mentioned, if you are worried, run diluted bleach through it and let it sit for a few hours when you are in town to kill off anything. If there is a danger of the overnight temperatures dropping below zero. blow the water in the tube back into the bladder to avoid having it freeze up and being unusable until it defrosts.
Forgot to mention, get one of those bite valve covers for it so you don't have to worry about it falling on the ground and getting dirty. I have no issues putting a full bladder into a full pack but it may be how I pack it or the fact that my pack has a removable hydration sleeve made out of silnylon which is pretty slippery stuff. I normally put my hand between the bladder and my gear to make some room as I push it into the pack and it usually goes in easy. I had no isses using one on my PCT thru-hike and am planning on using one on my upcoming AT hike. Perhaps we'll see each other on the trail.
Monkeywrench
05-09-2012, 16:02
I used a 1 liter Platy with a Hoser adapter during my thru. Since the bottle is being used daily with fresh water all the time, it doesn't really get moldy (but don't put stuff like Gatorade in it!). I did find that the bite valve would wear out after a while and start dripping. I think I replaced my twice during my hike, so basically each hoser attachment lasted two months of daily use.
Home brewing supply store sell a very small brush on a flexible plastic cord that can be threaded through the hose and used to clean the line. I have never had to clean it out on the trail since only purified water goes through it, but at home I run it through before I dry my bladder for storage. Probably weighs less than 3 ounces, so the weight is not (much of) an issue.
And weight is ALWAYS an issue!!!