Hydrapak

[Marta]

I've gone over to the dark side and bought a "multi-sport" North Face day pack which includes a hydration bladder. The plan is to use this while trail running.

First problem is that it tastes pretty awful. I've run a bunch of plain water through it without improvement yet.

Second, the bite valve seems fairly complicated on the Hydrapak. Does anyone who has one of these feel the need to clean it in some complicated way, like soaking it in a dilute bleach solution?

[perdidochas]

I've gone over to the dark side and bought a "multi-sport" North Face day pack which includes a hydration bladder. The plan is to use this while trail running.

First problem is that it tastes pretty awful. I've run a bunch of plain water through it without improvement yet.

Second, the bite valve seems fairly complicated on the Hydrapak. Does anyone who has one of these feel the need to clean it in some complicated way, like soaking it in a dilute bleach solution?


Try putting a baking soda solution in the bladder for a day or two.

[Marta]

Thanks. I'll give that a try.

[rocketsocks]

Well, I cleaned out my cammelback bladder w/ a solution of bleach and water after a four day trip of left over soapy tastes from a previous cleaning that I did not rinse well....it worked, now maybe I'll try the baking soda thing to remove the bleach smell/taste. I'll never use soap to clean one of these bladders again, live and learn.

[bigcranky]

I stopped using a bladder when I got tired of cleaning out the black mold from the tube and the inner recesses of the bag.

That said, keeping it in the freezer between uses did go a long way to reducing said black gunk.

[jeffmeh]

I stopped using a bladder when I got tired of cleaning out the black mold from the tube and the inner recesses of the bag.

That said, keeping it in the freezer between uses did go a long way to reducing said black gunk.

I still use a bladder occasionally. I soak in warm oxyclean free solution, rinse well, and then run through some StarSan solution, which is a weak acid. Mold and bacteria cannot live in the StarSan solution, and when it dries there is not enough moisture for anything to get a foothold.

I have this stuff on hand for cleaning and sanitizing brewing equipment. Same protocol, except you use the equipment while the StarSan is still wet.

[jeffmeh]

Oh, and the StarSan is perfectly fine to ingest.

[bigcranky]

You know, StarSan would be great. We weren't brewing back when we used bladders. My daughter still likes to use one -- will try that next time.

[Mrs Baggins]

I've been using the Platypus 2 L bladder for 5 years now - the same one over and over - and have never had mold in it and absolutely no bad taste, even from the first day out of the package. After every use (or when I get home after multi-days) I take the hose off of it and put hose and bladder in a sink of hot water with a little dish soap and bleach and let it soak for maybe 20 minutes. Then I rinse it all very well under lots of hot water, and leave it out on a towel on the counter to dry out. I pulled a Camelback bladder out of a small pack and tossed it - disgusting taste and too heavy - and use the Platypus in it instead. I take it on almost every day hike. If you're getting black mold in a bladder are you putting something in there that has sugar in it? Any kind of sweetened water flavorings, gatorade, etc? Because that sugar, if left in there, will absolutely mold. Even straight up water will mold eventually if the drink hose and bite valve are never cleaned. I found that out while using a bottle of water to drink from at work. I was just refilling it every time it was empty, never actually cleaning it. Took the sipping top off one day and looked at the inside of it - black mold.

[jeffmeh]

You know, StarSan would be great. We weren't brewing back when we used bladders. My daughter still likes to use one -- will try that next time.

Don't fear the foam, lol.

[Wise Old Owl]

I have never heard of this company Marta, but from the reviews this "bad taste" is consistent. It might not go away. I am a big fan of Camelbak and Platy.

Here is one review.


The reservoir offered plenty of water during all activities and treks. Having the quick release on the hose has been a valuable feature when refilling or when cleaning. I do however have a few complaints about this reservoir. Water has been the only fluid used in the reservoir so cleaning has been pretty easy. However I did find this reversing process (turning the reservoir inside out) to be a bit fussy. It seems to me that the reversing process adds to the wear and tear of the reservoir. Since I only use water I limit this process to every second or third cleaning.

Another issue I have with the reservoir is about the taste I get in my water. Throughout the day my water starts to get a plastic-like taste to it. I know with my other brand reservoir this bad taste is eliminated. It seems that the taste becomes more noticeable the longer the water remains in the reservoir. This leads me to believe the taste is coming from inside the reservoir and not just the hose.

[Marta]

I have never heard of this company Marta, but from the reviews this "bad taste" is consistent. It might not go away. I am a big fan of Camelbak and Platy.

Here is one review.


The reservoir offered plenty of water during all activities and treks. Having the quick release on the hose has been a valuable feature when refilling or when cleaning. I do however have a few complaints about this reservoir. Water has been the only fluid used in the reservoir so cleaning has been pretty easy. However I did find this reversing process (turning the reservoir inside out) to be a bit fussy. It seems to me that the reversing process adds to the wear and tear of the reservoir. Since I only use water I limit this process to every second or third cleaning.

Another issue I have with the reservoir is about the taste I get in my water. Throughout the day my water starts to get a plastic-like taste to it. I know with my other brand reservoir this bad taste is eliminated. It seems that the taste becomes more noticeable the longer the water remains in the reservoir. This leads me to believe the taste is coming from inside the reservoir and not just the hose.

Interesting. This reservoir came with the North Face pack. If the taste doesn't abate fairly soon, I'll replace the reservoir. I like the design and fit of the pack itself.

[Therunner1Guy]

I have a Camelback stealth and a Kelty hydration pack I picked up at Sam’s Club on the cheap. I have used the Stealth for a few years almost daily while running and the Kelty when out for extended periods of time because it’s like a small daypack. I use a bleach solution to clean them (Walmart Hydration Bladder Cleaning Brushes/Bladder drying hanger) and baking soda to get the bleach taste out.
So far I have never had any mold or foul taste. Most problems come from not allowing the bladder and hose to dry properly after use or putting drinks containing sugar in them.

[theoilman]

I use a weak bleach solution (1 cap full to 1 to 2 liters of water) to rinse and clean all my water gear (no soap at all) - for my Sawyer filter, my bladder, its hose, the sawyer bags, my water bottle, everything. Then drain and dry thoroughly. I hang them or prop with the openings down for 1 to 2 days before storing. My bladder is a Platy zip, so the top opening is pretty big - I use a couple of paper towels to get it pretty dry, then prop the zip open with the zipper turned sideways. I run at least 1/2 liter of bleach solution through the hose. This bleach solution is weak enough I have never noticed an after taste. I get no mold or mildew in anything.