Camelback cleaning

[M@]

I've got a dakine water pack - with the reservoir and tube and was wondering how folks treat these things.

I put a small dish towel in it to get it as dry as I could - and blew what I could out of the tube - but I'm still worried it'll get slimy moldy.

Any advice welcome. Did some googling and mostly found products to dry and clean the things. I'm pretty sure some sort of simple maintenance ought to keep it in working order.

M@

[RR]

M@, spring for one of these Camelback cleaning kits, it is by far the best way to clean hydration kits:
http://media.rei.com/media/710000_9996Prd.jpg
you choose....$20 or the runs

[NtrentT]

I have never used that kit, although have thought about it.
I have never had the runs from my camelback.

I usually wash it with a small amount of dish soap, and warm water, shake it up let it sit for a bit, then rinse, although the rinse cycle sucks cause the dish soap is so concentrated.

Then take a metal coat hanger and bend it in half symmetrically and shove it in, and hang it up to dry.

This reminds me, I need to clean the camelback out from the Avi 1 class, its only water....

When my camelback starts to turn colors in lots of places I buy a new bladder.

Sometimes the dishsoap flavor can be left behind, but its nothing cool-aid can't fix. Coolaid can fix lots of stuff....

But Affix will tell you, as he told me, Get a "Source" or something like that, he will tell you about it...

I'm tired, just installed 2 light fixtures I picked up from Ikea today, they look cool !

[M@]

I'm tired, just installed 2 light fixtures I picked up from Ikea today, they look cool !
No pix?

I installed a hot water heater yesterday.

M@

[TenSeven]

After I use it, for water only, I rinse it out and put the reservoir in the freezer until next use.

[Jolly J]

I put mine in the sink when my wife is sterilizing her wine bottles. I let it sit for a bit and everything just lifts off. One blow through the mouth peice and all the crap flows out. GTG

[surf88]

I've had good luck filling it with water, and then adding a teaspoon of bleach and letting it sit for a halfhour. Then let the contents drain out through the tube and mouth piece. I wouldnt put the bleach in before the water, because it might oxidize the bladder in full concentration.
As for the coolaid;
I had a friend run out of gas once up in bartlett, and use his camelback to carry fuel back to his car. The next hiking trip later, he kept complaining about how bad his water tasted. Then he proceeded to tell me the story about using it for a gas can, and how he thought it would be fine after washing it out with soap and water. Common sense wasn't his strong point.
I don't think Coolaid would have fixxed that taste problem:rolleyes:

[efeldborg]

M@,
I also limit the contents to water (ok, and backwash when I have to blow back to keep it from freezing). To clean, I half-fill with lukewarm water and a tablespoon or so of baking soda, let sit for an hour, drain and rinse.

I store it on a coat hanger, lid off, with a 6" piece of 1.5" pvc pipe (clean, of course) inside to hold the sides apart. Low maintenance.

[davidhowland14]

I have never used that kit, although have thought about it.
I have never had the runs from my camelback.

I usually wash it with a small amount of dish soap, and warm water, shake it up let it sit for a bit, then rinse, although the rinse cycle sucks cause the dish soap is so concentrated.

Then take a metal coat hanger and bend it in half symmetrically and shove it in, and hang it up to dry.

This reminds me, I need to clean the camelback out from the Avi 1 class, its only water....

When my camelback starts to turn colors in lots of places I buy a new bladder.

Sometimes the dishsoap flavor can be left behind, but its nothing cool-aid can't fix. Coolaid can fix lots of stuff....


exactly what i do, down to the coat hanger. No problems here.

[P-HUG]

Did you self-install?

[M@]

Did you self-install?
Yes - self installed the water heater.

My neighbor helped - actually he did most of it cause he's got the plumbing skillz - but I learned most of it and was doing it by the end. Weiredest part was going to Lowes to buy it - walking in, checking all the heaters, putting it on the cart and checking out in the self-checkout without talking to a single person. Hardware stores sure have changed.

M@

[NtrentT]

no pix now, my Motherboard blew up yesterday.....

Im at work right now..

Going to order a new one today if I can, and try to get it up and running by Thursday... :cry:

[ATP]

I picked up the camelback brushes, but didn't bother with the rest of the kit. The blean soaking works, but if mold builds up in the tube, you still need to brush it out. Bleach will evaporate as the bladder dries.