Storing a camelback...

Storing a camelback...

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Hard-Drive

Original Poster:

4,146 posts

236 months

Thursday 17th January 2008
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Last time I put my Camelback away (OK, cheap Quechua copy but who cares) for a period of time it came out as a breeding ground for some fairly advanced lifeforms.

This time, I've filled it with lukewarm water and dropped a couple of baby feeding kit sterilising tabs in, left overnight and drained it. Is it best to let the "sterilised" remnants of the water stay in there, or flush it with clean, and perhaps try and dry with a hairdyer?

As you've probably guessed, it does not get used much!

pawsmcgraw

957 posts

265 months

Thursday 17th January 2008
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store its bladder in the freezer....kills everything pretty much stone dead and tastes better than domestos!

Gingerbread Man

9,173 posts

220 months

Thursday 17th January 2008
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My Camelbak bladder has a drying rack. Well it goes inside the bladder. You squeeze it together, feed it it through the filling hole, then it springs back out.

It's plastic with 3 straight sections to it and then flexy sections in between (ribs?) which allow it to flex.

This then has a hook on top like a coat hanger. The bladder will hang from it once the rack flexes back to the original shape. This allows for air to get in and whoosh around. Therefore drying it out thoroughly. I've never come back to it to find aliens.


David

FunkyNige

9,134 posts

282 months

Thursday 17th January 2008
quotequote all
Gingerbread Man said:
My Camelbak bladder has a drying rack. Well it goes inside the bladder. You squeeze it together, feed it it through the filling hole, then it springs back out.

It's plastic with 3 straight sections to it and then flexy sections in between (ribs?) which allow it to flex.

This then has a hook on top like a coat hanger. The bladder will hang from it once the rack flexes back to the original shape. This allows for air to get in and whoosh around. Therefore drying it out thoroughly. I've never come back to it to find aliens.


David
I've done a similar thing by bending a wire coathanger into my camlebak (well, a version of camelbak).

Hard-Drive

Original Poster:

4,146 posts

236 months

Thursday 17th January 2008
quotequote all
Good idea guys, thanks.

However, with the freezer idea (which I like!), presumably when you take it out, and any ice thaws, you are back to square one again?

Gingerbread Man

9,173 posts

220 months

Thursday 17th January 2008
quotequote all
Doesn't heat kill things and freezing just stops them multiplying?

My 2p.

David

pawsmcgraw

957 posts

265 months

Friday 18th January 2008
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having used the things for years and having never really washed them out the freezer thing must work as its still clean in terms of theres nothing visible growing in it...yet.I just get it out when i use it, put it back in when i don't.I would imagine leaving it out in the garage for a few weeks after using it with some energy drink in it would make it go many shades of green ;-)

Hob Nob

23 posts

202 months

Friday 18th January 2008
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always kept it in the freezer got told that tip about 5 years ago and it worked fine always

matthew_h

575 posts

222 months

Friday 18th January 2008
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Freezing your bladder won't actually kill anything that is already there but it will prevent things from growing. If stored in the freezer from new then you'll probably never develop any nasties in the first place. I've had mine for years now and none of them have got infestations yet.

Another tip is to avoid using anything other than water in them but this is not always possible.