Cleaning a hydration pack

[kiljoy]

I recently took up hiking on a regular basis. I bought one of those CamelBak® hydration packs that goes into a daypack. It’s basically a plastic bladder with a drinking tube so you don’t have to take off your pack to get water.

My question: It needs to be periodically cleaned and they sell special tabs like denture cleaner. And here I am with a large assortment of campden tabs and sulphite powder. What do you guys think if I just give it a rinse once in a while with a sanitizer solution? Same effect?

 

[Mud]

I sanitized the bladder on my Hydrapak a few weeks ago with K-meta. Had no problems.

 

[Runningwolf]

I would clean good with something like oxy clean and then sanitize as Mudd explained. Another thing you could use is one step. Mine also had a bracket to insert in it so it could dry real nice after cleaning.

Or you could just switch and put grain alcohol in it every fifth time.

 

[kiljoy]

Or you could just switch and put grain alcohol in it every fifth time.

I considered that. But I might not find my way back off the trail.

 

[WinoOutWest]

I've also found that my the camelbak cleaning kit/wire is great for cleaning hoses and the like.

 

[Torch404]

You can always go the alcohol route, and use vodka. Rum leaves a flavor behind

 

[Woodbee]

I am old and my bladder is always full and I can never get it to empty.