Simple Steps about How to Clean Hydration Pack
What is a hydration pack exactly? Well, it is actually a system which is either a backpack or a waist pack that is designed with a “bladder” for liquid storage. These bladders are mainly made up of rubber or flexible plastic. It is designed specifically to provide the user hands-free drinking. How this occurs is that the reservoir itself is capped at the opening used for liquid filling. The users use the hose built-in in the system for hands-free drinking.
To add to this some packs have hoses ending with “bite valves”. Moreover, some of the hydrogen packs are insulated also to keep water from freezing or becoming warm. To get a fresher and pure hydration pack for your outdoor activities you need to know about how to clean hydration pack. In this guide, we tried to give an explanation about cleaning your hydration pack.
Read best hydrataion bladder here
What are the types of Hydration packs at use?
Generally, there are two types of hydrogen packs;
1. Hydration Backpacks:
Resembles a standard backpack with usually small cargo space for traveling goods and the ten essentials needed while going on an outing.
2. Hydration Waistpacks:
It is more like a belt which is worn around the waist. Waist packs mostly consist of a bottle rather than a “bladder”. These are considered to be best hydration pack for marathon running. But is not much good when it comes to long outings.
Let us talk about one of the uses of Hydration Packs.
Marathon running is a race in which runners are needed to run long distances. The official distance that is considered for marathon running is at around 26.2 miles. For those of us that do not know this distance, it is at around 42.16481 Kilometers. This is quite a long distance to be considered running by an individual. For a person to run this long they need to be hydrated enough. That is where a hydration pack comes in. And it is agreed that the best hydration pack for marathon running is the waist packs which are light weight and more compact for carrying in a marathon.
And the best hydration bladder or bladders for this is considered being;-
1- Nathan Trail Mix
2- Fitletic
3- Camden Gear
4- Adalid Gear
5- Fuelbelt R30 Revenge
6- CamelBak Arc 2 Runner
7- Salomon Hydro 45 Iron
8- Salomon Sensibelt
9- Fuelbelt H2O Helium
10- Outdoorsman Lab
Now Things to Consider about how to clean a hydration pack:
There are various ways and methods people use to clean the “bladder” of the hydration pack. So use kits specially designed for cleaning purposes. Others use homemade methods for cleaning. Either way works. Here we are going to discuss the home made methods. The reason we are not discussing cleaning kits it will come with a manual. So no point in explaining. When using any method to clean it is rather important to know what are the desired important outcomes that need to be accomplished at the end of the process like gym. Some of them are:
-Ridding of the odor of cleaning solutions
-Ridding of the taste of cleaning solutions
-Thoroughly cleaning to ensure that no bacterial or fungal growth is possible inside the system.
The cleaning process:
Ingredients:
Hot water
Bleach / White Vinegar or Baking Soda
Mild Soap
Brush (optional)
Lemon juice
Process:
Make a solution of hot water and bleach, baking soda or white vinegar.
Pour the solution into the “bladder”.
In order to clean the hose raise the “bladder” higher in a manner, it straightens the hose which is hanging. Now pinch the bite valve to flow the tube with the cleaning solution. Let it sit like that for 30mins to 45mins.
After that use a hot water and mild soap solution to rinse the cleaning solution. Repeat until cleaning solution is completely washed away.
This step is optional. You can use a brush to scrub the “bladder”. This will further ensure the cleanliness.
In order to eliminate the odor of cleaning solutions use lemon juice. Pour it in the “bladder” and let it sit for 15mins or so. Afterwards clean with warm water. This will give well after taste.
After the bladder has been emptied air clean it ensuring elimination of moisture for mold growth.
See Best Hydration Pack for Marathon Running
With the constant filling and emptying of the hydration pack with liquids, it will be a good idea to clean it with warm water after every use. This will ensure good hygiene and better health, as hydration packs have become quite popular for outdoor activities demanding high amounts of water on the go. Either it is a marathon or any other sport. But personally speaking, I have found that the best bladder for marathon running due to the convenience it provides.
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