My new camelpak fresh from Afghanistan!

snaphappyspen

So i have managed to acquire a camelpak from a mate of mine whos in the army, my question to you is.

Whats the do's and donts with regards to cleaning the bladder in it? I would ask him but hes jetted off to Jordan now so figured you guys would be the next best thing :P

thel33ter

Empty it out completely and stick it in the freezer at the end of every ride., I've done this with one of mine for over a year and it's still as clean as new. I only fill it with water, no fancy energy stuff.

anjs

or use milton fluid to sterilze

snaphappyspen

Ill only be using water in it, so do i need to make sure the insides dry too or doesnt that matter before i put it in the freezer?

thel33ter

It's best to empty it out as well as you can, especially the tube, otherwise it takes ages to defrost when you want to use it. But it won't explode if there is still some water in it.

grim168

I always have cordial in mine. As soon as i get home i fill it with a drop of washing up liquid and hot water. Give it a shake then drain through hose. Then a few lots of fresh water run through. 20 mins hung up to dry and then in the freezer. Doesnt matter if theres a bit of water still in. I get it out the night before a ride. Mines a good few years old and is fine - i'm not dead yet.

snaphappyspen

Thanks for ya tips guys, as i say its been out in Afghan with a friend of mine for 7 months so it has been given some stick.

I think i have a plan for what i will do now. Many thanks guys!

cooldad

Make sure the water is out of the bite valve as ice expands and that can wreck the valve.

BlueAdvocate

Steradent ... then use what's left over for your teeth

pilsburypie

leave it dumped in the boot of your car for the week, get it out the night before your ride and spend 10 minutes washing the black stringy stuff out of it. The remaining gunge stuck in the tube usually comes out during the ride as your fresh juice flows over it.

Ian43

Second the steredent, just pop one in the washing up bowl with some water and the bladder and leave overnight, rinse out in the morning and your off cheap and no hassle.

BorisSpencer

I'm in the Pilsburypie camp on this, clean it every few months with Milton when it starts to taste really 'funny'.

.blitz

Just rinse the reservoir and flush the tube with water after every ride. There are so many chemicals in tap water it kills 99.9% of all known germs.

ratty2k

I use PSP22 in mine, rarely washed or rinsed.... Bung it in the freezer at the end of a ride (PSP too expensive to pour down the drain!) defrost overnight before a ride and top up with PSP22 again.... Nothing bad in the bladder, hose and never had a tummy upset... People seriously overdo the cleaning regime IMO.