Hydration bladder - do they all start with plasticky taste?

james22b2

Hi-
I bought a hydration bladder made by Source. This was quite a while ago and the taste of plastic was so strong I never really used it and it is sitting at the back of a cupboard.
Now I am curious - do they all start out tasting like this - and what are the effective treatments to minimise or remove the strong plastic taste?
Thanks in advance,

The Rookie

Perfectly normal, use something flavoured to mask it, or you can remove most off the effect by filling it with a weak solution of tomato ketchup (yes really) and leaving it for a few hours before rinsing thoroughly, tomato skin oil is a great de-odouriser (its used in North America to remove the stench of skunk spray, nothing man made comes close) and there is enough in ketchup for this trick to work.

oodboo

I've never noticed any taste with camelbak bladders.

sniper68

I've never noticed any taste with either Camelbak or Osprey bladders

stubs

I find even Camelbak bladders taste a bit plasticky at first. The way I treat them is to put 1 level tablespoon of Baking Soda per litre of warm water in and let it stand overnight then rinse well and let it air dry. Its always worked for me.

Mattharrier

I put orange squash in mine the first time I used it, cleaned it thoroughly and then stuck it in the freezer (this stops bacteria and so can help with manky taste in general). Now I just put water in it and it's fine.

Connorscotland

Stuck a Berocca in mine and ever since its had a tropical taste....

But it was plasticy to begin with.

nicklouse

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19638195#p19638195]oodboo[/url] wrote:

I've never noticed any taste with camelbak bladders.

Same here. But after using it for a party it tasted of red bull and vodka for a good few months.

The Rookie

Ace tip Nick, must try that!

james22b2

Thanks everyone - I cleaned mine out thoroughly with a mild soap and the taste went away - thanks for all the tips. I think the taste is only there if the water is in the system for more than 24h.

Verdugist

My new CamelBak bladder has little to no taste. I followed instructions to clean (1 tbsp bleach and hot water). My older water bladder with the cheaper hydration pack did have some (bad) taste. Bite valve sucked too.

Get a CamelBak or Osprey (to save money buy an older/clearance model).

This is the one I used to use and had the taste in bladder water (do not buy this one you get what you pay for):

http://outdoorproducts.com/ripcord-hydration-pack/

Jaykun85

this is something i have been wanting to get for a while as i hate trying to get at the bottle when I'm riding. Maybe I'm just lazy. Though learnt that if plastic taste i should use some Ketchup.
Can you use the energy tablets in these packs too? as long as its rinsed well after use?

stubs

Yes you can use anything in a bladder that you would use in a bottle. I rinse mine out after use and put it in the freezer it keeps it fresh and stops any goo growing in the corners

Jaykun85

Oh thats something new. i may just have to do that aswell .. though i will have to eat all the ice cream to make the room.

JaseHawk

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19638173#p19638173]The Rookie[/url] wrote:

Perfectly normal, use something flavoured to mask it, or you can remove most off the effect by filling it with a weak solution of tomato ketchup (yes really) and leaving it for a few hours before rinsing thoroughly, tomato skin oil is a great de-odouriser (its used in North America to remove the stench of skunk spray, nothing man made comes close) and there is enough in ketchup for this trick to work.

I second tomato ketchup's odour-removing properties. Though I use tomato ketchup to remove the smell of fox poo from the dog!