You’ve been meticulously planning this backpacking trip for weeks. You went through all your gear with a fine-tooth-comb. On the morning of your trip, you grab your hydration bladder and it’s full of mold. We’ve all been there. You’ll eventually end up with mold in your hydration bladder. Luckily, it’s… Read More »How Often Should I Clean My Hydration Bladder?
Choosing a hydration bladder seems like a fairly straightforward process. Obviously, name brands(Camelbak, Platypus, Hydrapak) are better than generic, but they all perform the same basic job. You might need to clean out the nasty plastic taste and make sure it’s BPA free, but you’re good to go. But there… Read More »What Size Hydration Bladder Should I Get?
Hydration water bladders are lightweight, efficient and affordable. Fill them up with water, strap it on your back and you’re ready to hit the trails. There is one major problem with hydration bladders. Hydration bladders just don’t taste right. They’ve always had that strange plastic taste that you just can’t… Read More »Making Hydration Bladder Taste Better: Removing Plastic Taste
With the recent temperature drop and temperatures dropping close to zero. On those short 1-2 hour hikes, it sure would be nice to have a cup of hot coffee or cocoa. Just a little something to warm me up when the temperatures drop. That got me thinking, can you put… Read More »Can You Put Coffee in a Camelbak Hydration Bladder?
Without salts and other electrolytes, your body quickly starts to break down. Losing fluids through sweat can quickly deplete your body of electrolytes. When you sweat them out you need to replace them. That’s easy with a regular water bottle(just grab a sports drink), but how do you replace electrolytes… Read More »How to: Adding Electrolytes to Water in a Hydration Pack
You’ve probably been told that you can’t put anything besides water in your hydration bladder. Internet message boards are filled with horror stories of people ruining their hydration bladders by filling them with sports drinks, coffee, and even alcohol(you can definitely use alcohol in a hydration bladder). Let me be… Read More »What Drinks Can I Put In a Hydration Pack?… We Found Out
Hydration packs have been around since the ’90s and they’ll probably be here till the 2090s. It didn’t take long for backpackers/hikers to realize just how nice it was to have hand-free access to water. Such a simple solution to a serious problem. In the early days, hydration bladders were… Read More »Keeping Water Cold in a Hydration Pack: Insulating Your Camelbak
Every backpacker eventually thinks about filling their hydration bladder with alcohol. You can fit a whole lot of booze in that 3 Liter hydration bladder, but will it cause any problems. I didn’t want to ruin my Camelbak so I bought a cheap hydration bladder off Amazon(this is the one)… Read More »Can You Put Alcohol in Your Hydration Pack? …I Found Out
At some point in your backpacking life, everybody starts looking into hydration systems. Hikers can’t seem to agree on when/where a hydration bladder is better than water bottles. It all comes down to personal preference, but hydration bladders definitely have pros and cons. Quick Pros and Cons of Hydration Packs… Read More »Hydration Bladder Advantages and Disadvantages
I’m really good at getting messy on the trail. If there’s a deep muddy puddle, I’m going to find it. Naturally, I end up with mud and water sopping down into my boots and a swampy smell stinking up my closet. It’s no secret, boots tend to get pretty funky… Read More »How To Deodorize Smelly Hiking Boots in 10 Minutes or Less…(Plus Dry Time)