This year, I’ve had a hard time preventing red mold from growing in my Platypus hydration bladders. I don’t know why mold started to be a problem this year, but I think I’ve finally found a way to clean it out of my bladders and prevent it from returning.
The secret is Efferdent, normally used as [...]

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I use a bladder and hosed based hydration system to carry water when I’m hiking because it’s easy to drink without stopping and it helps me stay better hydrated.

However keeping your bite valve clean can be problematic on when you put on and take off your back several times a day during rest breaks or [...]

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Do you see that red stain on the inside of my platypus hydration bladder in the picture below? That’s mold, like the stuff that grows on our bathroom shower curtain. I only noticed it on my last backpacking trip, and since getting home I’ve tried a few things to get rid of it.
First, I filled [...]

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I bought a Sawyer inline water purifier about a month ago, hoping it would replace my General Ecology First Need water filter which is about 12 ounces heavier. Both the Sawyer and the First Need are the only EPA approved  filters on the market capable of filtering giardia, cryptosporidium, and viruses. The Sawyer (model sp125) [...]

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I was just looking over the specs of the new GoLite Jam 2 backpack and noticed that it has a hydration pocket. I guess I’m surprised. Hydration pockets are good for day hikers because they hold your Camelback or platypus bladder in place. If you’re a day hiker, you don’t have a lot of gear [...]

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