Camelbak Advice

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Revbarbarag May 2013 8:48pm, 25 May 2013 83 posts	0 Revbarbarag I bought a Camelbak for half price at the Trailblazer event village last week. Planning to use it in earnest for the first time on Monday, I decided to try it out on a pleasant walk this evening. Good job too!! Before we'd even got away from the house my back felt cold... too cold to just be the bladder resting against me. Sure enough, I was wet. The lid didn't seem to be mis-threaded or anything, but was definitely leaking. My husband took charge (oo, so manly) and fiddled with the seal, which seemed to be sort of folded back on itself. After a while, he closed it up, and it held - phew. Not sure if I may not have got a dud, though. Anyone had initial bad experiences which turned out alright with these things... or should I be thinking about asking for a refund/replacement? The thing is, it had a tag on it labelled "Sales Sample", so it could have been sitting there unused for a long time.... Also - there were no instructions with it or anything - I don't know if there were supposed to be. So can anyone help with the following: 1) The bite valve worked fine... but there's also what looks like a stopper on it, in yellow plastic, that sort of looks like it might be supposed to come off. But I don't want to force it in case I break something. Anyone know what it does - if anything? 2) After use - are you supposed to dismantle it, or something? I've emptied the bladder and left it to dry (the casing was still wet) - how are you supposed to store it? 3) I think I've read somewhere that you're supposed to use Milton's sterilising fluid to keep it clean - how often would you do that, and - err- how? Thanks if you can help.
Revbarbarag May 2013 8:31am, 27 May 2013 84 posts	0 Revbarbarag No-one know anything about Camelbaks, then?
Craig_ May 2013 8:49am, 27 May 2013 398 posts	0 Craig_ Take it back and ask for another. Sound like you got a 'sales sample' - a product usually given to the shop so they can inspect the design/quality of the product before stocking - not intended for resale. Also, have a look on youtube - they have loads of videos covering reviews, maintenance, cleaning, accessories etc... You are supposed to clean them after each use and the important bit is to let them dry properly - trapper liquid usually turns into mould if left for a long time. I've had a few camelbaks and no problems whatsoever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI4tlknR8oc
Craig_ May 2013 9:01am, 27 May 2013 399 posts	0 Craig_ btw - the video above shows how to clean it properly - I used to do this about once a week - the rest of the time I would just empty any left-overs, give it a thorough rinse with water (including the tube and bite valve) and re-fill it and stick it in the fridge. It saves a lot of time if you're using it regularly.
Revbarbarag May 2013 5:04pm, 27 May 2013 85 posts	0 Revbarbarag Thanks for the steer! It is definitely going back - or at least I'm going to get a new water container from them - because I used it on a long run/walk today, and got an extremely wet bum. Not good! On the upside - the fit of the pack was really comfortable, and did not interfere with me running at all.
K5 Gus May 2013 5:12pm, 27 May 2013 118 posts	0 K5 Gus If you just use water in it then you should not get mould. If you use energy drink, then bacteria will grow on the left over sugars. A good tip is to store the bladder and tube in your freezer as this kills any bacteria. When you want to use it it will defrost really quick, just hold it under a hot running tap.
Footpad May 2013 6:02pm, 27 May 2013 5,418 posts	0 Footpad The yellow stopper on mine has a small tap.... to turn off the bite valve?