BigDave Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 It looks as if the weather will be nice and toasty for the MASC next weekend and staying hydrated through 10 stages will be adventageous. Can anyone recommend a hydration pack and which size. If it matters, I'm a pretty big boy and I can loose and drink quite a bit of water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a-44978 Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 I use a Camel bak mule w/100 oz res and large mouth fill neck.Hydrastorm makes a bunch of em also. A couple of things i have learned in the last year of using mine. Get the large mouth fill neck.My mule fits perfectly under most ice shoots (hotels,7-11s,etc)and i have yet to hear "no you can't have any ice ",in fact some places will let you fill up with whatever they have on tap because they count cups not fluid. If you bring it, wear it ,get used to it,even shoot with it(if possible)why?because the hose always finds something dirty to lay in. get a shutoff valve in addition to the bite valve,bite valves leak I only use lime gatoraid or water because these blatters are plastic and somewhat pourus(i think )no matter how much you clean or what you use you will have an after taste of what was there before,or stick to water And when it is brand new you might want to get the plastic taste out of the blatter.I have read about using viniger,soapy water and even bleach.I wish i had a link or 2 for you on this but its been a while(initial cleaning before use)look it up it is out there.with ice it stays cold for longer than you would expect.100oz gets me through 5 stages before needing to top it off,i could probbably stand to drink more though good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted June 22, 2003 Author Share Posted June 22, 2003 thanks for the info... PS - love your tag line!!! There is many in my line of business that would agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 Yeah, what he said. Most places that will sell you a camelback will also sell you a stretching rack ---- it's flexible plastic and slides inside the bladder when you're not using it. It keeps the plastic friom sticking to itself, and allows the bladder to dryout and avoid mildew. The rack's got a coathanger on top so you can hang the thing up. And definitely the big mouth! Nik. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted June 22, 2003 Author Share Posted June 22, 2003 Thanks guys, I ponied up for the M.U.L.E.. This one came with the shut off valve and the big mouth tank. I also got one of those drying rack/stretching deals. I figure that this is going to be one of those things that if I don't take care of it, I just flushed $$$ down the drain. We'll see how it works at the MASC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 If get my own straw, may I have a drink, BigDave? Another thing about the water packs is they can help keep you a bit cooler if you have a lot of ice in your water. I may have to get one for that reason this summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 PS - love your tag line!!! There is many in my line of business that would agree. So, what's your line of business? Doctor, emergency room orderly, police officer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 Duane, You don't want BigDave to come to your house. If he does you're having a bad week ----- though in your case probably not because of stupidity...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 For pistol matches, sporting clays, or whatever, I've got an ancient 70 oz Camelbak bladder inside somebody else's backpack. The other brand bladder leaked in the motel room before its first use at a desert match. I recently purchased a 100 oz Camelbak (MULE? I forget) for motorcycle rides after draining the 70 oz in only three hours. I rarely clean my bladder, just keep it full of water, bleach it from time to time. Ice keeps it cold for couple hours. Whatever is in the hose can get warm; Camelbak makes a hose insulator. Without ice, the insulation keeps the water in the main bladder drinkably cool. The main drawback is air doesn't circulate on my back and it makes me warm and uncomfortable. I take it off for field courses and most speed shoots. I shot sporting clays with it yesterday under my vest, but I had to move the hose away from my shoulder at each station. I'm getting sick of people asking me about it and making stupid comments. Yesterday it was, "How much wine does that hold?" at the clays course. Usually it's, "Does that keep it cold?" and "How much does it hold?" and "Can you put ice in it?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcollin160 Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 camelback makes cleaning tablets for the bladders, i just bought a camelback to put in my shooting bag, it worked great last weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted June 23, 2003 Author Share Posted June 23, 2003 Nik - you're right, stupidity isn't what causes me to have a job, although it is a secondary effect that makes things interesting from time to time. And, believe it or not, most of it is internal, not external. Since stupidity is professionally incorrect, I like the phrase, "monuments to human incompetence". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 A good place to store the bladder to avoid mildew is to keep it in the freezer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 Wouldn't that cause the rubber to stiffen and crack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 Dave, I was trying to suggest that if you came to Duane's house on business he'd be having a bad day ---- but probably not due to his own (Duane's) stupidity. I do remember you working as an insurance adjuster? Dealing with stuff like hurricanes/tornadoes/other natural disasters? Or am I having a middle-aged delusion again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 Naah, Camelbak and other bladders are still somewhat flexible at freezer temperatures, so long as you don't leave water in the hose, of course. They warm up to more-flexible pretty rapidly too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted June 24, 2003 Author Share Posted June 24, 2003 Nik, [drift] Yeah, if I show up at your doorstep in a professional capacity, Ol' Mother Nature delt you a bad hand. The upside, is I'll write a check to fix it most of the time. On that note, if you are able to, buy Flood Insurance. They've changed the rules and almost anyone can get it now, and its fairly cheap. Cheap in comparison to what you'll deal with if you don't have it. 1 in 4 flood claims occur outside of flood zones. PS - no, I'm not an agent, its a Federal policy, we don't make any money (I'm not kidding) on this. [/drift] Well, I brought my Camelbak with me to the office, I was suprised that the water stayed cool for over 12 hours. Granted, I was in the office and I left the unit in the fridge overnight, but the water was definately cool (not anything close to ice water temp) but refreshingly cool. I am impressed. The plastic taste leaves little to be desired, but that will work itself out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 The plastic taste leaves little to be desired, but that will work itself out. Squirt some lemon or lime juice in there with the water. It'll help with the taste both from the plastic as well as any residual chlorine if you're using tap water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Moneypenny Posted June 25, 2003 Share Posted June 25, 2003 So, Camel Bak or Hydrastorm... or is there a better solution out there? which is most durable, best for your buck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Snyder Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 I've been using a 70oz CamelBak for a couple of years now, I broke mine in with a couple of drops of tincture of iodine in the bladder .... stained it a little, but havent noticed much algae growth... and I just hang it on the wall after a match....the tube does get some crud in it, but a little clorox run thru seems to keep it clean.... a trick to keep the liquid in the tube cool....extend the tube over your head, and pinch the bite valve... will drain back into the pack....they are a necessity down here in Fla.... regards Les Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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