 Poster: A snowHead
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Chatting to mate the other day he was saying he got one of these last year and thinks it's fantastic - I stop to have some water when skiing often, so am thinking maybe I should get one?
My skiing back pack has a rubber valve thing (!) at the top on the back marked "h2o" so I guess it's designed for a camelpack, but the question do these things just "sit" in your bag - is it really as simple as that?
Ed
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 17-02-08 19:05; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bactrian or dromedary is your big decision.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Dromedary I should think will do - I don't drink that much...not water, anyway 
http://tinyurl.com/2nhkef seems to fit the bill.
Ed
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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yeah i just shove mine in the bottom of my bag, altho one thing you should consider is a neoprene insulating sleeve for the pipe as i spent a week at christmas trying to suck water through an iced up tube!!!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It also helps to blow water back into reservoir to stop it freezing in tube.
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Camelbaks are great, but I only use mine for mountain biking. Yes the plastic bladder just sits in your bag with the drink tube poking out. Many back packs are designed to fit them. Camelbak are the most well known brand and probably the best, but there are other makes too eg Deuter.
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| eludlow wrote: |
Dromedary I should think will do - I don't drink that much...not water, anyway ;-)
http://tinyurl.com/2nhkef seems to fit the bill.
Ed |
Actually, that is the most basic, least desirable one.
Features I would not do without:
a) Oversize fill valve with moulded-on external handle.
This
- makes the bag easier to handle when filling, not untrivial when attempting to hold a wet 2kg with two fingers.
- allows one to fill the bag more because the air bubble above the valve is smaller
- makes the rubber O-ring larger and therefore less likely to slip off, therefore longer lasting
- makes the bag *far easier* to clean with usual kitchen sink scrubbing tools
- makes the bag quicker-drying after such cleanout
b) 90 degree lock-off valve in the tube between bite valve and sack.
- consider what happens if you overfill that pack, and then proceed to fall on it or squish it against the chair.
- consider what happens if a piece of ice sticks the bite valve open but doesn't block all flow.
c) Pseudo-woven material
I tend to have sharp things in my pack
d) Hanging strap so the bag can be clipped tube outlet side -down in the pack.
My pack provides for this
This or variants thereof is what I'm talking about. The other is barely developed past the hospital IV bags that the idea originally came from.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| uktrailmonster wrote: |
| but there are other makes too eg Deuter. |
I had one of the first Deuter RaceXAirs to hit the market.
Very nicely designed, though not optimal for me because it was more running-hiking oriented and didn't sit flat on the back, the tensioned suspension tended to squish the loft out of my insulating layers where the pack was. The least optimal bit was that the tube was a different diameter, so I couldn't use Camelbak parts unless I bought a Camelbak bladder.
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I feel a bit dubious about these things; I wonder how many people bother to clean them properly?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, a brush and some bleach goes a long way. Diet soft drinks don't go as far, but are far more convenient for in-between cleanouts. Unsurprisingly, leaving them to air out after cleaning has a similar oxidising action to bleach. I have yet to try, or need to try the "stick a UV lamp in" method.
Otherwise, why should you feel dubious? The Camelbak cleaning habits of others don't really say anything about what yours might be?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I use a camelback when I ski out west. I tend to get thirsty and am a big water drinker anyway so the camelback is a great accessory.
The one I have is the basic thermal one, similar to this one but a bit larger capacity.
http://sac.gearattack.com/items/206
This is a bit extreme, but is thermal and has some nice pockets for extra stuff if you're getting into some backcountry.
http://sac.gearattack.com/items/53
IMO, it is well worth the investment.
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eludlow, ... I have recently changed over from an insulated camelback as it was taking up too much space, to a
http://www.facewest.co.uk/Platypus-Bigzip.html
I am sure it's the 2l version I have. They are great and the zip DOES work. I was a bit dubious at first. I used the old insulated sleve from my camelback. Important as jwhiteley1, mentions to avoid freezing.
The Zip bag is very easy to clean and I have used 'Milton' solution for years (Used principally for cleaning babies feeding bottles, but I also use it for cleaning worktops, kitchen surfaces etc - very economical). (If using Facewest, remember to enter the site from the link on snowHeads homepage)
After cleaning hydration bladders with Milton solution, do remember to blow out the drinking valve - I forget sometimes, to find the first drink of the day is yummy Milton solution .... 
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You know it makes sense.
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Here is a thing.... go and buy one of those new fangled water bottles from the supermarket...drink as required AND you don't have to worry about cleaning them...
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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JT, but you do drop you gloves off the chair as you struggle to get it out of your pack, and the ice crystals freeze your teeth.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Martin Nicholas,
No, I have leases for my gloves..and don't suffer from sensitive teeth. If I want a drink, then pa roper stop is in order anyway.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just my 2p worth...
For those that have a pack then look at a camelbak unbottle, MSR Hydromedary, platypus big zip, nalgene big bore etc.
Most "hydration compatible packs" have a sleeve thing that holds the bladder against the back of the backsystem.
For those that don't have a pack, then other camelbaks are an option. However given their cost I'd opt for a decent featured rucksack then one of the above for probibly no more £ or in some cases less.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| JT wrote: |
| Here is a thing.... go and buy one of those new fangled water bottles from the supermarket...drink as required AND you don't have to worry about cleaning them... |
Disagree JT, have used a platypus for years, great for little sips on chairlifts etc, having suffered from a cracked/leaking bottle in a rucksack, it's the bags for me!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I use one and sup 1-2 litres of water per day. Mine also has room for a hat, googles, glasses, contact lense stuff, choccy, and a turtle neck fur, and a base layer to add if I get cold.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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big fan of my camelback within a dakine helipro. the drinking tube zips into the backpack shoulder strap and if you blow back the water rarely freezes up. get one where the mouth piece twists 90 degrees to open/close. my first one has a little valve but you have to take off gloves and it is a bit fiddly. Used to just bring a bottle but they break easy..
i do occassionally carry a small water bottle in a side pocket as well in case of freeze up but i do like to take on water little and ofter. if i rely on a bottle i never remember to have a drink..
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| JT wrote: |
Martin Nicholas,
No, I have leases for my gloves..and don't suffer from sensitive teeth. If I want a drink, then pa roper stop is in order anyway. |
If you need as much water as some of us do, then you really don't want to be faffing around stopping to take your rucksac off every time you want a drink.
I had always done as you say, but was given a camelbak (this one) for christmas ('06), and have been very pleasantly surprised by how much easier it makes things. I hadn't really realised just how much time I was wasting having a drink so often.
Mind you, I could have used the 2L model, as I have had to refill the 1.5L model during the day a couple of times, and usually finiah the day with it fully drained.
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| eludlow wrote: |
Chatting to mate the other day he was saying he got one of these last year and thinks it's fantastic - I stop to have some water when skiing often, so am thinking maybe I should get one?
My skiing back pack has a rubber valve thing (!) at the top on the back marked "h2o" so I guess it's designed for a camelpack, but the question do these things just "sit" in your bag - is it really as simple as that?
Ed |
More or less, yes.
Just make sure it is the right way up (the tube exit from the water container should be at the bottom.
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eludlow, you will love having one. I used mine for the first time last season. With water always handy I tend to drink small sips more frequently. I think it made a huge impact on my week of skiing as my legs didn't go as tired like they used to do. Clearly I was drinking less water before.
//fish
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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alex_heney,
Why not.... ? people can be in too much of a hurry to get nowhere ... I doubt it costs me 5 mins a day anyway, you'll lose that time on boots, toilet etc..in a small group easily.
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JT, If you are skiing by yourself, it doesn't matter much.
But if you are with others, you feel you are holding them up every time you stop to get the bottle out. Even if it isn't all that long, it feels longer.
If it doesn't cost you 5 minutes per day, then you probably aren't drinking as much as I do anyhow.
But I accept it is more the convenience than actual time savings.
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FAQ
