Bushwalk Australia

What do people insulate the tube into their hydration pack with? My osprey 3L pack is great but on the weekend in 40 degree heat the first 20cm of near boiling water was not nice. I thought of doing something with stubby holders but i am sure I'm not alone with this problem. Any homemade solutions?

Blow back into the tube after each time you have a drink. Thus the tube will be empty and there will be nothing in it to heat up

I have seen the tubes wrapped in aluminium foil for that reason, but haven't tried it myself. Sounds a bit more convenient than having to suck the air out of the tube before each drink.

Foil ought to be good for preventing the sun heating it up but won't help much to prevent hot air warming up the water.

Have you tried a large hardware shop? Hot water pipes are often insulated, as are pipes in refrigeration / air conditioning systems. Come to think of it a (car) wrecker might be the best place to find a short length of insulating sleeve.

Potentially bubble wrap and opaque 'contact' (book covering) could be pressed into service if looks matter. Silver contact might work best.

Blowing into the tube -- wouldn't you end up with that annoying sloshing sound if you let air into the bladder?

Clark Rubber for insulation used on hot water & air cond pipes.

russell2pi wrote:Foil ought to be good for preventing the sun heating it up but won't help much to prevent hot air warming up the water.

Have you tried a large hardware shop? Hot water pipes are often insulated, as are pipes in refrigeration / air conditioning systems. Come to think of it a (car) wrecker might be the best place to find a short length of insulating sleeve.

Potentially bubble wrap and opaque 'contact' (book covering) could be pressed into service if looks matter. Silver contact might work best.

Blowing into the tube -- wouldn't you end up with that annoying sloshing sound if you let air into the bladder?

Actually I'm tipping that a layer of foil will do next to nothing on a hot day regardless....it will still heat up. It may reduce radiant heat, but conductive heat will still get through and make the tubing (and hence water) mega-warm.
Personally, FWIW, I'd do exactly what strider said...simply blow back up into the tubing once you've finished (I've done this many times too)...or before you begin to let it mix first. Weigh it up..the extra weight, maintenance and reliability of some method to simply keep constant one or two mouthfuls of water?

Blow...drink...done. (You know what I mean!!)

Camelback actually make a thin neoprene insulating sleeve covered tube. I haven't got one but I know people who have and they do work. A bit exy though at $30. The idea of blowing water back into the bladder each time you drink sucks.

See here: http://www.paddypallin.com.au/camelbak-antidote-insulated-tube.html

alanoutgear wrote:Camelback actually make a thin neoprene insulating sleeve covered tube. I haven't got one but I know people who have and they do work. A bit exy though at $30. The idea of blowing water back into the bladder each time you drink sucks.

See here: http://www.paddypallin.com.au/camelbak-antidote-insulated-tube.html

$25.05 posted

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-CamelBak ... 824wt_1037

The CBak one does work but only just, it does not really provide enough insulation to prevent freezing or the water getting hot.*

Which is one reason why many backpack builders (mostly small and daypacks) have a pocket in the shoulder strap to add further protection / insulation to the feed pipe.

*Personal experiments.

Wait till Katmandu have a sale and go and buy one of their neoprene tube covers. They work well.

Cheers,
Michael.

You need to wait for a K sale? is that the normal state of affairs? Certainly seems that way on the K window I pass a couple of times a week.

alanoutgear wrote:The idea of blowing water back into the bladder each time you drink sucks.

It doesn't suck...it blows!

quicky wrote:

alanoutgear wrote:The idea of blowing water back into the bladder each time you drink sucks.

It doesn't suck...it blows!

We all thought it!

osprey make a specific tube insulator to go with their hydration bladders. any osprey stockist should be able to order you one.

I recently sold one of my skiing packs and it had neoprene insulation for the tube. I can recommend that if you do own one like this (or are able to purchase the osprey one) do NOT remove it under any circumstance even for cleaning purposes. It took my three days, endless broken nails and my fingers killed to get the @#&%*& back on.
All silliness aside my pack was a back country access (bca) and Im sure if you contact them they would sell you one as its a very standard size for a hydration bladder tube.