I've been drinking from my cambak a lot lately.

I'll fill it up for the daily climbing and after getting home drink from it and typically drink all of it before it gets filled up but also have refilled with water being in it.

Was thinking with bacteria

I periodically wash mine. Put an ounce or two of bleach in it, fill it with water, let it sit for a couple of minutes, drain part of it out through the drinking tube and bite valve, then flush it out a couple of times. Presto! Clean.

Bacteria really don't grow without a growth medium. Mold will grow, however, with moisture. Mold is mostly what I see growing in my Camelbak if I don't drain it and let it dry out.

Yup, our own scuzzy mouth backwash provides the bacteria up the tube and into the camelbak. Go with the bleach solution flush out when it even starts to look bad. When the hose gets all funky, its tough to get the crap out of it.

Come to think of it, I blow the water back in after taking a sip to keep it cold in the bladder. Barrrrf!

Anyway, I always take my bladder out and pop the valve off at the end of the day and let everything dry completely now. No more mold and no more dried backwash flesh eating bacteria.

stick it in the freezer when you get home. use whenever needed. Wash if you forget.

I think flexible plastics generally have (and thus release) a lot more BPA. Not sure if anybody cares (or if CB makes a bpa-free one now), but if all your day's water is coming from one multiple days per week, it might add up. Just sayin'....

Thanks for the replies.

I suppose I'll use bleach every once in awhile.

I think denture cleaning tabs are similar (if not the exact same thing) as the camelbak cleaning kit tabs, and are pretty cheap. I pop one of those in with some water and let sit for a while, then rinse and dry out completely. Have never had any problems w/ weird tastes or odors. I also have a nalgene bladder which seems to have less weird plastic taste than the camelbak ones (but my camelbak is an older one).
I just hope I don't have to use the denture tabs for their intended purpose eventually!

I use my camelbak daily all summer/fall, and must confess, I have not cleaned it in about 5 years...

No illness to report. But I guess that doesn't sound so sanitary...

I haven't washed mine, except for a quick rinse, for over 6 years. No smell, no taste, no evidence of mold/mildew. I wouldnt worry too much about it.

Also, many companies will somehow put a chemical or something in the camelback to make it bacteria/mold/whatever resistant. Not sure if Camelbak does this.

Just go with the smell test.

is it really necessary to poll the internet to find out if you should periodically clean something you drink from?

If you're drinking daily, you probably have an alcoholism problem. If you're doing it from a CamelBack, you definitely have an alcoholism problem.

My exgirlfriend got sick from a fetid camelback and ended up on meds for six months. Six months of liquid poo...no thank you. I use vinegar. Bleach is kinda unhealthy.

If the only thing you put in is H2O, just rinse with hot but not boiling water to kill bacteria, and let it dry. I used to put juice and gatoraid in my bottles and CB's but they always get funky, so now just water. Sometimes I use mild dish soap too.

I would avoid bleach since it's an oxidizing chemical with a high pH and will degrade plastic. SIGG sells a cleaning tablet that works well.

the plastic companies abound don't want you to know this, but pretty much any plastic you use from your camelbak to your ziplock bags and tupperware comes with a fair amount of chemical leeching into your food or drink. recent studies show even bpa free plastics still have a concerning amount of chemicals getting into the food/drink. will it kill you? probably not, but it's a little startling. i usually drink out of glass or ceramics throughout the day unless outside. both have little to no leeching.

Glass leaches sodium and potassium ions unless you're using lead glass obviously. YUR GUNNA DIE!!!
Where's my tin helmet?

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