Bladder water that doesn't taste like...

Joined
Sep 9, 2012
Messages
1,979
Location
BC
Tried a Camelback once as it was a free gift. It ended up in the trash as I could not stand the taste on the first trip. I went back to using washed out gatorade bottles that get recycled after a trip or two.
 

netman

WKR
Joined
Mar 30, 2018
Messages
764
Location
Indiana
Mine is the Milspec Camelback. I only use water in mine. I walk everyday with my pack on and use the bladder daily. The first drink is the worse. It’s a strong chemical taste. I’m going to try some of these remedies and see if that will fix it. My other milspec Camelback was troublefree for years.
 

jspradley

WKR
Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
1,725
Location
League City, TX
I took my bladders and tossed them in the trash and switched to Nalgenes and never looked back.

Every bladder i've used has made the water taste like booty. Platypus has been the best but they've all sucked IMO
 

ragz

FNG
Joined
Mar 9, 2018
Messages
51
Location
UT
I wonder if you could put lemon juice in there to add flavor but not spoil. If that fails you could throw some vinegar in there to mask the taste ;)
 
Joined
Aug 10, 2015
Messages
2,242
Vinegar works great to clean the inside of it gets funky.

If you're worried about your plastic water bladder tasting like plastic, don't be a sissy.
 

mproberts

WKR
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Messages
393
Like others said.. buy a source bladder. Been running the same one for years, no taste at all and the whole top opens up so it's stupid easy to clean and dry. I keep an ultralight platy roll-up bottle on me for mixed drinks, tabs, etc.
 
Joined
Dec 30, 2014
Messages
8,168
I've used camelback, platypus (primarily), and geigerrig and don't recall a taste ever being that offputting. Maybe it's just so many times better than filtered mudhole water that I don't notice.
 

cmush

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 12, 2019
Messages
150
Location
Kansas
Mint denture cleaner. Seriously. Get some Efferdent tabs, fill the bladder with hot water, drop in a few of the tabs and let them sit overnight. Plastic smell and taste gone. Also works to clean your bladder when it gets a little funky.
Thanks for this tip. Mine has gotten super funky. Taste doesn't bother me but trying to get the slime build up out of it is a pain.
 

TradFreak

FNG
Joined
Jul 13, 2019
Messages
22
Put water, baking soda, and lemon juice in the water bladder. Use plenty of lemon juice and soda and leave it sit for several hours. Drain and repeat. It works.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2016
Messages
322
Location
Colorado
I've never had issue with a camelbak bladder and plastic taste. I wash it with hot water and dish soap periodically, and I always store it hung upside down and open so that it's perfectly dry.

Have you replaced the hose and bite valve? Those can get funky...
 

OFFHNTN

WKR
Joined
Apr 10, 2015
Messages
472
I know I am in the minority with this, but why do you all want to hassle with those bladders and bags? The crappy taste, the cumbersome filtering, the hassle of cleaning, they are a complete pain in the arse. There are much better and easier things out there. But, to each their own!
 
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