water bladder??,plastic taste.

reaper

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Oct 24, 2014
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Hey roksliders!!! ;)

I use water bottles most of the time for my trips but last time water wasn't at the rendez-vous haha!!I use to have a water bladder and liked the capacity of it but TASTE LIKE PLASTIC even when i washed it so i came back with water bottles.What you guys use for water bladder???,can be 1.5 to 2L lightweight,quick and doesnt taste like ill drink liquid plastic.I will hang it inside my bag or againts the frame.

thanks
 

twall13

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The Source Tactical bladders are made from a material that doesn't seem to give any bad taste. I've left water in it for 3-4 days without bad taste. I've certainly had the bad taste with other bladders I've used in the past.

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I have 3 Camelbak hydration systems. I use the Camelbak cleaning tabs, which seem like a chlorine bleach type of chemical. It never leaves a plastic taste. I wash them out really good after treating with the tabs, and let them air out.
 

5MilesBack

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I can sometimes taste plastic drinking out of water bottles, but none of the water out of my Camelbak's have ever tasted like plastic.
 
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reaper

reaper

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thanks guys,after some research and your comments i think i will order the Hydrapak shape-shift,lightweight and can be reverse for a good wash.Thanks again.
 

pods8 (Rugged Stitching)

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+1 for the source brand bladders, I don't really pick up plastic flavor on mine and all I do is top it off over the course of a week hunt so some water is always sitting in it.
 

LostArra

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+1 for the source brand bladders, I don't really pick up plastic flavor on mine and all I do is top it off over the course of a week hunt so some water is always sitting in it.

+2 on the Source
Every year I keep waiting for my Source bladder to either leak or taste bad and it doesn't.
 

twall13

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Flipping it inside out is nice for cleaning but I don't think that has anything to do with the plastic taste. The taste has more to do with the materials it's made from.

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pods8 (Rugged Stitching)

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Yep. I was skeptical at first if the glass infused material Source uses would live up to their claims about avoiding plastic taste and I don't have any complaints. Its like LostArra above I just take it for granted that bladder works well, tastes fine, and doesn't leak (yet anyways, going on 5yrs I believe).

For cleaning the entire top opens up so its easy to flush out and also the valve is a twist open versus bit which means you can leave it open (along with the top of the bladder) and hang it upside down after cleaning to drain and dry out completely so no funk from storing it with moisture in the tube or such.
 

bigsky2

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How is everyone cleaning out their bladder? How do you get all the water out of the bladder and tube after cleaning?
 

RoJo

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no way man are you kidding?
You can flip the pouche for cleaning and that thing taste plastic? WTF

Sorry, not kidding. I have not tried the baking soda thing, but I am doubtful it would get rid of the plastic taste. I would agree with twall13, that it has more to do with the material than the construction.
 

twall13

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Like pods8 I have the source Tactical bladder and since the top opens up I can reach in with a rag or paper towel to clean out excess water. I store it with the top open and the hose running into the top opening to keep some air flow. If it gets really dirty I can flip it inside out for cleaning but it's generally not an issue for me as I only run water in my bladder. If I want to mix in some Nuun tablets or something like that it always goes in the Nalgene. Since my bladder only runs water as long as the water can dry out completely I don't worry about it. The toughest part is making sure the hose is water free but since it's a twist valve it cleans up pretty good with a few shakes and being left open for storage as well.

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NHRedleg

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Another one for Source Tactical. With the universal tube adaptor easy to fill from sink or store bought bottles of water and with the Sawyer's Fast fill adaptor can fill easily right from the filter. I don't notice any taste issues with them, though I am not sensitive to that. I also have Camelbak & Hydrapak bladders and don't notice any taste issues with them either. The Source Tactical Bladders are by far my favorite.
 

Owenst7

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Jun 19, 2017
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Reno
The Osprey bladder (made by Hydrapak) that I just got a few months ago had this problem. The instructions that came with it said to freeze it overnight partially full with water and a few drops of lemon juice. I used a lot more than a few drops, but it worked very well and I no longer have any off taste from it. I also made sure to suck the water in to the full length of the hose and let that soak too.


Not sure why freezing would do anything. My best guess is they laminate something to one side of the bladder material to aid in manufacturing. It's probably a release agent, and is susceptible to a mild acid. Perhaps the freezing (expansion) gives enough mechanical action to help break it apart a bit.


My Camelbak biohazard or whatever bladder (the black one that's supposed to be what the military uses to protect the water from bio agents or something) never had any off taste to it since I bought it about ten years ago.
 
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