yukk

michael k

"hydration bladder fur", thats a new one, it sounds on a par with "crusty
knickers", or "smelling of fish". Anyone know what the "fur" actually
consists of? I'm referring to the stuff that apparently grows inside those
weird plastic bags with a tube that some people carry on their backs whilst
walking or running.

Rob G

On 25 Nov, 21:15, "michael k" <micha...@dontspamme.com> wrote:
> "hydration bladder fur", thats a new one, it sounds on a par with "crusty
> knickers", or "smelling of fish". Anyone know what the "fur" actually
> consists of? I'm referring to the stuff that apparently grows inside those
> weird plastic bags with a tube that some people carry on their backs whilst
> walking or running.

I don't know the biological answer to your question, but I remember an
New Scientist article some years ago about 'Slime Cities' which
explained what happens in drain pipes, etc. (and presumbly hydration
bags!) in that communities of bacteria develop, each feeding on the
detritus of the previous and the top layer feeding on our detritus.

Interesting enough a similar situation can occur in hot water feeds
where the temperature can be warm enough for such 'fur' to develop to
such an extent that the 22mm pipe can block - didn't believe this
until it happened to one of my off-spring requiring the feed to be
back flushed from the mains.

Rob

michael k

"Rob G" <robkgraham@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:a08c0d62-3376-4812-a6c3-865416560d26@o42g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
> On 25 Nov, 21:15, "michael k" <micha...@dontspamme.com> wrote:
>> "hydration bladder fur", thats a new one, it sounds on a par with "crusty
>> knickers", or "smelling of fish". Anyone know what the "fur" actually
>> consists of? I'm referring to the stuff that apparently grows inside
>> those
>> weird plastic bags with a tube that some people carry on their backs
>> whilst
>> walking or running.
>
> I don't know the biological answer to your question, but I remember an
> New Scientist article some years ago about 'Slime Cities' which
> explained what happens in drain pipes, etc. (and presumbly hydration
> bags!) in that communities of bacteria develop, each feeding on the
> detritus of the previous and the top layer feeding on our detritus.
>
> Interesting enough a similar situation can occur in hot water feeds
> where the temperature can be warm enough for such 'fur' to develop to
> such an extent that the 22mm pipe can block - didn't believe this
> until it happened to one of my off-spring requiring the feed to be
> back flushed from the mains.
>
> Rob


The New Scientist article! I remember that. It came with some
extraordinary photos of the biological growths. Brilliant article.

Gordon

"michael k" <michaelk@dontspamme.com> wrote in message
news:kvSdnVKnh_aXe9TanZ2dnUVZ8uudnZ2d@bt.com...
> "hydration bladder fur", thats a new one, it sounds on a par with "crusty
> knickers", or "smelling of fish". Anyone know what the "fur" actually
> consists of? I'm referring to the stuff that apparently grows inside
> those weird plastic bags with a tube that some people carry on their
> backs whilst walking or running.
>


I suspect it's the same process by which natural Mineral water goes "off" if
you drink out of the bottle and then leave it for some days. Bacteria from
the mouth get washed back into the container and then start multiplying...

michael k

"Gordon" <gbplinux@gmail.com.invalid> wrote in message
news:35ydnYLbmbR2FNfanZ2dnUVZ8q6onZ2d@eclipse.net.uk...
> "michael k" <michaelk@dontspamme.com> wrote in message
> news:kvSdnVKnh_aXe9TanZ2dnUVZ8uudnZ2d@bt.com...
>> "hydration bladder fur", thats a new one, it sounds on a par with "crusty
>> knickers", or "smelling of fish". Anyone know what the "fur" actually
>> consists of? I'm referring to the stuff that apparently grows inside
>> those weird plastic bags with a tube that some people carry on their
>> backs whilst walking or running.
>>
>
>
> I suspect it's the same process by which natural Mineral water goes "off"
> if you drink out of the bottle and then leave it for some days. Bacteria
> from the mouth get washed back into the container and then start
> multiplying...
>

How easy is it to wash these hydration bladders with their tubes? They look
so unhygenic. With natural mineral water bottles I rinse them out
vigorously with cold water water and resue them with tap or stream water for
about a week before binning them.

Dominic Sexton

In article <zYadnYNLorRJENfaRVnygwA@bt.com>, michael k
<michaelk@dontspamme.com> writes
>How easy is it to wash these hydration bladders with their tubes? They look
>so unhygenic.

They are not too easy to clean. Sugar helps the bacteria / mould grow
rapidly so any drinks with sugar in should be avoided or rinsed out very
well after use. Bacteria / mould cannot grow without water so after
rinsing out the bladder and tube should be dried thoroughly.

By only using water in my Platypus and by drying it out thoroughly and
leaving the top off when not in use I find I very rarely have to clean
it. When I do a baby bottle cleaning solution quickly kills anything
growing and then it is just a fiddly matter getting any gunge out.

Use a sugary drink in it, fail to rinse it out and dry it and you will
have no end of problems with one. Know the problems and treat it
appropriately and you will find it lasts for ages without any issues.

>With natural mineral water bottles I rinse them out
>vigorously with cold water water and resue them with tap or stream water for
>about a week before binning them.

I hope you mean recycle rather than bin! I have been using the same
500ml pop bottle several time a week for years. All it gets is a quick
rinse under the tap when I get home and then is left to dry. No fur,
gunge or slime and no illness!

--

Dominic Sexton

michael k

"Dominic Sexton" <{d-sep03}@dscs.demon.co.uk> wrote
>
> I hope you mean recycle rather than bin! I have been using the same 500ml
> pop bottle several time a week for years. All it gets is a quick rinse
> under the tap when I get home and then is left to dry. No fur, gunge or
> slime and no illness!
>

I am sad to say that I bin them. Most of my serious walking takes place
around the Mediteranean area and I feel its a real acheievement for me to
get as far as a bin. There must be the best part of a billion plastic water
bottles littering the countryside in Spain and Greece.

Jim Ford

michael k wrote:

> How easy is it to wash these hydration bladders with their tubes? They look
> so unhygenic.

IMHO bladder 'hydration systems' are just fashion accessories -
marketing gimmicks. I followed the herd a couple of years ago and got
one, because I thought that as everybody seemed to be using them they
must be good. I didn't buy a cheap one - I bough a platypus.

Here are some of their defects (in no particular order):

1)They're a pain to fill from a burn.
2)They _always_ eventually leak and wet the contents of your sac.
3)They're difficult to keep clean.
4)The (pvc?) mouthpiece makes the water taste vile (and IME no amount of
rinsing with various agents made the slightest difference). The volume
of water remaining in the tube and exposed to the sun becomes tepid and
the tainting is amplified, so when you're thirsty your first pull on the
tube has you gagging and you have to spit the water out!
5)They're expensive.

Here are some of their advantages:

1) They look 'cool'.
2) Errm?

Of course, other peoples experiences may differ from mine!

Jim Ford

Simon Challands

In message <QCE2j.60442$Eq.30668@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net>
Jim Ford <jaford@watford53.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:

> michael k wrote:

>> How easy is it to wash these hydration bladders with their tubes? They look
>> so unhygenic.

> IMHO bladder 'hydration systems' are just fashion accessories -
> marketing gimmicks. I followed the herd a couple of years ago and got
> one, because I thought that as everybody seemed to be using them they
> must be good. I didn't buy a cheap one - I bough a platypus.

> Here are some of their defects (in no particular order):

<snip>

> Of course, other peoples experiences may differ from mine!

I find it very convenient just to be able to have a sip when I want
instead of having to stop, faff around behind me to find a bottle,
then carry on. The only problem I have with them is not knowing how
much water I have left. I've certainly not had a problem with gunk and
so on in them, and I've only ever cleaned mine thoroughly the once
(then again, I never put anything in other than water). IMO they're
far less of a gimmick than, say, GPS.

--
Simon Challands

Tom Crispin

On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:38:29 +0100, Simon Challands
<simon_usenet@helvellyn.plus.com> wrote:

>In message <QCE2j.60442$Eq.30668@newsfe3-gui.ntli.net>
> Jim Ford <jaford@watford53.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> michael k wrote:
>
>>> How easy is it to wash these hydration bladders with their tubes? They look
>>> so unhygenic.
>
>> IMHO bladder 'hydration systems' are just fashion accessories -
>> marketing gimmicks. I followed the herd a couple of years ago and got
>> one, because I thought that as everybody seemed to be using them they
>> must be good. I didn't buy a cheap one - I bough a platypus.
>
>> Here are some of their defects (in no particular order):
>
><snip>
>
>> Of course, other peoples experiences may differ from mine!
>
>I find it very convenient just to be able to have a sip when I want
>instead of having to stop, faff around behind me to find a bottle,
>then carry on. The only problem I have with them is not knowing how
>much water I have left. I've certainly not had a problem with gunk and
>so on in them, and I've only ever cleaned mine thoroughly the once
>(then again, I never put anything in other than water). IMO they're
>far less of a gimmick than, say, GPS.

A map and compass cannot do what a GPS and map can do. However, a
water bottle can serve exactly the same function as those bacteria
bladders.

Dominic Sexton

In article <hvbmk3ptlogp0ss1m63735qpafo59fjlgs@4ax.com>, Tom Crispin
<kije.remove@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge> writes
>On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:38:29 +0100, Simon Challands
><simon_usenet@helvellyn.plus.com> wrote:
>> I've certainly not had a problem with gunk and
>>so on in them, and I've only ever cleaned mine thoroughly the once
>>(then again, I never put anything in other than water). IMO they're
>>far less of a gimmick than, say, GPS.
>
>A map and compass cannot do what a GPS and map can do. However, a
>water bottle can serve exactly the same function as those bacteria
>bladders.

Rubbish!

--

Dominic Sexton

Adam Lea

"Tom Crispin" <kije.remove@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge> wrote in message
news:hvbmk3ptlogp0ss1m63735qpafo59fjlgs@4ax.com...
> A map and compass cannot do what a GPS and map can do.

Like run out of battery power, or lose a signal?

michael k

"Simon Challands" <simon_usenet@helvellyn.plus.com> wrote

> . The only problem I have with them is not knowing how
> much water I have left.

Sounds like a pretty big problem to me.

Tom Crispin

On Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:01:21 -0000, "Adam Lea" <asrl07@yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:

>
>"Tom Crispin" <kije.remove@this.bit.freeuk.com.munge> wrote in message
>news:hvbmk3ptlogp0ss1m63735qpafo59fjlgs@4ax.com...
>> A map and compass cannot do what a GPS and map can do.
>
>Like run out of battery power, or lose a signal?

Have you ever tried to use a compass on the Cullin, to find your way
off Carrauntoohil, or to take a bearing from Rough Tor.

However, I take your point. A GPS is no replacement for a compass.
However, a water bottle is an excellent alternative to a bacteria
bladder.