For our trip last weekend, I scrounged out my hydration pack which had been sitting around unused for a couple of years now. We were in a rush getting out the door, and so while I had meant to clean it before leaving, I didn't get the chance. When we got to West Yellowstone, I revisited the hydration pack issue, noticing that the water reservoir seemed a bit scummy-looking. I got that all scrubbed out and then went to check the drinking tube. In the case of my pack, this is encased in a foamy sleeve, so I pulled the sleeve off to take a look.
Apparently last time I used the pack I didn't drain it thoroughly, because large sections of the tube were black with mildew. Yuck. I ran a bunch of hot water through the tubing, then blew through it as hard as I could, then used soapy water while flexing the tubing as best I could to loosen the mildew, and finally filled the tubing with water and microwaved it to hopefully kill any bacteria. At the end of the day, there were a few slightly grayish areas, but the water tasted OK, so I went with it. I drank from the pack all weekend and I am still fine now, so I presume there was nothing too dangerous in it, and I hung the tubing up to dry when we got home this time.
On the trip back, I was in the car with the pack on my lap and I gave it a little pat. Jared happened to notice me doing this and acted astonished. "Wait, did I just see you giving this a little affectionate pat?" I told him that yes, in fact, he had, and that the pack and I have a longer history together than Jared and I do. Then he feigned an attack of jealousy, so I gave him an equally affectionate pat on the knee to reassure him. Chances are he will outlast the hydration pack, especially if I keep up with my nonchalant maintenance attitude.
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