Water Bladder issues in the Winter

[shadowcat]

What do you do to keep your water from freezing in the tube & mouthpiece of your water bladder?
I've tried wrapping mine in the "foot warmer" pad and pulling a fleece cover over - I heat up my water... I even have the so called Winter version that has both the bottle and tube covered but the water still freezes up if I don't drink out of it very frequently.
Just curious what others do

 

[bcskier]

Just curious. Do you blow into the tube after finishing to clear it between times? I do, and usually the only problem is thawing out the ice in the mouthpiece. A few moments in my mouth usually solves the problem.

 

[DSettahr]

To put it simply, I don't use water bladders in the winter. I just carry 4 nalgenes, each in a water bottle coozie that is strapped to the waist belt of my pack. Even room temperature water usually keeps from freezing during the day in the coozie.

 

[peakbagger]

Unfortunately the normal method is to have it freeze a couple of times after trying various means of keeping it from freezing, then cleaning it well and packing it away for the warm conditions. Alternatively adjust you hikinjg so that it never drops under about 20 degrees when the sun isnt out and there are no significant breezes.

I do know of people who claim they have mastered the "trick" to it, but inevitably they end up switching to insulated bottles after getting caught once or twice.

 

[Tom Rankin]

One little trick to having water handy is to strap a bottle in a cozy around your waist strap.

 

[shadowcat]

freezin water

yes i guess the only thing is using a thermos for something warm. if there was a convenient way to have the hose inside your jacket i know tht helps but then you can't zip up properly. too bad winter jackets don't have a little covered slot to feed it thru. oh well i was just curious to see if anyone had found a tube or cover that kept it from freezing. thnx

 

[mtn.goat]

Here's what works for me (I don't think I've used this though in anything colder then single digits). I heat up the water beforehand and have the tubing (with no neoprene or other winter type insulation) running over my shoulder and into the front of my shirt (I wear a 1/2 zip baselayer) using my chest strap to keep it in place. I don't wear a hood though and use a balaclava when it gets truly cold. I also clear the tube by blowing the water back into the bladder after each use.

 

[slevasse]

I've had it freeze up before as well, but it hasn't stopped me from using it. Even blowing into it, for me, doesn't stop the freezing. I've just learned to take more smaller drinks from the tube more often to keep the water moving more often. Generally works pretty good for me.

 

[CrazySage]

I've hiked for 5 winters in the Whites and successfully used my camelback for dayhikes all those winters. I own the insulated hose and use it, but I do not use the cover for the mouthpiece 'cause it makes the mouthpiece tast weird (blech!). After drinking I blow the water back out of the tube, turn the lock on the mouthpiece, and keep the mouthpiece tucked into my shirt or jacket pocket - it looks weird but keeps the mouthpiece from freezing.
Freezing crops up only when I have my pack off for extended periods of time (which is why I do NOT use my camelback for backpacking during winter). If you don't have the tube close to your nice, warm body then it freezes. This has happened to me 2 or 3 times and, when it did happen, I had one of my hiking companions thread the tube down between my backpack and my back and within minutes my bodyheat has thawed out any ice and I'm back to sipping out of my camelback contentedly.
But, I do carry a spare Nalgene with a bottle cozy, just in case it ever does freeze. Just because I've always been successful (lucky?) doesn't mean fortune will always smile on me.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I have used an insulated Camelbak cross-country skiing and while 'blowing back' I had the tube come off the connector at the base of the bladder and a good part of it emptied down my back and legs.

While some people make it work, there is always an opportunity to screw up. I find the Nalgene-in-a-cozy to be far more fool-proof. I do love the hydration bladder in the summer because I drink a lot. I make do with Nalgenes in the winter when I drink less. (I accept that some people believe you should drink as much or more... but I don't.)

Between blowing back, pinch-and-elevate, turning off the flow, tucking into a warm shirt/jacket/etc., it becomes just as inconvenient as the bottle cozy.

My $0.02,
Tim

p.s. there is also a discussion going on over at hike-nh.com

 

[shadowcat]

freezing bladders

water bladders that is...
you know, there's an opportunity here for some innovative ideas. w/ todays' technology & high-tech materials i don't see any reason why some sort of sleeve that you heat in the microwave then slip over the tube isn't possible. (something that would maintain heat for 8 hrs or so) i have the insulated camelbak but all it really does is keep the main bladder from freezing. i've never tried keeping the tube free of water but that does make some sense i guess. how about a bladder pack that is worn under your coat so that both the main bladder and tubing is inside by your body to utilize body heat.

 

[Stash]

Aren't there alternative beverages you can put in your bladder that simply freeze at a much lower temperature?

 

[erugs]

My bladder system is frozen all winter, and actually it is frozen all year long on the days between hikes. Why? I just store it in the freezer when I'm not using it to help keep it clean. (It helps that no one else but me uses the freezer.)

I experimented with using it in colder weather but have gotten away from trying to get it right and not freeze or be too cold. I don't like the insulated cozies flopping around my pack, so usually keep them inside the pack. For quick drinks, here's what I use for bottles:

http://www.rei.com/product/798351

They stow away simply and almost without notice inside my jacket or pant pockets and are quick to use. I haven't tried it with the belt system, though that might work, with the pouch being useful for quick snacks.

 

[DougPaul]

Aren't there alternative beverages you can put in your bladder that simply freeze at a much lower temperature?

Yes, but they damage your balance, judgment, and thermal balance*...

Drinking liquids that are significantly below 32F is also a good way to freeze your larynx--an event that often leads to asphyxiation and death. This happens every now and then in places like Alaska when someone gets a bottle of whiskey (freezing point well below 32F) out of a cold car and takes a drink before it is adequately warmed up.


* If you haven't figured it out by now, this is any drink that contains alcohol.

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

I just stick a 500ml wide-mouth Nalgene in a cozy on my belt for easy access (1 liter bottles are a bit big and unwieldy) and carry one or more additional insulated 1 liter bottles in my pack. The 500ml bottle can be refilled as necessary and can be tossed in my pack if it gets in the way.

Doug

 

[Tropisms]

I use the insulated Camelback (bladder, hose and mouthpiece... however I'm not sure that really matters), I use the 'pinch and lift then stick the mouthpiece in my jacket' technique. I always carry one Nalgene in an insulated pouch in case my Camelback freezes (figuring if I need to I can transfer it to the Nalgene). I hiked Tom Field and Willey yesterday (1/9/11), forecast estimated -6 degrees on top of Tom, and my Camelback was flowing when many people in my group were drinking slush from their Nalgenes. I can't say I've perfected the system by any means, but it seems to be working.

It might be important to note that I run warm, so I might have an easier time keeping it from freezing using body heat than some people.

 

[Stash]

Actually I'm a boring water-in-a-Nalgene guy myself. Insulated cozy and I put the bottle in up side down so any ice on top is on the bottom (making sure the top is tight). I carry a spare or two without cozies inside my pack close to my back and have never had a problem with freezing.

 

[Little Rickie]

I keep my wide mouth pop bottles, filled with warm, not hot water, wrapped up in my extra layers, against my back, in my day pack, upside down.

 

[erugs]

If/when I use an insulated cozy OUTSIDE my pack, I put it in upside down, but I don't put anything inside my pack upside down. I've seen leakage occur.

 

[Stash]

If/when I use an insulated cozy OUTSIDE my pack, I put it in upside down, but I don't put anything inside my pack upside down. I've seen leakage occur.

Agreed. I haven't had a leak and have no intention of testing!