# hydration pack



## truecarnage (Apr 25, 2010)

Just a heads up, went out into the great outdoors again and found out something disturbing, my Camelback that had never been used and still had the wrapping on the mouthpiece had an epic fail. I was filling the bladder when I. Discovered the hose was brittle. And had broken. I hate when something that you expect to be there fails for no apparent reason Other than age. This is kept In a air conditioned room in the home with all my other stuff for for my self preservation. If nothing else I will go through the rest of my stuff and check for any other issues. :gaah:


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

It's always good to check out anything new nowadays, Stuff made in China often comes with broken or missing parts. Shipping damage can occur no matter where it's made. Even if I don't plan on using a new item I purchase, I still open and check it out. Saves some trouble later. If it holds liquids, fill it up all the way so you can check the container and any seals used in the cap or the system. I bought a brand name folding knife and new out of the box the safety lock did not work, so to me it pays to check everything out, even my other equipment I check before going on a trip. Rubber items tend to rot if left years without checking, sling shot rubbers are a good example....


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

There are all kinds of other rubber items that will also break down naturally. The rubber seals for canning-jars, O-Ring seals, rubber tires (bicycle / car / truck / motorcycle, etc) ...

Rubber is a great product, but, it does have a shelf-life.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

We had a Katadyn Pocket Filter that had been in our vehicle and just due to the heat had a hose that was brittle. thankfully we can get spare parts for it. In a pinch we can use surgical tubing. 

a couple of weeks back we got a bargain on a table top grill from Coleman. It was great till we got it home and found that one of the fittings did not fit. Fortunately we had tried it out the same day to be sure it was in working condition and could take it back for replacement unit. 

A couple of years ago I had purchased a piece of equipment and kept it in the NEW box for several months since it was NEW. When I opened the box it was full of bricks and junk. Someone had returned it to dealer with NEW seals so that it appeared to be unopened. I lost a couple of hundred dollars on that deal. But the lesson learned was worth it. GB


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Saw that happen to a car dealer once. They hired mechanic and the guy asked for an advance on his first week's pay. Said he'd leave his tools behind as collateral. He never came back and when they opened the tool box it was full of rocks.

We thought it was funny but the owner didn't. He was a crook too so it was kind of like poetic justice. :ignore:


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

We use camelbak hydration packs at work but we always keep extra tubing and mouthpieces around. My experience with hydration packs is that they are great for hunting, hiking, camping, military and tactical operations, etc. But if society collapses I will be leaving mine behind and grabbing a canteen. As others have said, rubber products have finite life span. You may have had it in storage for a year but it also may have sat in a warehouse for 4 years and on a store shelf for another year. I would contact camelbak, explain the situation and ask for free replacement parts. I am sure they will send you something.

As far as toolboxes and packing full of bricks and rocks, stuff like that happens all the time. We had a rash of reports a couple years ago of people getting ripped off on eBay. The ad would show a picture of a sealed iPad box and just say "iPad - retail packaging - brand new". The auction would start at $0.99 and people would bid it up to $300+. Two weeks later they would get an iPad box but no iPad. Like I always tell people; whether it's online or in person - caveat emptor.


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## walter (Jun 5, 2013)

I like Camelbaks for some things like biking but you can't beat something like a 1l Gatorade bottle for simple, light and cheap. The Kathadyn pocket filter is about indestructible except for the tubing. Latex tubing is notoriously suseptable.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

AND, you never know how long that sucker was on a warehouse shelf.


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

Hmm.. I used the same camelbak, tubing n all for a good eight years with no problems.. I did replace the moutgpiece because i had a puppy that chewed on it..


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*A word of caution.*

Just a thought , stick with the old and simple equipment ,my Vietnam era army canteen its been in the attic since 1980 and my metal one is from 1945 still going strong, I think also is very important to have an equipment check at least twice a year, especially stoves ,lanterns , all equipment that uses liquid fuel the tanks can build rust, is advisable to rustproof them and pressure air dry them before storage, have seen many catastrophic field failures with leaky fuel tanks, especially with pressure systems , candles will melt , ropes will dry up , leather turns into dust ,don`t forget your boot and shoe laces , pure silicon spray is a great addition to any gear so is wd-40. We all know that nothing last forever and to much of anything sometimes ends up in the trash so is good to take care whatever little we have.


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## Navajo (Mar 4, 2013)

My camelbaks are all at least 7 years old..we all have a couple for different applications about 12 in all....all of them are good to go, with no sign of aging problems.

Maybe something in the environment accelerated the deterioration process..


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