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Love mine... in the summer.
Used to use it in the winter, it ends up freezing and becoming dead/unusable weight on your back. I carry water bottles in the tunnel pack on my sled, the heat exchanger keeps it warm enough they don't freeze.
Even blowing back through the tube, enough water dribbles into the bite valve and freezes up to render the entire thing unusable.
Put a quick-disconnect on the hose if you put it in a pack (and if yours doesn't come with one already).
Water only. Let me repeat ... NOTHING but water and ice goes into this thing. Once you contaminate it with something sugary/colored/flavored, it's never going to clean up nicely again.
I disconnect the bladder and stash it in the fridge with whatever water's left in there. Next time I go /out/, top it off with ice/water (amount depends on weather), stuff it into the pack and hook up the hose.
Once or twice a season I pull the hose/bladder out and wash it with hot soapy water in the sink. I should do that tonight, in fact... my moto pack's been sitting since the last race I did in september...
