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The Platypus Big Zip SL 3.0L Reservoir is a great way to stay hydrated on the go. This BPA-free water reservoir is easily carried in a backpack for hands-free refreshment. Water is consumed through an ergonomically designed hose, and the pack holds plenty of refreshment to keep you going to the finish line.
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My Farvorite Hydration Bladder,
The Platypus Big-Zip SL Hydration System provides outstanding hydration with pure, clean taste, ease of use and high quality. The wide opening of the bladder lets me easily fill it with ice-cubes or add gator-aide powder.
Tips:
1. When brand-new: Clean with dish soap (not very much), Rinse Well. Some people put new bladders in the fridge filled with water/lemon juice for a couple days but I don’t think its necessary with platypus.
2. After use, rinse out and store in Freezer. Just roll up the bladder, tube etc and put in a gallon size ziplock back and keep in freezer and it will always stay fresh, clean and won’t get moldy. Just run hot water over everything when you are ready to prepare it or let it sit for appx 10 minutes at room temp.
3. I freeze ice blocks from 9/12-oz plastic cups for 3 days to get completely solid to put in bladder and they last a long time. (Of course, dont fall over backwards with the ice blocks on your back).
4. The Camelback Thermoback works great for the 3-Liter, even with a platypus insulator (recommend)but you will need to scissor cut the top behind the zipper sheath. The Camelback Armorback works great for the 2-Liter with no cutting, its a little short for the 3-liter.
5. Do not force the zipper top to fold over or a leak can eventually devlop from the crease (experience). Otherwise, these are very durable.
6. With Platypus quick-connects (QC) and an extra hose, you can make a great car traveling bladder with an extra long hose that can fit behind the seat with an extra long tube to drink from. Then just attach a normal size hose with another QC when you want to hike, bike, etc.
7. Be prepared and take extra valves/tubes, etc when on long trips just in case you damage something from a fall (experience).
8. Don’t try to pull off tube from parts when cold, the parts will break, just run hot water over the fittings and use elbow grease.
Happy Hydration!
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|Bought it to replace a Camelbak bladder,
I bought the Platypus to replace a 2-year old Camelbak bladder that had gotten all chemical-tasting on me. This one was an improvement- I didn’t taste the plastic until the water had been in the bladder for about 16 hours, and even then it was slight.
I’m not sure I love the zip-top closure- the Camelbak’s twist-on closure felt more secure. I do like the on/off mechanism of the mouthpiece though. You just twist the mouthpiece. The Camelbak has a little lever that I could never remember what position was open and what was closed. Compared to the Camelbak, the bladder isn’t as pliable, but I don’t feel a difference when the backpack is on my back.
If you’re going to be using this in a Camelbak pack, know that the top (where the closure is) is just a little bit too wide, so you’ll have to angle it in order to close the backpack. There’s no hook on top to keep it upright in your pack. Problem solved- I took the cheapy hose clip from the Platypus (it’s the type of clip you’d use to clip a work ID badge to your shirt) and used that to clip the top of the bag to the loop in the Camelbak. You could also do this with a zip tie or a velcro strip.
All in all, I’m happier with the Platypus than I was with the Camelbak bladder, mostly because the water tastes so much better. Even my dog refused to drink the Camelbak water on a hot day, it tasted so bad. Now we’re both a lot happier. I’ll give an update if this changes so you’ll have an idea of how long this bladder will last.
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|Water on the go!,
We got the 3 liter Platy bladders as a replacement for the 2 liter bladders that came with our hiking packs. What a difference! That extra liter really comes in handy on hot, cold or dry days. I also appreciate that this bladder doesn’t impart a funky taste to our water like the original bladder did. I love the large Zip opening… really makes filling and cleaning very easy (although the anti-microbial treatment means I don’t have to clean it often).
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