Hydration packs are a great way to bring along some water. You can wear these on your back so as to be less encumbered. The downside is that the bladders can get nasty over time. You can’t really “clean” them as easily as a water bottle.
So what if you could use water bottles in a hydration system? Well, that’s the idea behind the JetFlow, which basically is a nifty piece of plastic or aluminum hardware that transforms water bottles into bladders. It can work with traditional reusable bicycle or hiking water bottles or even with store bought water bottles. Just screw the bottle into the manifold and it works just like a traditional bladder-based hydration system.
But here is the other thing we like, while bladders are hard enough to clean, most of us wouldn’t really consider putting Gatorade or another sports drink in one, but with the JetFlow, the bladder is the product’s actual bottle! The basic JetFlow Manifold works with Smart Water, Aqua Fina, Fiji, Propel, Soda bottles and other standard bottles, while one adapter will fit standard 2-inch moutns, as well as bottles from Nalgene. The second adapter works with Vitamin Water, Gatorade, Powerade and Sobe Life Water. So this system should have you covered.
The $29 Raptor system includes the manifold, both hoses, bite valve, air intake valve, two bottle adapters and the JetFlow bottle. The $39 Hornet kit includes all that and adds a plunger system used to clean the tubing. Both systems will begin shipping this April, and then you can go with the JetFlow.
JetFlow Official Website
[Via Gizmag: JetFlow hydration system replaces moldy bladders]