CamelBak Thermal Control Kit

halfway thru an intense hike the bite valve came apart and water everywhere,mostly on me not a great thing when its 40 degrees. I survived the hydration bottle didnt. will look for other type.

Worked well for most of the day, but when the temp. got in the teens the water froze in the tubing and I was unable to hydrate until I went inside to warm up.

OK...when it's hot out and you want cold water, simply fill reservoir 1/2 full and place in freezer overnight with fill cap facing up. Top off with water before you leave and viola!, cold water all day long. In winter I add a disposable heat pack between the reservoir and insulating bag. This keeps the water luke warm, which is much easier on the mouth in cold temps.If it's really cold out, I'll rubber band a heat pack on the tube right by the bite valve so I don't have to clear the tube after every use.

blowing the water out of the tube is by far the best way to go. I had problems with freezing even with this kit. on't get me wrong, it helped....blowing the tube clear works every time. If you are lugging a heavy pack on snowshoes in freezing conditions with only frozen water you are not happy.

This is a must have for the long days on the slopes. As CamelBak says, hydrate or die!!! One thing, don't leave water in the mouth piece. It will freeze and then you can't get anything out.

I use my camelbak (2006 Mayhem model)for mountain biking trips in south-central Texas (Blackhawk Hydrastorm for hiking/backpacking). This kit replaced the un-insulated hose that was standard on the Camelbak when I got it. The heavy rubber end cap was cumbersome to use and bulky (distracting to have that hitting your helmet/face on jumps or rapid technical decents) so it has been removed. The neoprene like insulation doesn't do as good of a job keeping the fluid in the line cool as the Blackhawk Hydrastorm system does, but is an improvement over the uninsulated tube. This one probably works best in cold climates rather than the 105 degree summer heat of south Texas. Recommended, but does not work miracles!!

I just got this Thermal Control Kit, and I am stoked with the results! I have had no problems with my water freezing up in the very cold temperatures, as long as I blow the water back into the CamelBak bladder when I am done drinking. As long as you remember to do this, you'll be good to go!

Bought it for winter xcountry ski tour- and it worked just as it said. The other folks with me were struggling with frozen water in their tubes and nalgenes, and minus one little slurp of half frozen water, it flowed perfectly. I highly recommend it.

If your bag doesn't have an insulated sleeve then one of these thermal control kits work great. My older bag wasn't very camelbak compatible so I used this with pretty good results as long as I was taking frequent sips.

While I've never used the normal tube, I find every first mouthful hot. Maybe this thing is more suited to cold weather use; i.e. not freezing. Once you clear the tube the ice you filled your pack with before putting in water has the water ice cold all day, while still melting quickly enough to never run out of water. I work in ninety+ weather, so it may be that I'm expecting too much. But for twenty bucks I wish that I had bought a cleaning kit instead.

I bought this after my original tube froze up on a couple of winter camp outs. It was such a pain to get the ice out of the tube. I haven't had a freeze up since I bought it. A little tip. For overnight, tuck the mouthpiece down in the bladder sleeve and zip it tight. This further reduces freeze ups. Also in answer to the other reviews, if you open the cap and feed the cap and mouthpiece separately you can get this through most anything you need to.

Does what it should, my water didn't freeze up, also keeps the first gulp nice and cool in the summer. My only gripe is that the valve cap is so big, it takes me forever to force it through on 2 of my packs. Makes it difficult to easily move my bladder from pack to pack.

I bought the classic pack and noticed that at the base of the mountain I was drinking water and at the summit I was drinking slush. Get this to keep the flow going and to prevent your bite nozzle from icing over.

The thermal control kit cap piece is too big to fit through CamelBak's (yes, CamelBak) shoulder loops. This makes it impossible to easily remove the bladder/hose from the pack to wash/fill. Not recommended.

Old one broke after much use. I’m replacing it because it works good,(not great) in those cold and damp Northeast winter days.

Product keeps water in the tube as cold as the water in the bladder. First drink is as good as the last!

The thermal tube works great for keeping the tube flexible in cold conditions. There are 2 options for keeping the tube from freezing in cold conditions: either drink frequently, every 10 minutes, OR blow the water out of the tube after you take a drink. Tested at 8,400 - 10,000 feet, at 9 degrees Farenheit.

Well, if I could remember to blow the water out of the tube every time I took a sip then I think the Thermal Kit would have worked well. For that matter, if I remembered to blow the water everytime I wouldn't have needed the Thermal Kit. The tube froze so I am not sure to what temp. this thing is rated. Maybe they should have a little chart that shows the water going from liquid to ice and where the kit stops working?

The most annoying thing about any Camelback is when you are really thirsty and you take that first big gulp of water and... gross! It's luke warm. The Thermal Kit solves all that. It keeps the hot, hot and the cold, cold. The cap on the end also helps keep the mouthpiece clean and free of debris. Everyone who owns a Camelbak should also get the Thermal Kit.