Mine does have an insulated tube, but I've had it freeze up on me before and that was with the old bladder, the hose for which was a larger diameter than the one I use now (old bladder developed a leak & new bladder isn't compatible with old hose, which sucks because the flow volume is lower, too). Really, the biggest problem is the mouthpiece freezing up, though. The new one has a 90-degree plastic fitting which results in a very small diameter aperture that's impossible to insulate and freezes up easily while being impossible to gnaw on to break up the ice. I've had to stick it inside the collar of my jacket before to defrost it against my neck (under my collar & gaiter) when it was freezing up on a longer run, but that's horribly uncomfortable & impractical.


(Imagine that rubbing against your neck for awhile)

I'm also concerned, though, about my hand getting cold using a hand bottle. Compressing the insulating airspace in my mitten with the strap...but it still offers the option to stop, take the lid off and have a sip of whatever hasn't completely frozen inside, which isn't possible with the hydration pack.

I have a vest that has bottle holsters on the chest (Ultimate Direction AK vest), but I don't think I can fit it under my jacket.




So I'll have to hope the aid stations can keep the water from freezing up there, keep my gel flask in an inside pocket, and hope that my camel-like tendencies hold up - I've been averaging about 0.5L of water per hour on training runs lately and can always rehydrate afterward. Really just need enough to keep my mouth wet and help the gels down.

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ill advised racing inc.