 In my opinion, blowing air into a hydration system introduces germs to what is a clean, sealed system, causing mould to form. Anyone think the same?
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 depends on what you do with it when you re off the hill... i rinse with hot water a couple of times then bung it in the freezer. mine s a platypus and they can take this kind of punishment, not sure about other makes...
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I us a 2 litre coke bottle, so when it gets crumpled or cruddy I chuck it away.
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is that not a bit bulky though?
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 Why do you want to blow air into it?
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 To get rid of the moisture
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 In cold conditions, blowing liquid back into the bladder reduces the chances of it freezing in the tube. It works, sometimes.
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 So if you have a bladder that you only use for water and have never cleaned the tube or shoved it in the freezer, but keep it in the open to 'air'. Give the tube a quick burst before use - what's the worse that can happen?
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Right, I can go with blowing the water back.
What germs are we worried about? Presumably you're the only one drinking from it so there won't be a problem? If it's a loved one who's sharing it, they're only going to get the same 'germs' as when you give them a big wet kiss??
At the end of a day I empty mine, let it dry as much as possible and sling it in the cupboard. I swing the tube around to empty that, usually in the garden or else I'll wet the kitchen walls! Before I use it the next time I bung a sterilising tablet in, fill and leave for 20/30 mins, empty it, rinse and then fill for the day.
I've not had any problems so far.
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 If you've got a Source H2O with a braid covered tube, you may not notice the creeping black lurgee! I inadvertently drank through mine for about 3 months earlier this year, without realising. No ill effects but a subtly, worsening off-taste. Finally bought a brush (Camelbak) and extracted gross amounts of black, oily goo. Be warned.
(The Source bag's not shown the slightest sign of contamination in 3+ years use.)
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i think italso matters what you put in the bladder in the first place. i know friends that use isotonic powders etc on long routes in the summer, and they have had problems with black gunge. probably the sugars methinks....
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I've only ever used jug filtered, tap water!
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im not saying its only sugary stuff, just that it might be a cause in some cases.
i only use water... and i found the black stuff in my tube also. never blow back though...
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To be honest, a hydration system is never going to be hermetically sealed against bacteria and spores, that's life. You're better off making the effort to clean your hydration system thoroughly between uses, particularly if you use an energy drink which is grade A food for micro-organisms.
As far as the tube is concerned, despite people using all sorts of imaginative home-made solutions, the purpose-made Camelbak or similar brushes are really a no-brainer. It's just a very long, thin, flexible brush that scours out anything on the inside of the tube. Job's a good 'un :-)
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 Personally I use the HiGear Smartube, which is just a tube that attaches to any bottle. I therefore just attach a bottle of mineral water to it and I'm good to go. It works absolutely brilliantly and I don't have to bother with cleaning anything other than the tube itself.
http://www.higearleisure.com/pages/new_products.htm
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