Hydration Packs and Amusement Parks

Invertigo, baby!

I went to Kings Island last weekend. It was opening weekend and though I  had to work a special event, as soon as I finished that, my son and I rushed to the park to enjoy what was left of their opening day.

I may have mentioned it on the blog somewhere (I can't seem to find it to link to it), but one of my major NSVs was being able to ride roller coasters again. I'm SUCH a roller coaster fiend. Last October, it happened! I was 225 and had to squeeze into them, but it happened!

When I went to KI on Saturday, I was able to get into the rides like a normal person. No squeezing! And since my son and I have season passes, we'll be able to go all summer long!

Hydrating!

Which brings me to hydration packs. According to Kings Island, you can't bring in outside food, beverages, or coolers. As a weight loss surgery patient who needs to hydrate often and frequently (since I can't just catch up and gulp), this was a dilemma. Last October, I bought a bottle of water, and another, and another, and another. At $4 a bottle, this was killing my budget. And since we have season passes, there's no way I can justify spending so much just for water across multiple trips.

LIGHTBULB MOMENT: Hydration pack.

What I realized is that a hydration pack is not a cooler and if I bring it into the park empty, it's not a "beverage" either.

I plan on a lot of bike riding, hiking, and camping as well this summer, and I was struggling with how to tote so much water around. Well, hydration pack. And if I could use one for this stuff, why not for the amusement park as well?

I've been looking into being an "influencer" for a while now, and a couple of weeks ago, I took the plunge. When I had my "a-ha hydration pack!" moment, I went to one of my sponsors and applied for a hydration pack to review. And was approved!

(Note: What follows is an honest review in exchange for a deeply discounted product.)

Fresh out of the Amazon box.

I received my hydration pack, the #CrystalCreek 3L Hydration Bladder, pretty quickly. It was packed simply in some clear cellophane-type plastic with cleaning instructions glued/taped to the packaging. It's made out of BPA-free plastic, which is good, but their site says it has no plastic smell, which isn't quite true. It smells - but not any more than you'd expect for a brand new plastic product. A quick wash fixed that pretty fast.

When I first received the bladder, I filled it with water and started squeezing. If I'm throwing this thing in a backpack with other stuff (like my phone), I don't want any surprise leaks. It held up to my groping rather well - not a leak in sight.

I let the water sit in it overnight (in the fridge so I wouldn't have stale water taste in the bag, tube, or mouthpiece) for a final "stress-test" and still no leaks. I figured it was ready for action. I emptied it and let it dry, then folded it up and put it in my backpack for its debut at Kings Island.

Once I arrived, I found a place to fill it and stuffed it back in my backpack. There is a reinforced hole at the top for hanging the bag, but I didn't have that option in the backpack I used, so it just sloshed around in the mesh "electronics pouch" section of my backpack. I ran the hose out, zipped the bag, and off I went.

Pictured: Me and my backpack w/ hydration bladder inside.
Not Pictured: Carrying an annoying water bottle around.

It was great! No leaks and I stayed hydrated all day without the cost of buying expensive park water. If this is your first time purchasing a bladder (like me), I do recommend either getting a hydration backpack with built-in insulation to put it in or getting the combo bladder/insulation sleeve from Crystal Creek. Ordering just the hydration bladder is really only good if you are replacing a torn or leaking bladder or already have a backpack to put it in.

Anyhow, the Cyrstal Creek bladder was a great bladder and I can see it getting some heavy use this summer. I always thought hydration backpacks and bladders were awkward and not very useful, but I was happy to be proven wrong!

I did run into a problem a few days later when I was going back to the amusement park. My bladder leaked at the connection where the hose goes into the plastic slot on the bag. Nothing I did fixed it. I contacted Crystal Creek and got amazing customer service and a replacement bag! I received the replacement a few days ago, filled it, stress-tested it (e.g., lots of squeezing and groping) and stuck it in the fridge.

Yesterday, I took it out of the fridge, emptied it, unhooked the hose, reattached the hose, and refilled it. More stress-testing (I think the bladder is going to file a harassment suit against me). The verdict? No leaks! I think I just got a bad bag, which happens.

So, thanks Crystal Creek, for this great addition to my more active, outdoorsy lifestyle. I have a feeling it's going to be a lifesaver!

What's some go-to outdoor gear you like? I could always use ideas since my adventures this summer will probably all require a bunch of purchases (or free/discounted items for review) since I've  not exactly been very active for the last 15 years and my "stock" of outdoor gear is pretty limited.