The Geigerrig RIG 500 hydration Pack ($110) contains a pressurized hydration bladder. This bladder will “spray” any fluid into your mouth or onto any object or thing without any effort. You can either bite down on the valve or hold and pitch the nozzle to release the fluid.  You can view the quick video by Geigerrig. Please note, in discussion with Geigerrig, the RIG 500 was not designed specifically for running. Therefore, this gear review will focus on the 70 oz.  hydration bladder  and its technology. I will provide an overview of the hydration pack (at the bottom of this post).

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

Nothing seems out of the ordinary, except for the 2^nd chamber (that is, the air pressure chamber) and  (as I call it) the pressure tube and bulb.  See the pictures below.

FULLY PRESSURIZED & 70 OZ FLUID

Below are the pictures of the hydration bladder parts.

ALL THE TUBING PARTS AND ACCESSORIES

The bladder technology has quick release connections between the bladder and tubing.

Below are several pictures of the completely full bladder (70 oz) and completely pressurized.

You can add additional accessories (e.g., in-line filter ($28) and in-line hydration tubing($15)). The in-line hydration tubing is different from the regular hydration tubing, because you will need to connect the in-line water filter. The in-line filter can filter up to 50 gallons of water. This could be helpful on a 30+ mile run.

ALL 3 PARTS OF THE IN-LINE FILTER SYSTEM

TRAIL TESTING RESULTS – REGULAR HYDRATION TUBING

I tested this bladder on the trails (over 100 miles). The feature that caught my listening ear was that you would drink more than you think you are drinking (slightly paraphrased).  On my first initial trail run (22 miles) with the 70oz bladder completely full, I didn’t think I was drinking that much fluid. However, after my run, my hydration bladder was nearly empty. I employed the “lightly bite the value” approach versus pinching the valve to squirt the fluid into my mouth (hey, it was 27 degree Fahrenheit outside – cold for us Californians).  I had to pump the pressure bulb occasionally to replace the fluid used to maintain the pressure in the bladder (hmmm, I was thinking that an analogy gauge related to pressure and volume could be used in the next version – a “fluid gauge”…the things you think about on the trails). Overall, the bladder with the “regular” tubing worked as expected.

TRAIL TESTING RESULTS – IN-LINE HYDRATIONTUBING WITH WATER FILTER

Prior to using the in-line filter, you will need to purge some water through the filter to remove the carbon. I flushed the filter with 20oz fluid.  During the middle of my run, I came across a stream to fill-up.  As with any water filter, you will want to try to fill the bladder near the top surface of the body of water. You do not want to try to fill from the bottom of the body of water or in high sediment areas. See pictures below.

Perfect Stream to Fill-up

The filter worked great. I had fresh cold water to drink.  With the extra length of tubing from the in-line tube compared to the regular hydration tubing, I needed to re-route the hydration tubing and connected it across my chest (a horizontal tube clip would have been nice) to the tubing clip on the other side. See photo below.

I examined the filtered water at home to see if I could identify any sediment and/or particles. It was clear (and I didn’t get sick – a plus).

Clear Filtered Water

In summary, the in-line hydration tube and filter worked perfectly.

TECH SPECS (BLADDER)

The dimensions of the hydration bladder and parts.

CONCLUSION

The Geigerrig hydration bladder performed as advertised. I took in fluid without much effort. The in-line filter worked perfectly (remember to purge the filter with water prior to use). As a clean freak (ask my wife), the bladder is extremely easy to clean and dry. The hydration and pressure tubing is easily removable and can be cleaned. You could possible use the bladder in your favorite hydration pack. PLEASE NOTE, you will need to consider the dimensions (see table above) and determine a place for the pressure tube/bulb if you decide to use the bladder in your own pack. In a future version, maybe there could be an analog gauge letting you know approximately how much fluid you have left without taking off your pack (just a thought). Another nice thing to have would be a fluid level measurement scale on the bladder. This would only be useful when the bladder is not fully pressurized. Lastly, I can see additional uses for the “spray” action of the bladder (hmmm, a trail side bidet? I almost did it, but it was too cold outside).  I’ll leave this test to you Trail Runner Nation members.

I would love to read your comments. You can also email me at james.wilie@trailrunnernation.com if you want to discuss gear.

OVERVIEW OF RIG 500 PACK

 Let’s view the components of the pack.

TECH SPECS (PACK)

The manufacture product informationis listed below.

• Fabric:  100% Ballistic Rip Stop
• Capacity:  500 Cubic Inches
• Bladder:  70 oz., quick-release valves for drinking tube and pressurization tube for easy refill and bladder removal, slide top for easy refill, cleaning and drying.
• Zippers:  Heavy Duty Size 8 Coil Zippers
• I-Pod Ready Compartment w/ Waterproof Zipper Garage
• Removable Waist Strap
• Shoulder Strap: Ergonomic Fit, Terraced Overlay for Adjustable Tube Configuration and Power Bulb Configuration, Industrial Load Dispersement cut and padding
• Chest Strap: Integrated slider chest strap
• Additional Features: Plug & Play Reservoir Tube Connector, PVC Reinforced Compression Straps, Reflective Tabs & Zipper Pulls, Internal Storage Compartments and Organizer, Eco Rig Back Pads, Air Drive Ventilation, Heavy Duty Nylon Pack Handle and Vertical attachment hoops

The pack weight beak-down is listed below.

VIDEO OVERVIEW