Free guide
How to Keep Your Hydration Tube From Freezing
Free tips, no purchase needed. Most of these cost nothing and work well on milder days. Stack a few together and you can push a hydration pack a long way into winter.
Start with warm water
Fill the reservoir with warm tap water rather than cold. Warm water takes longer to reach freezing, which buys you the first part of the day. Hot is not better: very hot or boiling water can damage a reservoir and its tube, so keep it to something you would happily drink.
If you stop at a lodge or a car, top up with warm water again.
Keep water out of the tube
The tube freezes long before the reservoir, because a thin column of water hanging in the wind loses heat fast. The less water sitting in it, the less there is to freeze.
After every sip, blow the water back into the reservoir until you hear bubbles. Sip little and often, so fresh water keeps moving through.
Keep the whole system close to you
Your body is the best natural heater. Wear the pack snug against your back, run the tube under your shoulder strap and inside your jacket, and tuck the bite valve into your collar between sips.
Add an insulated tube cover, nylon or neoprene, and a bite valve cover for the parts you cannot keep inside.
The tips, and where each one runs out
| Tip | Why it helps | Where it stops working |
|---|---|---|
| Warm water fill | Starts the water above freezing | Runs out by mid-day in real cold |
| Blow back after every sip | Empties the tube, so there is nothing to freeze | One forgotten sip, and the bite valve still holds water |
| Whole system inside your jacket | Borrows your body heat | Stops working when you vent, sweat or unzip |
| Insulated tube cover, nylon or neoprene | Slows heat loss from the tube | Slows it, cannot stop it: the water still reaches the outside temperature |
| Bite valve cover | Shields the most exposed point | Same limit as a sleeve, over a long cold day |
| Sip little and often | Keeps fresh water moving through | Means drinking every 15 to 20 minutes, thirsty or not |
| Backup bottle inside your jacket | Something to drink if the tube plugs | Does not fix the tube |
Common questions
My tube is already frozen. What now?
Tuck the tube and bite valve inside your jacket against your body, and work the ice with your hands as it softens. It is slow, so start early. Do not pour boiling water over it on the trail; at home, a soak in warm water clears it.
Can I fill my reservoir with hot water?
Warm, yes. Very hot or boiling water can warp or damage some reservoirs and tubes, so check your reservoir maker's guidance and stick to warm.
Which tip works best?
None of them alone. Stacked together, a warm fill, an insulated cover, the tube inside your jacket and blowing back after every sip will get most people through a cold morning.
What if none of this works consistently?
Then you are where we ended up. After seasons of warm fills, sleeves and blowing back on Colorado lifts, our tubes still froze on the days that mattered, so we built Ever Sip™. It heats the tube itself, through to the bite valve, down to −1°F (−18.3°C), with nothing to remember. When the tips stop being enough, we are here for you.
