Blue Desert SmarTube Hydration System

The SmarTube is a really cool gadget. The fact that you can connect it to many different bottles is a definite plus. I carry two 1.5 liter soda water bottles in my backpack. When one runs out, a quick switch to the other bottle and I'm on my way. It helps to use a stiff bottle so it doesn't get crushed in your backpack. It also fits most Nalgene bottles, as well as others. The bite valve works fine and doesn't drip. The only drawback I found was that the one-way air valve in the cap didn't allow air into the bottle. A manufacturing defect, I suppose. I cut a bit of the tip of it with nail clippers, problem solved. The SmarTube is a good alternative if you don't want to spend more on (or don't like) bladder-style hydration systems. The SmarTube is easy to clean, and your water tastes like water. It comes with a small clip to attach to your clothing or shoulder strap, but it's more bother than it's worth. I'm actually surprised they don't sell these in stores, but I guess they wouldn't sell many high-dollar systems if they did. The first time I used this was on a 10 mile out-and-back hike to Mt. Baldy here in SoCal last weekend, and it worked very well.

I purchased this system to use with Nalgene style water bottles, and unfortunately the large mouth lid adapter leaks at the threads on the Nalgene bottle. I reached out to blue desert right after receiving the product to inform them about the manufacturing defect and have had no response. This is unfortunate, because other than that the system seems to work well, I did not notice leaking at the drinking tube interface or the check valve. Poor manufacturing quality control and no customer service.

Overall this is a fantastic product. I work for the U.S. Forest Service maintaining trails and fighting wildland fires, and thanks to this adapter system, I've been able to convert my wide-mouth 1.5L Nalgene water bottles (I carry up to four of these on any given day for 6L of water) into a hands-free hydration system. Thanks to my SmarTube, I am hydrating continuously throughout my workday, as opposed to waiting until I am thirsty (and beginning to become dehydrated) to stop, set my backpack down on the ground, open up a bottle, and slurp half of it down in one sitting. Supposedly, for those out on the trail or fighting fires all day long, smaller doses of water more frequently is better for the body than massive amounts of water far less frequently. I've thus found my SmarTube Hydration System to be invaluable in keeping me hydrated, healthy, and at peak operating condition during long operating shifts on the trail or fighting fires, and a number of coworkers have expressed curiosity or interest in this adapter system. As other reviewers have mentioned, a wide-mouthed Nalgene bottle is easier to clean than a hydration reservoir, and for daily use, my Nalgene bottles are perhaps more rugged for my use than a hydration bladder which could tear or develop leaks over months and years of daily use squeezed into a backpack full of other, heavy gear. That being said, this system isn't quite perfect. Its lack of perfection doesn't stop me from using it on a daily basis, but here are a few improvements I'd like to see made in a future product release / product update: 1) As some other reviewers have mentioned, it'd be handy if the straw were just a little longer. The way I have my Nalgene bottles positioned in the low-lying side pockets of my work backpack, snaking the straw up to the shoulder and down the shoulder strap to the front leaves its length just a tad bit short. I'd like to see the straw length expanded another 10-12 inches, allowing end users to cut/trim the tube as needed, but allowing for a longer straw length for those who need it. 2) Unlike many hydration bladder straws on the market today, the Blue Desert SmarTube does not have a shutoff valve near the bite end. This means that when I'm digging in the dirt or bending down for any other reason, the bite-end of the straw is prone to drip-leak, generally onto my leg – refreshing in the hot summer months, but irritating otherwise. This can be somewhat fixed by repositioning the straw itself in the webbing of my shoulder strap, but it has been an ongoing frustration. I also own an excellent Osprey brand water bladder and the end of the straw has a well-designed, durable, long-lasting right-angle shutoff valve which results in zero leaks. Incorporating such a shutoff valve into the SmarTube might increase the expense of the product, but I’d be happy to pay another few bucks for a leak-free bottle adapter straw system. 3) I have experienced some additional leakage from the top of my Nalgene bottles when the Blue Desert SmarTube system is attached to the top of the bottle and the bottle is full of water (due to the small air intake hole in the lid), namely when driving over bumpy forest roads or when the bottle is tipped at an angle other than vertical). This was also mentioned by a reviewer who purchased this system for motorcycle trips. Perhaps this is a limitation of the adapter system, whereas a hydration bladder can simply compress and does not need to balance the outflow of water with an inflow of air, but I think a one-way air valve (to let air in but not water out) built into the lid would be physically possible to build into the system, and would represent another major/worthy improvement. P.S.) I have observed that when I leave my SmarTube straw in water (eg, in one of my Nalgene bottles filled with water) for multiple days at a time, the straw becomes slimy, perhaps indicating that being immersed in water long-term is not good for the straw. Because I use this product on a weekday-daily basis for work, I'll leave the straw in an empty Nalgene bottle overnight or over the weekend, which seems to have fixed this issue. Overall, this is a wonderful product, and one which I am grateful to own, especially because Nalgene stopped manufacturing their wide mouth bottle straw adapter system years ago, this is the one Nalgene wide-mouth bottle straw adapter system I have been able to find, and it makes my life a lot easier. I am hoping that the manufacturer makes these few aforementioned product improvements in the near future which, in my opinion, would make for a five-star product. Thanks for reading.

The smar-tube is a very nice gadget. I used the smar-tube and a steripen classic water purifier with great success while hiking in the sierras. This system has all of the advantages of a water bladder (mainly that you can drink whenever you feel like it) and all of the advantages of a water bottle (mainly you don't have to dig way down into your backpack to see how much water you have remaining, and the bottle is easy to clean). -This system works best on trails that have lots of lakes and streams nearby. I still use the water bladder for hikes that don't have as many water sources on the trails. There is a small, clever valve on the smar-tube cap which opens when you drink, so that you don't create a vacuum. But the valve closes when you're not drinking so that the bottle won't leak if you spill it. I was so happy with the smar-tube that I bought 2 more for my sister and for a friend of mine.

It works well on my Kleen Canteen, allowing me to boil water with it removed, but also giving me the capabilities of a hands free system combined. Easy to clean and dissemble as well. My main complaints are that it only fits my 32oz Kleen Canteens and Nalgene, I have not been able to fit it to 2liter soda bottles, and etc. Also adapters are nowhere to be found online anywhere. As far as I'm concerned only buy this if you have a Wide mouth canteen. I'm a bit disappointed as I wanted to use Gatoraid Bottles and 2 liters and a filter combo for long distance use, and Steel for short range, but it's a no go. Just my experience anyway, hope this helps someone.

1) According to the product description, I can use ANY "standard" water bottle that I'd seemingly buy from the convenience store. I bought a case of Sam's Choice water from Wal-mart. The bottles leaked all over the place. 2) The bite valve is almost useless. I find myself sucking hard while riding and then gasping for breath -- not something I want to be doing while ripping trails. Next season I will try using a Camelbak bite valve. Hopefully it'll work. 3) The tube routing/length isn't ideal. Routing it normally, it's not long enough. Routing it abnormally is, well, abnormal. Awesome idea; not awesome implementation.

It's really good and very helpful. Stopped me from having to keep taking my water bottle out to drink and so keeps you hydrated more easily. It does taste a bit plasticy at the start but that goes away quickly. It works well with lots of different types of bottle, normal bought water bottle, hard plastic sport ones. At the start you have to suck quite hard but the plastic soon becomes more malleable so its easier to bite down on to suck. Really good quality mouth piece and long sturdy tube. Makes it a lot easier to fill up water bottles instead of having a camelback or equivalent water holder. It is quite expensive but lasts for longer than a water bladder and you can clean it more easily. It's also less expensive than a water bladder.

Revisión 1: Apenas me llegó hoy, viene en su caja se ve bastante bien y el material se ve de buena calidad, bien super bien embalada, la boquilla incluso esta sellada, y tiene un válvula para evitar escurrimientos, sin embargo en la foto dos aparece lo que uno cree trae la caja, ojo, no esta incluida el clip negro, es aun aditamento a parte, ni tampoco trae el resorte que se puede ver en la foto ultima y penúltima, para que lo tomen en cuenta, sin embargo puedo decir que las tapas que traen son útiles, le entra muy bien a una botella convencional asi como a una "bolsa" de agua que compré de otra marca. En la segunda revisión espero poner mi experiencia ya de uso.

ロードバイクで子供とのロングライド用に購入。子供がライド中に水分補給しやすくとても良かったです！下の子用にも買い足す予定です^ ^

Muy buen producto. Se adapta a todas la gran mayoria de botellas con los dos adaptadores. Muy estanco, no pierde nada de agua incluso estando de lado. Solo mejorable la boquilla, que no da suficiente flujo de agua. Hay boquillas alternativas imitacion camelback por muy poco precio en Amazon y cambiarlas es solo un momento.

Hats off to the designers of this product! I searched for a while to find a tube attachment for my Nalgene...and here it is. The best part is the adaptability of this product. I forgot my Nalgene for a hike and after realizing this I stopped at a gas station and grabbed a 1.5L Aquafina and presto I was up and running. The multiple fittings are awesome and its easy to clean. I may replace the bite valve as I would like a little more flow from the bottle but out of the package it works fine. Defiantly worth the price and a great addition to the pack.