CamelBak Releases Closed Loop Hydration System

This morning, CamelBak announced the release of their groundbreaking Closed Loop Hydration System. A project developed in conjunction with scientists at Stanford University, a team renowned for their work on NASA’s astronaut technologies and their talent for pushing the boundaries of human science. And already this project has polarized the carry community. Some well known designers tagging it as obscene, while other forward-thinkers doing the reverse and touting it as a necessity for the sustainable future, that in their opinion may well be “deeply affected by a widespread scarcity of clean drinking water”.

This new system, however controversial, allows for significantly smaller bladder sizes, uric acid filtration through nano-sieves, and utilises miniature pacemaker technology to pump the hydration from the bladder via a micro vacuum. A device constructed with “magnetically driven, precision-geared pump heads that provide smooth, accurate, pulseless fluid delivery. The magnetic drive and static seals keep fluids securely inside and potential contaminants out.”

And hey, there’s no doubt that this will revolutionise everything from cycling to ultra-light trekking but is the public ready for it?

A speaker from Stanford University stated this morning that “Once the public comes to understand the technology and realizes how well the nano-filters actually work it will revolutionize the industry. Now athletes only need to carry enough to account for their perspiration loss, and can shrug off that weight that holds them back, allowing them to push forward into new frontiers.”

Personally, I couldn’t do it. No matter how new the frontier, but I’m curious if the CamelBak diehards will embrace this new innovation? I guess we’ll soon find out…