So I've been wearing hydration systems for work and play purposes for more than a decade now. I clearly remember carrying two aluminum 1-quart canteens in Basic Training (and MP school for that matter) and I now envy my children who get issued hydration systems that integrate into their web gear. The challenge I've always seen is, how do you dry the bladder and drinking tube after cleaning them? Because no matter how clean you think they are, if there's still moisture inside then there is the potential for something unwanted to grow while it's in storage. The solution? Enter the ZER0 GOO drying tool.
Consisting simply of the fan unit and the power cord, the ZER0 GOO system seems like a simple solution that we should all be smacking ourselves in the forehead for as we say, "Why didn't I think of that?"
Of course, something so simple couldn't possibly work, could it? I had to find out. Sure, I appreciate it when manufacturers (or their retailers) send me kit to test, but I won't write it until I've had a chance to make sure it'll do what it claims. The ZER0 GOO unit only says that it will dry your hydration bladder. Easy enough to prove or not. But I wasn't satisfied with that. How stupid could I get with it and still have it work?
First off is ease of use. Once you've taken the hydration bladder out of the carrier and removed either the drinking tube OR the mouthpiece (you need an open air outlet for the air to flow) you pour out any excess water, attach the ZER0 GOO unit, and plug it in. The fan blows air into the hydration bladder, inflating it nicely, and forces the air through the outlet - all the way through the drinking tube if you've left that attached.
So, I tried it out. I had a 3 liter bladder handy. I took off the mouthpiece and filled the bladder with water. My son walked in during the middle of this and saw the water running out of the drinking tube into the sink and asked if I realized what was going on. When I told him yes and that it was all planned he looked at me like I'd lost a few marbles and then he walked back away. I'm sure moments like those make him wonder if I'm truly capable of teaching him ANYTHING about the great outdoors.
After I'd run water through the bladder, moving it around to make sure it was wet on every internal surface I could manage, I let the excess water run out and then attached the ZER0 GOO fan. I plugged it in and immediately realized that if you want better airflow then it's best to either hang your bladder with the system attached or to at least lay it on its side. If you lay it flat and the fan is sitting on top of its own air flow then it works harder and you get less. In my laundry room I have a set of cabinets over my washer and dryer which sit on either side of my utility sink. Between them is a bar to hang clothing after it's dried. I hung the bladder by the integrated (into the bladder's fill mouth) plastic hook and plugged the ZER0 GOO unit into the receptacle next to my washer. The drinking tube from the bladder hung down into my utility sink so any moisture that was blown out dripped into the sink.
I left the system hanging and running and came back about an hour later. Visual examination revealed no moist spots, water drops, etc inside the bladder. Being the picky kind of guy that I am I took a paper towel and shoved it into the bladder and moved it around as much as I could with a ruler to force it into creases and hard to reach corners. When I pulled the paper towel out I couldn't find any signs of moisture on the paper towel either. Hmmm...
To be a bit more stupid about it, I put more water into the bladder, poured it out and then added in two table spoons of water. I positioned the bladder on its side, attached the ZER0 GOO unit, plugged it in and walked away. It took almost three hours but eventually all signs of moisture disappeared from the hydration system. I didn't see the need to push things any farther than that. I had determined that the ZER0 GOO system will, if used properly, dry the inside of your hydration system.
It's important to note that "dry" and "clean" are two different things. If you want the inside of your hydration to be clean then you need to perform the proper chores and use the proper tools to clean the bladder as well as the drinking tube and the mouthpiece. THEN you can dry it out - which makes storage easier. Proper maintenance of your hydration system will insure a longer life and less chance of you getting something you don't want when you drink out of it.
Brigade Quartermasters lists this unit at $39.99 - and for the simple maintenance value that can extend the service life of your hydration system I think it's more than worth it.
