The hydration pack I use is
↑made by Hydrapak.
When it comes to hydration packs,
Hydrapak and CamelBak stand as equals,
and the main difference is in how you seal the pack after filling it with water.
Hydrapak uses a slider-style closure where you fold down the top
and slide a latch in from the side,
while CamelBak uses a dial-style cap
like a car fuel tank lid.
My hydration pack came with
an Oakley backpack that retails for about 11,000 yen
and is hydration-compatible,
with a 2-liter Hydrapak pack included.
I bought it for about half price,
but when I recently looked up the price
of that hydration pack as a standalone item,
I was shocked to find it costs around 7,000 yen.
If you go with generic hydration packs
from any brand
(there are Hydrapak knock-offs with slider-style closures
and CamelBak knock-offs with dial-style caps),
you can find 2-liter packs for under 1,000 yen,
but they don't have spare parts available
for the hose or drinking nozzle.
At that price point, you'd just replace the whole thing if it gets damaged,
but that's not unique to hydration packs.
The first thing that comes to mind is floor pumps.
Except for Topeak and Silca, most brands don't supply spare parts properly
and repairs are often impossible.
Changing topics, ↑this is a Polar Bottle drinking nozzle.
↑On the left is a Breakaway Muckguard,
and on the right is a Breakaway Cap—both spare parts.
Both of these used to be available as spare parts from Japanese distributors,
but nowin my case I remove and discard them from new bottles
only the Muckguard remains in stock,
while the Breakaway Cap spare lid is no longer carried—it's been discontinued.
When I asked the Polar Bottle distributor that Shimano also deals with about this,
they said that since Shimano has discontinued carrying Polar Bottle,
there will be no future stock,
and to be precise, Polar Bottle was acquired by Hydrapak,
so the manufacturer itself ceased to exist.
So I asked whether Hydrapak would release
an insulated bottle similar to what Polar Bottle had under the Hydrapak brand,
and they said there were currently no plans for that—
it was being left to quietly disappear.
I said, "That's just like what Shimano did
to Pioneer's pedaling monitor,"
and after a moment of silence,
I got back a dry laugh that clearly showed
awkwardness and an inability to agree due to their position.
That was a few months ago,
but now, remarkably, Hydrapak-branded
Polar Bottles have actually come out.
Their website is (→here)
The very first question in their FAQ is
"Are Hydrapak bottle caps compatible
with Polar Bottle caps?"
And the answer states,
"Yes, they are compatible,
and we sell spare parts too!"
When buying direct from the manufacturer, once you factor in shipping and customs,
buying a replacement bottle might be the practical option,
but showing that attitude of
"we properly support repairs"—
that's what matters to me.
Speaking of Pioneer's pedaling monitor,
when it experienced crank peeling—something Shimano hadn't officially acknowledged at the time—
and the power reading became inaccurate,
they'd perform an amazing repair where if you provided
a new crank of the same length,
they'd transfer the power sensor attached to the old crank to the new one.
The cost was incredibly reasonable too—
I think it was less than 5,000 yen plus shipping, which you'd pay.
Man, Pioneer really was an amazing "nail that stuck out."
↑made by Hydrapak.
When it comes to hydration packs,
Hydrapak and CamelBak stand as equals,
and the main difference is in how you seal the pack after filling it with water.
Hydrapak uses a slider-style closure where you fold down the top
and slide a latch in from the side,
while CamelBak uses a dial-style cap
like a car fuel tank lid.
My hydration pack came with
an Oakley backpack that retails for about 11,000 yen
and is hydration-compatible,
with a 2-liter Hydrapak pack included.
I bought it for about half price,
but when I recently looked up the price
of that hydration pack as a standalone item,
I was shocked to find it costs around 7,000 yen.
If you go with generic hydration packs
from any brand
(there are Hydrapak knock-offs with slider-style closures
and CamelBak knock-offs with dial-style caps),
you can find 2-liter packs for under 1,000 yen,
but they don't have spare parts available
for the hose or drinking nozzle.
At that price point, you'd just replace the whole thing if it gets damaged,
but that's not unique to hydration packs.
The first thing that comes to mind is floor pumps.
Except for Topeak and Silca, most brands don't supply spare parts properly
and repairs are often impossible.
Changing topics, ↑this is a Polar Bottle drinking nozzle.
↑On the left is a Breakaway Muckguard,
and on the right is a Breakaway Cap—both spare parts.
Both of these used to be available as spare parts from Japanese distributors,
but now
only the Muckguard remains in stock,
while the Breakaway Cap spare lid is no longer carried—it's been discontinued.
When I asked the Polar Bottle distributor that Shimano also deals with about this,
they said that since Shimano has discontinued carrying Polar Bottle,
there will be no future stock,
and to be precise, Polar Bottle was acquired by Hydrapak,
so the manufacturer itself ceased to exist.
So I asked whether Hydrapak would release
an insulated bottle similar to what Polar Bottle had under the Hydrapak brand,
and they said there were currently no plans for that—
it was being left to quietly disappear.
I said, "That's just like what Shimano did
to Pioneer's pedaling monitor,"
and after a moment of silence,
I got back a dry laugh that clearly showed
awkwardness and an inability to agree due to their position.
That was a few months ago,
but now, remarkably, Hydrapak-branded
Polar Bottles have actually come out.
Their website is (→here)
The very first question in their FAQ is
"Are Hydrapak bottle caps compatible
with Polar Bottle caps?"
And the answer states,
"Yes, they are compatible,
and we sell spare parts too!"
When buying direct from the manufacturer, once you factor in shipping and customs,
buying a replacement bottle might be the practical option,
but showing that attitude of
"we properly support repairs"—
that's what matters to me.
Speaking of Pioneer's pedaling monitor,
when it experienced crank peeling—something Shimano hadn't officially acknowledged at the time—
and the power reading became inaccurate,
they'd perform an amazing repair where if you provided
a new crank of the same length,
they'd transfer the power sensor attached to the old crank to the new one.
The cost was incredibly reasonable too—
I think it was less than 5,000 yen plus shipping, which you'd pay.
Man, Pioneer really was an amazing "nail that stuck out."