I've been using Camelbacks since...well, since they appeared on the market. They're great for biking, but I've never hiked with one. If you rinse a new bladder a few times, the "taste" goes away. I only ever put water in mine after a few mold mishaps. You can recover a moldy one by filling it with a dilute bleach solution (including the hose, which after filling, you leave dangling in a cup/bowl of the solution) but it's far easier to carry the gatoraid in an easily-washable (cheaper-to-replace) water bottle. My current bladder is about 3 years old and ready to be replaced. Experience also shows that it pays to have an extra bite valve on-hand.
