The Rise and Development of Hydrapak hydration systems
Hydrapak is one of the leaders in selling modern hydration systems designed for sports; in fact, Hydrapak hydration systems represent some of the most advanced and innovative systems on the market today. Originally formed in 1996, the company adopted it present ownership and business model in 2001 and has successful kept itself at the cutting edge of both hydration systems and other endurance sport related accessories and resources. The primary focus has been, and remains, on hydration systems, but in recent years they have began to focus on related features, such as their Gel-bot supplement systems.
Hydrapak hydration systems
Although they had existed previously, it was not until the mid-1990s that hydration packs came became popular with many sport riders. The need to drink large amounts of liquid to stay physically active, couple with the need for the competitive advantage that comes from being able to drink hands-free and while on the go made hydration packs most popular with mountain bikers and motocross riders. Hydrapak was fully aware of this and took advantage of this trend, developing hydration systems specifically designed for these sports. This idea reached an apex in 2001 when the company was taken over by Matt Lyon, who was both an avid cyclist himself and closely connected to the greater industry.
Hydrapak was the first of the producers to develop a line of hydration packs specifically designed for use on off road motor vehicles, motocross bikes and All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). The Roost and Scramble packs were specifically designed for this purpose and introduced to the market in 2005. Although other Hydrapak hydration systems were usable for motorized sports, these dedicated packs represented one of the many creative innovations introduced by Hydrapak over the years.
Another key innovation spearheaded by the Hydrapak was the introduction of fully reversible reservoir. One of the biggest problems faced by earlier models of hydration packs was that the reservoir was extremely difficult to properly clean and dry out, and Hydrapak’s reversible reservoir comprehensively addressed this concern. Since the entire reservoir could easily be turned completely inside out, they were extremely easily to thoroughly clean and to dry. Since the original introduction of this innovation, Hydrapak has stayed on top of the development, adding new improvements to the basic idea. The current model – the Reversible Reservoir II – remains a favorite of hydration pack users today.
As the use of hydration packs expanded beyond mountain biking and motorized sports, Hydrapak hydration systems kept up with the new trends. Like other major producers, they now have models designed for winter sports, such as skiing, snowboarding and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Similarly they also have packs specifically designed for runners and hikers as well. Some of their packs have been used in other sports for which hydration packs remain uncommon. For example, 2009 saw Hydrapak hydration systems used by an endurance swimmer from California who swam the English Channel.
Other products and accessories
Although the focus of the company’s efforts remains the actual Hydrapak hydration systems, they have also begun to emphasize some of their other innovative technologies. Key to this has been the selling of their brand of reservoirs/bladders, hoses, and bit valves as separate units for use with other actual packs. Due to the high quality and user-friendliness of many of their individual products, the sale of separate components as accessories for other hydration systems now accounts for a significant share of the company’s revenue.
The use of high energy sports gels to give athletes a physical boost while participating in endurance sports has been long standing. However, like staying hydrated in general, the use of these gels usually involves having to stop, open (or unwrap) the gel’s substance, and mix it with water before actually consuming it. Taking the basic idea of the hydration pack to the next level, Hydrapak has addressed this problem by coming up with the innovative Gel-bot concept.
The Gel-bot system focuses on a specially designed bottle cap that has a chamber for the premixed gel as well as allowing the bottle’s water supply to be accessible. Simply pressing the adjustable top of the cap down allows the athlete to access the gel with a quick squeeze, while pulling the cap up allows the athlete access to straight water from the bottle without the gel. Further, since the caps gel chamber is loaded before the sport begins, reloading is much less of an issue unless the endurance sport lasts longer than a day. The Gel-bot idea has been hugely popular with athletes that use energy gels in their sport and has become a major money maker for Hydrapak.
Another creative innovation by Hydrapak is the Pure-bot. Most plastic bottles contain potentially harmful chemicals that may lead to estrogenic activity (EA) and this is a concern that has now been accepted by the United States government and the National Institute of Health. Although the controversy began with research showing negative effects of bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles, it was soon determined that the same effect may be happening in other plastic bottles and that there are other chemicals used in plastics that can have the same effect. The result was the introduction and development of EA-free resins by the PlastiPure company (with government funding). Hydrapak’s Pure-bot represents the first – and currently the only – fully Ea-free sports bottle on the market today.
