losing bite valves

[eneumeier]

for no apparent reason bite valves are no longer staying on the end of the tube of my kokotat water bladder. I have lost 2 in one week.

Suggestions? Should I "rough up" the end? Glue the sucker on?

Thanks.

Liz

[rick stoehrer]

for no apparent reason bite valves are no longer staying on the end of the tube of my kokotat water bladder. I have lost 2 in one week.

Suggestions? Should I "rough up" the end? Glue the sucker on?

Thanks.

Liz

had that happen a few times...now there's always an extra bite valve in my kit.

in meantime, i don't think i'd try the glue thing....what about taking a rubber band and wrapping that repeatedly around the valve where it meets/surrounds the tube? if you wrapped that around there a few times that might work.

[Suz]

for no apparent reason bite valves are no longer staying on the end of the tube of my kokotat water bladder. I have lost 2 in one week.

Suggestions? Should I "rough up" the end? Glue the sucker on?

Thanks.

Liz

No glue!! How could you clean it then?

I used to use them all the time too. I have since bought one of those on/off adapter things. Like this one: http://www.rei.com/product/668226 only mine is straight. They seem to stay on better.

One thing that is helpful is to cut the line to the length that you really need. When the tube is too long, I end up getting it caught up under my pfd and pulling it off. Also have had them come off in the surf. So now that mine is shorter, I just tuck it down under the shoulder of my pfd and don't lose them nearly as often.

Suz

[tedious]

Liz, try chopping an inch off the tube itself - it may have gotten crushed or otherwise have gone limp. And if that doesn't work, you could glue it on with contact cement, Suz's cleaning comment notwithstanding (you're supposed to clean those?).

Tim

[bob budd]

There is self-vulcanizing tape that can be found at hardware stores. You could wrap it on the end of the tube to enlarge the tube. The stuff we use if for antenna cables and is rather thick but enlarging the tube might do the trick. As mentioned above, cutting off the end might also work if something has compromised the end of the tube.

[JohnHuth]

Same problem here - went through 3 bite valves this summer.

Two words: duct tape.

[Kevin B (RPS Coach)]

Liz,

Electrical tape works beautifully to keep it on there. You can even clean it if you wanted (do people really want do that )

[eneumeier]

(you're supposed to clean those?).

I actually do clean mine, about twice a year. That is what kept me back from the glue option.

I will trim the tube, and have to make a trip to REI for replacements anyway so I will try different options.

[tedious]

You could also try the old moto trick of wiring it on - use some wire, twist ends tight with pliers, sort of like a heavy duty twister-tie.

As I was writing this it also occurred to me that your garden variety zip tie would probably work great.

T

[Brian Nystrom]

Rather than the bite valves that slip over the end of the hose (they're lousy, IMO), try one of the alternatives that use a barbed fitting that goes into the hose. My personal favorite is the Nalgene bite valve, specifically the one with the magnetic mounting tab. You may need to cover the magnets with a layer of packing tape to keep them from rusting, but the system works really well. It also has a built-in valve for shutting off the flow, which is ideal for preventing leaks when you're transporting your gear. The part of the valve that you bite is replaceable, should you ever manage to lose one.