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Camelbak Gives Back | Boise, ID United States | 05/27/08, by snowNinjas

Most backcountry skiing gear reviews aren't written for hospital patients. But, thanks to Camelbak, some patients at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, Idaho are giving the thumbs up to Camelbak's Stealth hydration pack.

As an RN on St. Alphonsus's rehabilitation unit, I see a variety of patients. Some of the most challenging ones are the spinal cord injuries, or SCI patients. The quadraplegics especially require a great deal of care, and after they're stable medically, it's still a struggle to take care of their daily needs. Some of these patients have difficulty swallowing effectively, and require a great deal of time and staff assistance just to eat a meal or drink a glass of water. Some of them become reluctant to ask for so much help, or get too tired to make the effort to eat or drink. Weight loss, potential malnourishment and medical complications can follow. Depression often sets in during rehab, when the realization hits these people that they have almost no control over what we call "ADLs", or "activities of daily living".

Think about it - if you were confined to a bed and dependent on other people to clean, dress, feed, groom and turn you, how would you feel? If you had to blow on a call light whenever you got thirsty, then had to wait for someone to show up, then struggle to take a sip while someone stood next to you holding a glass to your lips, would you maybe stop calling after a while?

I've seen people stop calling for help, and it's heartbreaking. You can see that spirit leak out when they start feeling helpless, and it's hard to encourage them to keep fighting. This is where Camelbak comes in - I noticed that some dedicated nursing aides on our unit had purchased a few cheap hydration packs for some of these SCI patients and rigged them up on IV poles so that the patients could turn their heads and use the bite valves to drink at will. Unfortunately, many of these no-name brands developed leaks over time, or dripped condensation on patient's beds, and quickly became useless.

Thinking that the hydration packs were a GREAT idea, and knowing that our staff would never be able to afford to buy the best ones for all of our SCI patients, I contacted Camelbak and asked them for a donation. They quickly sent us a year's worth of packs, and the response from our patients and staff has been tremendous. The rehab staff no longer has to worry about our patients being dehydrated, and the SCI patients have regained a small but important amount of control of their lives.

This year, Camelbak renewed their donation to St. Al's, and sent us their military Stealth model. It has a 72-ounce reservoir in a rugged nylon exterior shell with an insulated hose. The hose has an on/off valve, which helps prevent leaks when it's hanging upside-down from an IV pole, and the usual sturdy Camelbak bite valve, which also holds up remarkably well to being used 24/7, leak-free. The shoulder straps can be draped over a wheelchair for road trips, hung from an IV pole, or secured to a hospital bed as needed. With proper cleaning, they also stay amazingly funk-free, although to be honest, we don't usually let patients put flavored beverages in their packs while they're in the hospital.

So far, I've seen military models perform problem-free under constant usage for five months. One patient called me a year after he was discharged to ask me where he could find another pack like the one we had donated to him? I asked him if he had had any problems with his Camelbak, and he said "yeah - I LOST it!" Other than that, he said it had been working fine...

So, all you adventure racers, runners, bikers, skiiers and quadraplegics - Camelbak can take care of your hydration needs. Really. Thanks, Camelbak.