[Paddlewise] Wine Bladders

 James,

   Throw the box away and keep the bag. Put the spout of the bladder into warm
water. This will make the plastic more plyable. Slip the edge of a table knife
into the slot, twist and pop off the spout piece. Every bag that I've seen has
a pop off spout. Then wash the bag out several times with clean tap water.
Fill them about 3/4 full and pop the spout back on. They really are quite
durable. A sharp edge will puncture them though. I've carried dozens of them
on trips and only one developed a small leak. And despite the cheap appearance
of the spout assemble, nary of them failed, leaked or popped off. I store them
between use with the spouts off. Since they are difficult to completely clean
& dry after use, when I go to re-reuse them, I give them a quick rinse with a
standard antiseptic solution of one or two tablespoons of bleach to a gallon
of water. During a two week trip I did, they started to show some wear, but
didn't leak. I suppose they won't last forever.
  A full range of quality of wine comes in this fashion. Aluminum & plastic
are actually safer enclosers than cork. You can buy decent wine in bags.

Ken Mannshardt
San Francisco Bay Area      
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