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Mazama introduces the Sidestream™ hydration pack

March 2007 – Bend, Oregon – Most runners know how important hydration is to performance when running, yet many don’t carry water with them when they run. Mazama Designs has set out to change this with the introduction of Sidestream, a hydration waist pack designed to make it easier to drink while on the move. Sidestream features a self-retracting drink tube that allows a runner to quickly take a drink without losing stride or balance.

While water bottles carried in waist pack holsters or in the hand have been popular options for many runners, large numbers of runners still leave the fluid behind when they head out the door. One of these was Matt Hoskins, designer of the sidestream pack. “I’ve never felt comfortable running with a water bottle. I never got the hang of getting the bottle in and out of the holster without slowing down, so I usually didn’t bother to bring water with me when I ran. After I moved to Bend several years ago and started running in the high desert climate here, I knew I needed to come up with a better solution.”

The solution was the Sidestream waist pack. Sidestream’s unique feature is its retracting drink tube. Normally, the drink tube stays coiled up inside the pack, while its bite valve sits in easy reach on the pack’s waist belt. To drink, you draw up the drink tube and activate its bite valve. When you’re done the drink tube automatically recoils back into the pack. According to Hoskins, early feedback fro Sidestream users has been very positive. “People love the ability to hydrate on the fly.”

Sidestream offers a number of user-friendly features all designed to eliminate excuses for not hydrating when you run. The pack fits snugly into the small of your back so that it is bounce free. Its collapsible bladder minimizes fluid sloshing and holds about the same amount of water as a large water bottle (27 oz.). Sidestream’s high-flow bite valve ensures adequate fluid flow for quick, on-the-go drinking. The bladder has a screw-cap port on top, so that it can be filled without removing it from the pack. There’s also a small pocket on the side of the pack to carry a phone and keys.

Sidestream is not just for runners though. As Hoskins says, “Our original intention was to create an easy-to-use hydration pack for our lunch time trail runs, but in fact Sidestream works well for a number of different activities. Bend is a cross country skiing hotspot and we’ve had a number of Nordic skiers who have been using Sidestream for training and racing. Sidestream’s ease-of-operation and the fact that the drink tube resides inside the pack and is protected from cold temperatures, has proven to be an advantage for these athletes.”

Sidestream is available online at www.mazamdesigns.com. Sidestream retails for $49.99 plus shipping and handling and is covered by a lifetime warranty.

Mazama Designs, LCC is an outdoor-products development company, located in Bend, Oregon. Mazama develops and manufactures innovative, high-quality products designed to enhance athletes’ enjoyment and performance.

For more information, please contact Matt Hoskins, (541) 480-7555 or matt@mazamadesigns.com