One of my nalgenes leaked this weekend and got red cool aid all over my Osprey Atmos. Can i put it in the washing machine?

I would think so.
I've washed my pack before.
I made sure to clip and tighten all buckles and any loose straps or fabric.
Came out fine.

Yes if it is an unframed pack you can put it in the washing machine. I do this with my packs every once and a while and they come out looking great. I would not put it in the dryer.

Jamie

I don't think you would want to wash an Atmos in a washing machine. You might try a car wash and see it that helps, although you might want to attempt laundry soaping it up before you take it. You might also be able to dye it, the nylons would die, which is probably what the kool-aid stained, the polyesters wouldn't' take the dye, but you might play around with the colors and make an interesting looking pack.

I wash mine in the bathtub to avoid any problems with the agitator in the washing machine catching the straps. Then I hang it on the showerhead to drip dry.

I'd try to turn it inside out and use delicate. But the bathtub and a scrub brush is probably a better idea.

I would worry a little about the frame banging around in a machine, but think the fabric would have no problem. I dry my rain soaked tents in the dryer on low heat. After all nylon, polyester and silicone are rather tough materials.

Yeah after I posted I realized it wouldn't fit in the machine because of the frame. I washed it in the tub, didn't work great but it looks better than it did. Thanks for the responses!

take it to the car was and use the wand. I did this after have a fox mark my back last winter. Pre treat it with what ever you have around the house and work it over real good then rinse. let it drip dry in your bathroom.

I'm thinking red kool-aid might be permanent. In that case don't think of it as a stain but a fond memory of the trip.
BJ

I've found car washes (soap and then rinse well) to be very effective.

On packs.

I washed the bag off of an old Kelty (classic Red) in the washing machine. This caused the coating to begin to delaminate.... this was the waterproof coating on the inside of the bag.

The next Kelty bag was hand washed gently in the tub, and it came out clean with no sign of delamination.

These backpack bags were each over 30 years old.

The detergent selected was Dreft, a pretty mild powdered one which is said to rinse easily with no residue. Mostly recommended for baby clothes and things.

Six Moon Designs told me to take the aluminum stays out of my Comet and hand wash it. I imagine if you have a front-loading machine with an extra delicate cycle, it might be OK to machine wash, but I wouldn't risk it in a top-loader, which might rip the thing apart.

The stain may remain, but at least if you get the sugary residue out it won't attract bears or other animals with a yen for sweet stuff!

Edited by hikinggranny on 02/28/2010 19:31:47 MST.

I would just use some Oxy Clean with a wet rag. Works like a charm.

After machine washing my 30 year old, all Cordura daypack, a seam failed from a frayed, cut edge of the fabric. The cut edges were not taped as on good packs now. I had turned the pack inside out since that was the dirty side.

My vote is for scrubbing your pack before and after soaking it in soapy water in the bathtub. Soak it overnight or all day and use a weight to keep it under the surface.