Hydration bladder leaking at connection and mold won't clear?

WildStep

Hydration bladder leaks at connection or grows mold that won’t clear?

Switched cleaning steps on my last trip to see if it fixed the drip at the tube joint, but it still seeps when the pack is full and hanging. Black spots keep showing up in the bottom corners even after a full dry out and rinse.

PinePeak

Full pack hanging puts extra pressure on the connection, so the seep might just be the tube seating wearing out. Mold in the corners after a proper dry out usually means the bladder itself is done, no amount of rinsing fixes the trapped spots. Swapping to a simpler reservoir cuts the hassle and the weight you end up carrying.

trailblazer42

PinePeak’s right on the pressure from a full pack, that connection’s probably toast. What simpler reservoirs are actually holding up without mold traps?