Osprey  Hydraulics Bite Valve

The redesign of this valve is bad. The whole mechanism to turn the valve between open and closed simply snapped off during a hike recently. Was just using it normally to open the valve and it broke off. Impossible to use now, takes a lot of force to try and turn it since it's snapped off. The old design was much better; I've had that one for several years and this one for less than 2 years.

There are very few products from Osprey that I do not care for but this is one of them. The design and function of the bite valve are exceptional and I love how you can close the valve but the bite rubber durability is the reason I give this product 3 starts vs. 5. I go through one of these every few months and given the nature of it being a bite valve I expect greater durability. I often times like to leave the bite valve open while on strenuous hikes and hot days but with my valve tearing easily it means the water just pours out and I honestly do not like having to open and close the valve all the time when I am actively drinking a lot of water on a hot or long strenuous hike. One more thing, this product used to be $5 and now they are charging $9, which may force me to look for an alternative if they keep failing.

This "new" valve has a thin lever that breaks easily. Mine broke after about 2 months of use. The old valve that is on my other Osprey pack has seen over 5 years of use without a problem. I loved my Osprey hydralic system until I had to deal with this new valve. I would NOT buy another Osprey drinking system with this valve. Osprey might have realized that this new valve is defective because they put a bladder hanger that ONLY fits their system. That prevents peoeple from getting a CamelBak bladder that is more durable. I intend to get a CamelBak to fit into my Osprey pak.

My old bite valve suffered the usual damage: I bit through it. It lasted three years and dozens of uses, so I can’t complain. But I always found the on/off mechanism sticky and difficult, even using two hands. The new valve has a much improved on/off lever, easier to move and operable with one hand. It was also easy to twist out my old valve from the tube and twist in the new. I don’t see any obvious difference in the materials used in the old and new valves. The new one might feel a bit firmer, but if it is it might be just its newness.

What can you do if you want your water inside your pack so you can drink easily? I know when I buy one of these mouthpieces that the bite piece will break again...eventually. Osprey fixed their last design which had a horrible "twist to close" feature. The new design of this bite valve is a big improvement because it's more like a lever.

REI always has such knowledgeable people available to help me find the right product for my needs. The gentleman who helped me this time went well beyond the normal cheery expertise. He actually changed out the replacement valve I was purchasing for my hydration pack for me! I mentioned I’d had problems replacing the valve on another brand and he just efficiently nudged off the old one and replaced it with the new. It would have taken me 30 minutes. I was so impressed with his initiative and beyond the call of duty service. And he diagnosed the problem with the old one! First rate experience. Worth coming into the store

Shame on you, Osprey. I wish you would hold your company to a higher standard than insulting and ripping off your consumers with cheap overpriced replacement parts. Why not sell replacement items that are the same as the original rather than a cheaply made not even nearly looking the same as the original part. Better yet here's a novel idea, why not just make a good product to begin with!! Your bite valves should not be falling apart and leaking!! Buyers beware...don't waste your money and don't encourage nor support the manufacturing of plastic junk.

On/off valve is fragile and will not hold up to regular use. Don't waste your money. Other brands of mouthpieces are compatible with the Osprey hoses.

Since January 2025, I've had to buy 3 of these since the plastic piece that opens/closes the water flow keeps breaking. Pretty sure I don't have hulk strength in my fingers, so there is no reason these should be breaking with only a few months (and only a few miles!) worth of use. Unbelievably terrible quality!!

This is my first replacement valve on the osprey bladder. the product itself is thoughtfully designed, durable, etc., but the bite valve and hose both start to leak after about a year of semi-regular(2-6x/month) use. It might be because I live at about 6k elevation but hike/ski at closer to 9k, but both pieces began to leak water from the mouthpiece and the hose's connection point to the bladder. I like that the individual piece are replaceable, but obviously dislike that they need to be replaced. I'll be checking out another brand rather than getting a second replacement.