Bicycle enthusiast Michael Eidson was competing in the "Hotter'N Hell 100," and that's exactly what it is to this day: a 100-mile road race, over four days in the grueling summer heat of Wichita Falls, Texas. Water is vital to surviving the race, but there are few places to refill, let alone time to stop. An emergency medical technician by trade, Eidson came up with a solution on the fly: he filled an IV bag with water, slipped it into a white tube sock (yes, an actual tube sock), and stuffed the whole contraption into the back of his bike jersey. He then threw the hose over his shoulder and clamped it shut with a clothespin. Hands-free hydration was born. And CamelBak was created to pursue it.
