Mine really hums now. Can I bung it into the washer, or is that a no go ?
yeah, just do it.
I've done it before with my mule. Came out clean. It's not going to disintegrate if you put it in the washer.
Washed my Hawg and Rogue packs and they've been fine. Just do them on a delicates wash - I wash mine in a pillow case to make sure the straps etc don't foul the machine.
It'll be fine. I've put mine through the wash loads of times. Remember, they are designed to be be used in combat zones, I doubt very much a washing machine will destroy it.
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if your'e talking about the actual pack, then yes my 1998 Mule was washed regularly in the machine and has only just been retired (the mesh pocket is coming unstitched and the other half has banned me from being so cheap as to repair it, though I have stashed it and it will be resurrected!).
Yeah fine but don't put it on a 1400rpm spin dry like I did as the buckles can break :p
Only thing I found machine washing my old Mule is that on the inside of the fabric parts it has started to become daly. Machine washing gave my Mule dandruff. I've got another slightly larger camel bak now and have needed to wash that a few times, no problems with that, so maybe newer fabrics are better. My Mule dates back to 1999ish, bought in Florida when I went on holiday there. My son uses it now so he doesn't care about the dandruff problem.
If you've got any of those net bags for washing machine washable suits stick it one of them first. Stops all the straps getting tangled up in everything else.
Those net bags also work with my bike shoes and with knee pads. Stops everything clinging to the velcro too.
I stick my Deuter backpack in a knotted pillow case when putting it through the wash. Keeps all those straps and buckles safe.