It began one summer at Fort Erwin, CA, just south of Death Valley. James and his team of Green Berets were on a 10-mile foot movement towards their objective. The sun beat down hard as they wore their respirators, ruck, and full kit.

What was challenging for James in these situations was not the heat or the weight of his gear, but the limitations of the issued hydration system. Soft bladders were prone to bursting, and the canteens were difficult to clean and had few available accessories.

Like many others, James had chosen to skip the USGI canteen in favor of a commercially available bottle that was easier to use. The problem was, none of those bottles could connect to the drink tube on his respirator.

Soon after, he began work on an improved design for a modern canteen and cap that would give soldiers the ability to hydrate themselves more easily, especially in restrictive and uncomfortable CBRN environments where hydration is critical.

The vision was to create a more flexible, durable, user-friendly hydration system that you could trust to provide for you everywhere you went — even in the harshest environments.