Touring - Reservoir when touring

hello all, I was wondering if any of you use a reservoir (platypus, camelback, etc..) while touring as opposed to water bottles? The reason I ask is because I'm going to be doing my first tour in about 1 month, and I plan on using my 2+ liter reservoir as I don't have water bottle mounts. I figure I will be able to rig something up on my rear rack to keep my reservoir secure and the hose at easy access. Any thoughts, suggestions, or warnings?

I use a TransAlp Camelbak when touring. I also have two water bottles (will soon be 3) that I keep spare water on. Between the two and the Camelbak that means I have 4-4.5 liters of water on hand. Add to that stops at stores for more and I've never run out. Is your tour out in the "frick of nowhere" or will you be near civilization? If near civilization, it will be easy to reload. It is easier to drink when it's on your back than on the rack (perhaps consider a handlebar bag to put it into?)

I took a platypus across Nevada and Utah, but once I hit Colorado, the services were close enough together and there were enough people around in case of a serious emergency.

Even then, I carried one or two 1-liter bottles with me in certain areas, just sticking them under a bungee.

I wouldn't attempt western express without a large water reserve, but I think that anything more than a liter or two is probably overkill for many parts of the US. As always, the region dictates the necessities.

As to whether a camelback bladder is easier to deal with than bottles, that's a personal choice.

Here is a system that some tri athletes use. You could copy the idea by using a long hose from your water bladder to the front of your bike.....

http://www.tri-zone.com/Details.html?cat=88&item=NRWBS

Tri-Zone also sells seat and handle bar mount water bottle holders.....but I'm sure you could find them cheaper somewhere else.

Cheers,

Kevin

i use a camelback, and find it very convenient just to wear it on my back.

i use a camelback, and find it very convenient just to wear it on my back.

Ditto. I pack the Camelbak with as much ice as I can in the morning, usually a little over half of a 7 lb bag and then fill the rest with water. It stays cold until well past noon that way. And there is nothing as refreshing as ice cold water during a hot day of riding! It's a whole lot better than water that's been baking in a water bottle all day.

Yeah, it's a matter of personal comfort. For mountain bike, I carry a camelback and never fool with bottles. On tour, though, the last thing I want is something else to make me feel hot, and backpacks/camelbacks are the worst, IMO. Again, I think a lot of it depends on where you're touring.

wow, first of all, let me say thank you for all the helpful and fast responses. I will be touring across PA, but it is a road tour along route 6 with many towns along the way, so I'm not too worried about re-filling. The seat mounted reservoir is interesting, but a major reason I am not going for water bottles and mounts is to avoid spending more money, and I already have the reservoir so I thought I would see if it is feasible. I think I will most likely try and either keep it in one of my rear panniers, or attach it somehow on the rear rack, because I will be touring in August and I don't think I'll be wanting anything on my back. I may consider the handlebar bag idea, though I haven't purchased one yet, I suppose if I do, I will try and find one big enough to hold my reservoir, because that is probably the best bet. Thanks again for all your helpful responses.

I would suggest you mount at least one water bottle cage on your frame. Even if you doN't have special braze ons for that, it's fairly easy to attach the cage with zip ties.

Two reasons:

1. You'll drink more if you don't have to stop the bike each time you are thirsty.

2. A water container may leak, be left open by mistake, etc. It's always useful to have more than one container for safety.

I have been out US6 through PA. yeah there are lots of dots on the map but in the eastern half there is a lot of big hills in between those dots to climb during August's heat. You can easily drink a liter of water an hour, and not all of those towns will have stores or gas stations and you may find that knocking on doors and begging water from people to be a bit of a hassle. Your reservior hose is unlikely to reach from your panniers. You will want the easy access to the bottle. with the reservior you should have about 3 liters of water which IMO is about right for the route and season you are riding

You can get a clamp on cage at the REI store for 4 bucks and any 20-28 oz water or soda bottle rescued from a trashcan willl work

Here is a system that some tri athletes use. You could copy the idea by using a long hose from your water bladder to the front of your bike.....

http://www.tri-zone.com/Details.html?cat=88&item=NRWBS

Tri-Zone also sells seat and handle bar mount water bottle holders.....but I'm sure you could find them cheaper somewhere else.

Cheers,

Kevin

Jeez, that kinda resembles a car's window washer reservoir (gears start turning...)

How much water did you carry on the Nevada and Utah portions of the Western Express?

I'm planning SF to Durango next spring and wondering about the desert sections.

Why not just add a bottle mount made for bikes without braze ons like previously mentioned. Any bike shop should be able to find them. A question for michael gagnon. How do you prevent the cage from moving down the bike tube when using zip ties? Do you wrap the area with electric tape?
Scott

If I put the zip ties very tight, there is not too much movement, unless I'm not careful when I put the bottle in. But I found that if I install a piece of double-stick tape under the cage, there is no movement.

However, I should add that I use plastic cages (Profile Kage). My first reason for them is that they don't mark the bottles. But for the cages that are attached with zip ties, the added bonus is that the plastic won't scratch the bike paint if (when) they move. If I were attaching metal cages with zip ties, I would wrap the metal tabs with electrical tape so they don't scratch the paint.

biodiesel:

In NV I had a 5 Liter Platypus bag that I kept filled, in addition to the 3 water bottles on my bike. By Utah, I droped down to 2 liters, plus the bottles, because services were much closer. That got me into trouble between Hanksville and Blanding, though, because the services dissappeared and I spent most of a night trying to filter water out of the Dirty Devil river, and ended up getting about 2 liters out of it. (The river was VERY muddy...) The water filter, outside of CA and CO, turned out to be almost completely useless. (Not needed in the other states, and no good sources in NV or UT.)

thanks Abbub, thats about what i'd thought. Heavy load just in water but oh well- if i wanted the easy way accross i'd fly.