Mountain Biking - Seat Pack vs. Camelback

What's your guys opinions of weight distribution regarding seat packs and camelbacks. I have ~4 lbs. of stuff I carry on the trail (tubes, first-aid kit, multi-tool, etc...) and I was wondering who out there puts there stuff in a camelback as opposed to putting weight on a bike in the form of a seat-pack and vice-versa, how it affects your ride, etc, etc...(I have a camelback Blowfish on the way cause I didn't like the way the seatpack kept swinging around.)

i use a Camelbak. I need more water than 2 bottles can supply for most rides, so the Camelbak is a given, why not throw my tools etc in there...

I tote everything in a Blowfish or Pricepont Flopak. I don't bother with Seatbags.

It depends. If the bottles are not enough and you carry a camelbak, then throw everything inside it. If you dont need a camelbak, the water bottle and the seatpack are OK.

Ricardo

I keep a tube, multi tool in a small seat bag and I put everything else in the Camelback. I can never seem to get a drink when I want to with a water bottle and the CB just makes it to easy and convienent to keep hydrated throughout the ride. I have had to stop more to get the water bottle because of trail conditions and wouldn't want my hand off the bars for to long, but on a road or straight away it wouldn't be so bad.

prefer no saddle bag & use camelback on longer rides, I hate the rattle of my saddlebag.

but if I do a shorter ride where I only need one bottle of fluid I will use one just to keep a few tools & spare tube e.t.c...

camelbak fo sho

What's your guys opinions of weight distribution regarding seat packs and camelbacks. I have ~4 lbs. of stuff I carry on the trail (tubes, first-aid kit, multi-tool, etc...) and I was wondering who out there puts there stuff in a camelback as opposed to putting weight on a bike in the form of a seat-pack and vice-versa, how it affects your ride, etc, etc...(I have a camelback Blowfish on the way cause I didn't like the way the seatpack kept swinging around.)
camelbak fo sho too. i wouldn't want extra weight on my bike cause then like my bike would suddenly weigh more. plus the weight wouldn't even be low and would raise the center of gravity i am sure. i'd rather have it dynamically attached to me rather than statically attached to my bicycle....i think.

Sure seems to be a consensus here - I just got my blowfish today and loaded it up and hit the trail sans saddlepack. I was wearing a camelbak anyhow, but the cheapie one I had couldn't fit any stuff in it. Now I can. The weight on my back didn't seem to influence my ride (but the heat sure did). Camelbak kept that H2O cold for the whole 2+ hrs.

I like to keep the weight off the bike, so I roll with the Camelbak. I use it on 3 different bikes, just changing the tubes out as needed. I use the seatpack on the road bike, but often still use the Camelback for long [4+ hours] rides.

mx_599: I miss Keira lol.

On topic: Yes, I have to give my vote to Camelbaks to.

I guess I am in the minority, but I use a seat pack most of the time. Most of my rides are in the 1-2 hour range so 1 or 2 water bottles is usually plenty unless it is scorching hot out.

mx_599: I miss Keira lol.
already??

we can bring her back...but come on, give props to michelle now

not really feeling michelle too much either.....

I like my Camelbak. Even though its the lowest version there is. I would suggest finding a company called North 49. Its a Walmart brand. But they are 20 bucks Canadian, and they have more pockets than a camel back.

not really feeling michelle too much either.....
seriously?? hmmm...must be just i thing i have for her. ..and i thought the reddish hair was great too!!:D

Camleback. I don't like sear packs, to be honest I don't like anything on my bike beyond the bike itself.

seriously?? hmmm...must be just i thing i have for her. ..and i thought the reddish hair was great too!!:D

what about Claire Felani(if thats how you spell it) next month or even Angelina....or both ?.......together......??

what about Claire Felani(if thats how you spell it) next month or even Angelina....or both ?.......together......??
are you good at photoshop?? get them together and i will make an avatar:D

are you good at photoshop?? get them together and i will make an avatar:D

Dear everyone who looks at mx_599's avatar:

you are welcome.

camelbak fo sho too. i wouldn't want extra weight on my bike cause then like my bike would suddenly weigh more. plus the weight wouldn't even be low and would raise the center of gravity i am sure. i'd rather have it dynamically attached to me rather than statically attached to my bicycle....i think.

First, I use a camelback exclusively as I don't want to bother with stripping things off my bike when I go into a store.

That having been said, saddlebags and water bottles result in a lower center of gravity and they also are a more efficient place to put a load as you are not carrying them during standing pedaling. Obviously the Camelbak is more convenient. If you're not racing, I wouldn't worry about it. If you're racing, weight in a saddlebag is better.

I like my Camelbak. Even though its the lowest version there is. I would suggest finding a company called North 49. Its a Walmart brand. But they are 20 bucks Canadian, and they have more pockets than a camel back.

Then go out and buy a Camelbak bladder because they are by far the best. A few do OK, most suck, and that includes anything you'll buy at Wal-Mart. Once you've used the big bite valve, you'll never go back.

I tend to throw everything in the CamelBak. However, sometimes, I've been known to use a very small seatpack for my tools. This way, I don't have to wiggle out of my CamelBak in order to get at my minitool to make a minor adjustment to my bike. The seatpack I use is small enough that it doesn't require to be strapped to the seatpost. This is important for me because I sometimes need to drop my post down for very technical sections. I used to have this seatpack on my roadbike too but since switched to a slightly larger aero wedge for that bike. http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/2001-aegis-aro_svelte/saddle.jpg

That having been said, saddlebags and water bottles result in a lower center of gravity and they also are a more efficient place to put a load as you are not carrying them during standing pedaling. Obviously the Camelbak is more convenient. If you're not racing, I wouldn't worry about it. If you're racing, weight in a saddlebag is better.

i was thinking more the bike itself when i made the CG comment