Mountain Biking - Bottles vs. Hydration packs

Bottles or hydration packs?? What do you think are some advantages and disadvantages considering your experiences with each?

Bottles get muddy. Hard to grab while riding. Plus water stays cold in hydration pack much, much longer. Also tools, food, etc. can be carried in pack.
Another plus; When you endo, it cushions your fall. Spinal padding. :)

For all the same reasons...I agree with dirtgrinder :)

hydration packs > bottles

will never mess with a bottle again, packs are good for everything that a bottle isn't as well, not even for biking... hiking, skiing, climbing, and even just sitting around

Hydro pack, you learn when you live in a heavy equestrian area.

danka: eeewwwwww!!!!!!!!

I agree, hydration packs are the way to go. I fill up my bladder about 7/8 of the way full and freeze it overnight. It'll stay cool for over an hour and give me plenty of water to drink during the melting process. I also carry a lot of extra stuff including a spare tube, a mini-pump, a mini-tool, a spoke wrench, a leatherman tool, a patch kit, a spare crank bolt, some zip-ties, a nutrition bar and some tire levers. Try carrying all that in a jersey pocket!

L8R

This baby is on its way in the mail.
http://www.camelbak.com/camelbak/images/pl_60021.jpg

Originally posted by Chuvak
Bottles or hydration packs?? What do you think are some advantages and disadvantages considering your experiences with each?



I use a bottle for my lunchtime walk in work, and in the gym.

For walks (and from tomorrow bike rides) to and from work and other fitness and leisure walks I use a recently purchased 3Litre Camelbak Rim Runner.

Love it. Holds everything I need, and it FEELS top quality. So many nice touches.

they can both be good... i started using a waterpack about 5 years ago and used it almost exclusively... then last year i started using bottles more often and now i use the waterpack a little more frequently but it depends...

capacity: my water pack holds 3liters so that's good - it's hard to get more than 2 liters in bottles... but then i usually only fill it to 1.5 to 2 liters...

weight: with the weight on the bike it is easier on the back and my preference for extended touring... like my 8-day transalp tours
* on the other hand, with the weight in the pack, you can handle the bike better on trails

ease of filling: bottles are a little easier to fill -- in a stream or at a water fountain. so again, bottles are good for touring

ease of drinking: probably the biggest advantage to the waterpack is that you can drink anytime and don't even have to stop pedalling or reach down - i mean i am good at grabbing a bottle while racing, but it's still not as easy as sucking on the water tube...

---> for most basic mountain biking i use the only the water pack
---> for extended touring i use the water pack AND a bottle
---> for short races (XC or criterium) i DON'T use a water pack, but either one bottle or none to save weight.

from what i remember seeing, many pro mountaion bikers starting using waterpacks a few years ago, but now you rarely see them as they are just too much weight and they put up water at the filling stations...

if i expect the race to be longer than 2.5 hours i usually take the camelback so i can hydrate while pedalling and "without thinking" to prevent dehydration... but this is arbitrary.

P.S. i have a CamelBack bladder, a CamelBack HAWG pack and a Deuter TransAlp (30l with bladder compartment) --- for my different tours (HAWG for racing/short rides/lightweight and TransAlp for most other stuff) --- Deuter packs are in my opinion better than CamelBack AND cheaper, but the CamelBack waterbladder/nossle is the best

hmm ... I'll have to look into a pak for those long rides. my friend and I ran out of water one time when we really needed it. Too bad he was sharing my two bottles with me. =P

How about wearing one on a hot, 90 F day? Isn't it uncomfortable to get even more sweat running down your back with the pack covering half of it?

Not when you freeze the bladder. Makes it nice and cool.

Actually, after wearing it for awhile, you don't notice it.

L8R

Originally posted by Chuvak
How about wearing one on a hot, 90 F day? Isn't it uncomfortable to get even more sweat running down your back with the pack covering half of it? I don't notice it a bit, I suppose I would if I took mine off whenever we take a rest break (like my G/F does) <shakes head>.
I have a CamelBak Blowfish that suits me just fine. When it's zipped down (usual configuration for me) it holds all the crap I want or need while on a ride. Expanded I could throw a Sweatshirt or something else in there if needed.
As for bladder technique: I fill mine to the top with ice cubes then top it off with water. Also because of the fact that I only use water in my pack I don't have to clean it. I just empty it and throw it in the freezer. Nothing nasty will live and grow in a freezer. :D Now the fridge :o that's another story.

I use a hydropack for most rides, and all off road rides. On long rides on my road bike, I use the pack for water and a water bottle for a sports drink. Some short rides I carry a water bottle if it's under 15 miles.

A Camelbak filled with ice water radiates coolness on a hot day. :)

Of course, you can't squirt dogs with it...

Camelbak all the way. 100%.

I've had my trusty Camelbak H.A.W.G since the summer of 98' and it still looks and performs just like new.

With today's dual-suspension bikes & their crazy frame configurations, it's almost a rarity to get a "normal" down-tube water-bottle braze-on. I can't even imagine riding with a bottle on my BigHit Comp.. the braze-on's are all the way down by the BB!. (Talk about mud-collection device gone awry!?)


I can carry 100oz's of fresh, cold, yummie water in my pack along with enough tools to comfortably take my bike down to the frame on the side of the trail. (Topeak Alien, a few extra allens, some tubes, some patches, some wrenches, and some duct-tape, and some energy bars.).

It's not so big that it's uncomfortable (the 03' HAWGS are massive compared to my 98')

On really hot days, I definitely get a distinct "sweat mark" on my jersey though. (like a 6" wide mark all the way down my back).

At any rate, I like the thought of my water being cold, fresh, and not stuffed full of nature's finest ants, bugs, tics, and dirt while trying to replenish my vitals. :D

Hydro pack (Camelbak) all the way bro! Buy one, and don't look back. I've praised my pack so many times it's not even funny. (Makes the $85.00 price tag seem like pocket change when something is actually quality-minded in construction, lasts crash after crash, after crash, and doesn't rip... doesn't fade colors in the wash or the scorching desert sun, and just flat out WORKS).

Enough typing. Now go buy one! :beer:

-Matt R

What do you guys think about this one? Worth the money ??http://pricepoint.com/product1827.html

As long as you're not doing anything epic it'll do. My first Camelbak was a Rogue. No storage at all. Went to a MULE which is what I use everyday. But for long, all day trips even the MULE comes up a little short on storage.

Originally posted by Chuvak
What do you guys think about this one? Worth the money ??http://pricepoint.com/product1827.html

Nice pack, i have something similar, with less storage (aka the Cback Classic) and it does great for water storage, but man, i need more storage for food, tools, spare **** etc... I definately would recommend getting one with bigger storage, but you can always upgrade.

Check out the MULE. http://pricepoint.com/product1861.html
300 cu. in. of storage as compared to 63 for the LOBO. Worth the extra 10 bucks.

Yeah you rite, I'm stock here. I do want cargo space, but want to save weight as well. My MB isn’t a lightweight and probably goes in upper 30’s. No, not dual, a hard tail. Plus I don't need 100 oz, I don't go for really long rides, after all I live in New York, whatever the trails park provides I gladly use. I’ll probably stick to the LOBO. Anyone else has any reason’s why should I change my mind. I gladly accept all of your suggestions.

Depends on my mood. If I don't want a funny sun-tan, I'll use just a bottle. I like the feeling of not being restricted. I also don't like how my Camelbak (I have a HAWG and a MULE) leaves a big sweaty hot spot on my back. I don't like not being able to carry my keys, tubes, tools, tons of water, etc when I use just a bottle, so on longer rides I always go prepared and carry everything I could possibly need. But every once in a while I like the freedom of not having anything on my back.

I need water in great amounts - heat really beats me down. My solution is to use both a hydration system (Camelbak) and 2 water bottles. I fill the water bottles with a 50/50 mix of sport drink and water.

The only issue I have with the Camelbak is that it does trap heat. It does this even when I freeze part of the capacity. However, the extra water is worth the little bit of extra heat!

Depends on the length of the ride. Rides of an hour or so just a bottle of Cytomax, rides of 2 to 3 hrs Cytomax in the bottle water in a hydropack. For really long rides (4+ hrs) I’ll use two bladders in the hydropack (large one with water, smaller with Sustained Energy) along with the bottle of Cytomax. I'll run the water tube on the right side and the other on the left.

I started riding with bottles and since i was way out of shape i'd drink water VERY VERY quickly so i got the camelbak mule. 100oz. and in most cases i could ride without drinking all of it.

After I rode and got in some amount of shape I switched to bottles since i saw more people with bottles. It was then that I realized how hot it was to ride with the pack covering so much of my back. I noticed that when I took it off I felt water vapor and body heat radiating from my back. I also didn't really like having the weight on my person.

The thing I don't like about bottles:
*harder to drink
*they get mud on them, which gets in your mouth, or you have to waste water by getting some water in your mouth then spraying it back onto the bottle to wash it off
*after you use one bottle it's hard to swap the bottles out to put the full one on the downtube
*less capacity
*water gets warm quicker

things i dont like about the hydration pack
*heavier
*more expensive
*hotter
*dont like the weight on my person
*seems to get a funky plastic taste near the end
*not as easy to wash and keep clean
*harder to fill

but hydration packs are much more convient to drink from, and i do like the idea of the "spine protection", as well as the extra capacity

on long rides i now put two bottles in my jersey pockets, and two on my bike. kind of bulky but i think i stay cooler than with the pack.

I also have a waist pouch for shorter rides. I can carry a tube, a couple levers, a pump or CO2 inflator, keys, and a small multi-tool. It's actually like a belt with a little extra storage. Pretty cool... and I got it on closeout at the LBS for like 4 dollars!

i have a camel back and i am very pleased with it
i am a very good fan of bottles when i am sitting out on a sunny day fishing
basically go for the hydro pack
later
aaron

Originally posted by Jim311
If I don't want a funny sun-tan, I'll use just a bottle.

You ride without a shirt? Or is your shirt made of some fabric that lets UV rays peep through?

I've had two camel backs (a little one and a blowfish) and both the bladders leaked at the connection with the tube. maybe it's just my bad luck, but I'm gonna change the bladder out for a platypus soon, much higher quality and no plastic taste.

I've had Camelbacks since they were just the bladder, an insulated sleeve and two half inch wide straps for your shoulders. (That's what they should make and call "Classic"). Anyway, I use any of the three that I have for varying rides and hiking trips. I like bottles for shorter rides on the road, but the Camelback comes out for anything over about 50 miles, especially in the summer. I'm almost exclusively a Camelback guy off road, though, unless I'm gunning for an epic ride and want to carry Gatorade or something in bottles. All of the pros and cons have really been covered, but I have to say that a nice cold water bladder does keep my back cooler for a while on long rides in the summer. I eventually get hot, but by then the pack is all settled in and I don't notice being any warmer than I would otherwise think I was (does that make sense?).

Originally posted by Chuvak
What do you guys think about this one? Worth the money ??http://pricepoint.com/product1827.html

Not knocking Camelback, they sure do make a spanky unit. but you could get this http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=580865&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=523847&bmUID=1050707268984
I prefer the Platypus resoevoirs to the camelback ones, they are half the price to replace, if you crash and roll when they are full, and say you have a sharp tool in there? Also, its a little more ergonomic, less weight hanging out the back too...

But thats my two cents.

Originally posted by DrGonzo
You ride without a shirt? Or is your shirt made of some fabric that lets UV rays peep through?


I usually ride without a shirt.

Ummmm Jim? Buddy friend pal-o-mine. Better read this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24282 ASAP

Originally posted by Raiyn
Ummmm Jim? Buddy friend pal-o-mine. Better read this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24282 ASAP

good call

<nods>

Originally posted by Jim311
I usually ride without a shirt.


Hmm...I'd like to, but I'd be arrested for riding withou a bra.

Maybe when I'm a Fitness Demi-God... :)

You guys think I ride wearing spandex bike shorts and no shirt?! Haha!! No way... if I ride shirtless I'll wear a pair of baggies with a liner. I rarely ever wear lycra shorts without anything over them. I'm not some massive fat guy, nor do I have any hair on my back. I weigh 140 pounds and I'm 6 foot tall! The ladies don't seem to mind my bare chest :D

I'm also tired of having a farmer's tan! Glove and sock tan, as well as a t-shirt tan looks HORRIBLE at the beach!

Originally posted by belfast-biker
Hmm...I'd like to, but I'd be arrested for riding withou a bra.

Maybe when I'm a Fitness Demi-God... :)

You need to move to Ontario Canada where Toplessness is allowed :)

On my road bike I usually try to go minimalistic so I'll leave the Camelbak at home. I'll then fill one 20oz. water bottle with water and the other with a sports drink knowing that I'm usually never too far away from some place with water anyways. For rides where I anticipate being further away from civilisation or if I need to take a little bit extra along, I'll add my smaller CamelBak Lobo. I rarely have had use for my Camelbak MULE on my roadbike so have stopped using it for road rides.

I almost always wear my CamelBak on my MTB. My MTB has only one bottle cage mount and I always carry something in it too. For night rides, it holds a battery so I'm obligated to use one of my CamelBaks... usually my MULE since I tend to carry more stuff when MTBing. For daytime riding, I sometimes carry a water bottle with a sportsdrink since I wouldn't want to put anything in my CamelBak that may later turn into a biology experiment. Usually it will just be filled with water. And yes, the bottle does get all icky and muddy but the spout is easily washed off and I find water bottles to be quite handy if you happen to need something to rinse off the cuts and bruises... or if you just need to wash off your face.

my allen keys get rusty when i store them in the water bottle, and it makes the water tase funny, also tubes are hard to get in and out of a water bottle, and after you get all that stuff into your bottle well there is no room for much water! i love my camel back(s) i have the mule and it is great, i find i end up wanting to even wear it at work so i can drink all day! seriously the hydro systems are way better (in my opinion) just cause you can carry more stuff and more water for those 3-4 hour tours

You ride without a shirt? Or is your shirt made of some fabric that lets UV rays peep through?

i have to back Jim up here. (as i also posted in the other thread)

but i ride without a shirt quite often - if i'm racing i wear a shirt and for my weeknight ride i usually wear a shirt as it's not so hot.

but on a big climb in the mountains i take off the shirt and the helmet ---- besides i sweat so much (more than anyone i ride with) that my jersey will be nasty waterlogged at the top if i don't.

and plus, i look pretty decent w/o the shirt - 6'1", 165 lbs and lift weights 2-3 days a week...

and last week i met a girl while riding when i didn't have a shirt on and we're still talking (i'm probably going to go ride with her in Switzerland for a weekend soon), so it doesn't seem to be a problem in this department


if I ride shirtless I'll wear a pair of baggies with a liner. I rarely ever wear lycra shorts without anything over them.
yep, i too wear baggies over my lycra - although actually people in Europe think that looks funny but whatever (off the suject but in February in France i got kicked out of a public pool b/c i had on baggie shorts INSTEAD of the required speedo! i had to rent a speedo which i did not enjoy wearing)


I'm also tired of having a farmer's tan!
yes, and that too. i still have the stupid farmer's tan but i try and even it out a little and since most of my sun comes while riding a bike, well...

Slightly off topic but ill ask anyway.
I got in today to find my new Camelback Blowfish waiting for me. Looks all nice and everything but how should i unattach the tube from the bag? Should i pull the tube off the resevoir or off the bite valve to pull it out?

Thanks

Nathank.. it's REQUIRED that you wear a Speedo to the pool? Man, I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those around here! I always wear knee-length shorts... that would be wierd looking on me. The tops of my legs are all pale, but from the knee down is very tanned :D

Actually. I got one of those huge Camelbak's for Christmas and loved it. Until it got warmer. I was riding at night a couple of weeks ago, not hot by any means but warm enough I could wear shorts and a jersey, and it felt like I had a quilt on my back. I bought a fanny pack and it's great. 1.4 liters is plenty for what I do.



Originally posted by Chuvak
How about wearing one on a hot, 90 F day? Isn't it uncomfortable to get even more sweat running down your back with the pack covering half of it?

I know I want a Camelbak (or Platypus) hydration system. I just bought my Hardrock Comp, and a buddy of mine who also rides, mentioned these. Very cool!

Now......which brand??!! He has the 100oz. Camelbak M.U.L.E. ($79.99), and he really likes it. I noticed in the Bike Nashbar catalog (and their website), they also have the Platypus Thunderhead (on sale) for $39.50. Regular price is $79.99. Both of these can hold 100oz.

Decisions.....

And; the Camelbak and Platypus brands can be found on eBay.

I use a generic pack I bought from Sam's Club for $20 and a Camelbak Bladder :p

I just have an old gatorade bottle in my backpack.

it's cheap and forces me to stop and smell the roses while I pull it out to take a sip.

it's cheap too.
plus, i'd feel like a trendy ***** if I had the same clothes and water pack as everyone else on the trail.