Originally Posted by
NoControl
It also stands to reason that you could buy many new coke bottles over time as they wear out before you come close to the purchase price of a big fancy bladder. I'd rather carry a Smartwater bottle than any fancy bike water bottle that I've had to date, and I've bought dozens. I have a huge tote full of them. The simple plastic store-bought spring-water bottle wins every time. I'm not speaking of the springwater bottles that krinkle when you grab it - I'm speaking of the ones that have a substantial durability and heft. Smooth sides and strong, like an Aquafina or Dasani bottle, my favorite being the Smartwater bottle.
I have carried 35 litres ... that would something like 23 to 28 plastic bottles depending on size. Somehow that does not sound to practical to me or even actually realistically possible.
I find it much smarter to be flexible with my choices; sometimes it is PET bottles (Coke or the like), sometimes it is a "fancy bladder" or three and sometimes as per my last ride it was a combination of "fancy bladders" and bottles. In fact on my last ride I couldn't have carried my water in PET bottles period (it would have required something like 7 to 8 bottles). So instead of not going on the ride I took a "fancy bladder."
Personally I prefer to be flexible in my approach and take the most practical approach given the ride.
Oh BTW I have in the past, once only, carried 15 litres in what was then the largest PET bottle available ... 1.25l. I only did it one ride. I brought a "fancy bladder" after that. Carrying two weeks of food, gear for camping out every night and the water in something like 12 bottles in four panniers was a pain in packing, finding space and overall logistics. Plus I still had to get rid of all most of that plastic at the earliest opportunity to just give me some space back.