I generally don't like waering mine, but I do anytime I plan on exploring. I am good for about an hour or 10-15 miles with a water bottle. Any longer or unknown I take a pack with water parts food ect.

I've never liked the idea of taking a backpack for both weight on your back and getting sweaty so bought a frame bag with a hole for a hydration pack tube.

I've never found the insulation to be a problem. Even on 100°F days while touring, I have cold water for at least 3 hours, usually more. I often run out of water before the ice melts. If the ice melts and I need more, I just buy some or do without.

I'm not sure what you mean by the "D-ring". Camelbaks have traditionally just hung down...usually hitting my leg which I find bothersome at times. The Osprey that taz777 bought has a magnetic clip at the sternum strap which is rather clever and keeps the tube from banging against my leg.

I use my nearly every day (200 to 250 days a year) and seldom empty it, much less dry it without problems.

As a bicycle rider of many different flavors and many different areas including many fast downhills, I seldom notice the pack and certainly don' t feel like it is a "sail". I'm not racing but I don't ride slow either. On the other hand, laying on the side of the road because you ran out of water and are suffering from dehydration really puts a dent into setting records.

Just so you'll know, the Osprey bladder is different from Camelbak's bladders. The top opening of the Osprey makes it easier to get into to clean (as well as load with ice) than the Camelbak. You can fit your hand down into the Osprey bladder if you want but the narrower opening of the Camelbak bladder prevents this. You can also reach down into the pack with a towel if you like and physically dry it rather than air dry it.

The two only minor beefs I have with the Osprey is while filling it and the bite valve. It's a bit harder to hold than the Camelbak. You can use the lip on the Camelbak closure to hold onto the bladder while it fills but there isn't the equivalent place to hold the Osprey. It's only a minor issue, however.

The bite valve, on the other hand, is more of an issue. Camelbaks is simple and elegant. The hard middle bit of the Osprey is less pleasant to use.

Mine isn't a Camelbak. It's a cheap knockoff type which has plastic D-rings on the front of the straps. I zip-tied a spring clip to the drinking tube so I can clip it onto the D-ring and hold it when I'm not drinking from it. Before I made this modification, it didn't have any way to attach the tube and keep it from hanging down. But I do like the idea of magnets. I do have some small, strong magnets I could use. Maybe attach one to the shoulder strap and a small piece of steel around the tube.

I only use mine once in a while, so after I'm done using it I'll rinse it out well and hang it up on a clothes hanger I cut in half to let it dry. Maybe it doesn't take several days to fully dry out, I just hang it up and forget it.

I'm certainly not out to break any land speed records on the bike, so I'm not worried about aerodynamic characteristics of the hydration pack. It's far more valuable to have extra water while riding in places where there's nowhere to get fresh water unless you want to knock on doors and beg for some, which I'm loathe to do.

I don't have one, but it seemed many were using them at Dirty Kanza


https://www.rei.com/product/108110/c...hydration-vest
Seems like it at least would address some of the back sweating issues and be slightly more accessible

This is what I'm talking about:



I zip tied a small clip to the tube, and now I use that to attach it to the strap. The plastic D-ring is kind of hard to get hold of, but there is a loop a little higher up I should start clipping it to.

Osprey sells the magnetic clip separately. REI carries it so it should be easy to retrofit to any pack with a sternum strap.

I had my first ride with the Osprey Raptor 10 today. Initially the weight of the water made the backpack feel a little heavy but I soon got used to it.

It also changed my balance on the bike as I had another 3KG+ hanging towards the rear of the rear of the bike. As th bike is also new this meant that I had to be extra careful.

After a few miles I didn’t notice the backpack anymore. The sheer convenience of being able to drink water safely and easily whilst cycling outweighs all of the disadvatnages for me. I also needed to carry a few things in the backpack so the additional storage space came in useful.

My back did feel a little warmer during the ride, but not uncomfortably so.

By the end of the 2 hour ride, I had consumed around 1.5litres of water.

Cleaning the bladder is a bit of a chore and I’ve found that 12 inch silicone tongs hold the bladder open enough for it to dry within a day.

I don't see the problem just buy one and wear it if you like it and don't wear it if you don't like it.

I don't use them locally because I never ride further than my two bottles will last without passing by a store. I have found them invaluable when I go to Colorado each summer. Both on the road and the trail. One advantage to me is that I can carry a packable rain jacket. Temps can go from the mid 70-'s down into the 50's in a rain storm. Soaking wet 50's is miserable. I also throw a camera (yes a real camera) in my pack so that I can take good quality pics along the way.

People keep mentioning mold. I have average size hands and I can reach into my bladder to dry it out.