Hydration
 

I am In Central Florida, The Swamp Mountain Bike Club plays pretty far back in the woods.
The Balm-Boyette Nature Preserve MTB Trails start TWO MILES down a dirt road.

It's gonna get hot this summer, real hot !

Hydration back packs, like the Camelbak pacs look promising, 3 Liters of the wet stuff on yer back seems like a good start. :thumb:
Example:
http://shop.camelbak.com/charge-10-l..._c_111_cl_4131
or:
http://shop.camelbak.com/hawg-nv/d/1003_c_111_cl_3900

Penney for your thoughts Back Woods bikers ?

If it was me I buy the walmart hydro packs a lot cheaper and work just as good. I used mine for 3 years now no issues but to each their own.

well how long will you be staying out there so are you planing on eating. So the extra storage might be good for food snacks bike parts tools. the down side wold be the extra weight shifting on your back. the smaller would ride better. if you carry two water bottles you might not need the bigger one. you might get a fram pack for parts and tools... just saying...

Osco listens, nods,,,,,

I used a cheapo pricepoint.com sette generic bag for 5 years and it worked fine. The shoulder strap started tearing this year and I've been using a zip tie to hold it together so I've been looking for a newer one. I just bought an osprey raptor 10 for $95 and the quality is night and day different. I haven't ridden with it yet, today will be my first, but I expect it to be more comfortable. If you are just getting started and don't want to blow a lot of money though a cheap bag will work.

I would go frame bag with a 3 liter hydration system in the bag. It keeps it off your back and a much lower center of gravity. Plus there should be a little more room for more stuff depending on your frame size and whether or not you have rear suspension.

Been using a smaller camelback, not sure of the size. It's about five years old and still looks like new. I guess to each his own, as long as you've got enough H2O out there.

Camelbak Volt 13 LR 100oz
 

http://www.mountainflyermagazine.com...tion-pack.html

This pack had what I wanted and someone asked how long I stay out, A good ride Is three, four or five hours in the woods.
The time out there is not the only issue, "Out There" is the thing. The Florida summers are mean and I often wind up two or three miles
from my Truck, or more. I want to carry that much water and I will fill my frame bottle with Gatorade. Plus the pack has plenty of
room for food/fuel and a first Aid Kit.
I did look at the wally world offerings, But I wanted that 3 ltr's of water down low not up on my shoulders.

Did It cost a lot ? Hell yeah, Did I actually need that much pack ?
Same principal as a condom,

I'd Rather have it and Not need it,
Than need it and not have it.

BTW
I paid $125.00 plus tax.
I do NOT buy online unless I have to,
I SUPPORT my LOCAL BIKE SHOPS !!!!!!

Three liters of water on your back is going to be really heavy, but I could tell you firsthand about running out of water on a trail.

I have a Dakine bag and I think it holds something like a liter, maybe a little bit more. I've used it for about two years and the water bladder sprung a leak so it's been chucked.

We were on the trail in about 98 degree heat a few years back and both of us ran out of water. That wasn't good, considering we were quite far from the car and probably halfway through the ride. We found a "short cut" back to the car and this "short cut" wound up being through a field which was over two miles long and was quite the climb. Normally, this wouldn't have been much of an issue but it was out in the open with no protection from the sun. I nearly had a heatstroke out there. I started getting dizzy, feeling nauseous, etc. It wasn't good. Since that experience, I don't go out in extreme temperatures and if I do, I make sure the area I'm going to be riding in will be shaded. Hell, I never felt overly great while riding in hot weather anyway, so I don't feel like I'm missing out.

Before I get off on a babbling tangent, I'll just say the experience scared the hell outta me. I seriously thought I was going to die out there. Just whatever you decide on, make sure to have plenty of water. Three liters may be a lot but the additional weight of a three liter offsets possibly dying on a trail. Maybe get a hydrapak that carries two liters and then carry two bottles as well... :thumb:

You can also throw that thingie in the freezer and start off with a solid block of ice which will still take hours to melt even in extreme temperatures. The pack insulation will both slow the process and result in your back being cool instead of cold. In any case, the total weight is variable is - nothing says you NEED to always completely fill it every time.

Hydration isn't always the issue - particularly during a relatively short few hours. Sometimes you just need to cool down, and a washcloth loaded with cold water can be a lot more effective than all the perspiration in the world.

I have a couple backpacks, 70oz and a 100oz, camelback Mule. I also take more stuff than needed, but believe in preparation. Sometimes I find something I want to bring home and the Mule unzips and has a large capacity pack. I would think that the drawback for you Florida riders is the humidity. BUT, heck if you aint sweating you aint really riding! :thumb::notamused:

All true, but you can never be too prepared, especially for the heat! :thumb:

I filled er up with Ice n water, 3 Liters, plus some stuff, total pack weight was prolly like 4 liters of water, Like I said It sits down low.

I was never really aware of any weight on my back at all,,,,,,

I do a lot of Lifting daily so who knows,,

The Humidity makes ya a mess fer shure but It's like Free Air conditioning soon as your soaked and ya get, "In Da Wind",,I love it so..

The Dry Desert heat will flat out Kill you without you knowing it.

Sweating cools you, we all know that but, even If you hydrate correctly the day before and drink like crazy on the ride you may never need to 'Pee',,
It's going out through your skin. :)

In The Desert, your cooling mechanism is disabled, No sweat at all... Heat Stroke comes on swift wings...

I was looking at hydration paks with more than 70oz (2 liter) capacity today and the Osprey Raptors are pretty nice. They seemed pretty versatile. I was also looking into the Camelbak M.U.L.E., which is also nice. The weight difference between the two is a few ounces.

I definitely need some storage space but I feel like carrying three liters of water is going to be super-heavy, especially on longer rides with a lot of climbs.

I just don't get it, YOU NEED the water and It seems you NEED the 3 Ltr's, I know I will come summer. The weight means nothing, I mean If your that weak that the weight of your must have water feels heavy,,,, YOU got work to do, as in hit the Climbs and carry as much heavy stuff as you can. Rocks will do the trick, Get Stronger. http://www.timsah.com/Led-Zeppelin-W...ks/CdPPrT-Kn7i I've dropped a bit over 15 Lbs, so the water weight is a Gimmie :)

Rather than disabled, it's actually working exactly how it's supposed to, since the sweat is evaporating due to the low humidity, which cools you. Your cooling mechanism gets disabled when you get dehydrated to the point you aren't sweating anymore.

Yes, I'm super-weak, you hit the nail right on the head. :rolleyes:

Simply put, summer is HOT. WHY would I possibly wanna carry a lot of weight, which is going to make me even HOTTER? While that's great I'll have three liters of water, which I will undoubtedly need, weight is weight; let's not forget to mention how large and cumbersome some of those hydration packs can be. IMO the weight isn't such a problem, it's where it's carried. If you have a bag where you can carry the weight up high it's a non-issue but if it's carried down low, that's going to put a lot of strain on one's back.

Granted I don't live in Florida, nor have I ever ridden there or in similar climate, but it does get into the 100+ fairly regularly during the summer around here. That being said I have found that you can condition yourself to not need a lot of water during a ride. When I first started riding I would always go out with a full hydro pack and usually come back with it empty. Every stop during the ride I would be gulping it down. Now after riding a couple years consistantly, I take 1 water bottle with me and rarely do I drink all of it. And this will be on a 10-15 mile rides with lots of climbs, exposed and in the sun. Couple of quick sips here and there to deparch the mouth and throat. I have found that rather hydrating during a ride, hydrating before makes a lot more of a difference. Lots of water the night before, and lots of water an hour or two before the ride seems to do the trick. Followed by lots beer post ride, gotta get those carbs ;). Just my two cents.

You are absolutely right about hydrating BEFORE the ride. I've heard that it's a good idea to really start hydrating about two to three days prior to the ride. I've also heard that your body really doesn't absorb a lot of the water when you guzzle it down. Regardless, I know I don't wanna be stuck running out of water in the heat. :thumb:

That is pretty much my experience. Plus I like being able to just pop the tube in my teeth and drink as long as I want while still riding. I think it is safer than re racking a bottle while on a trail. I have also taken numerous tumbles with the pack on. It IS NOT body armor, but it did shield my back from rocks.

It will not void the warranty if you only put two liters, or 1.5 liters in the pack. But it you want water-it is better to have than to want. :thumb:

http://murderpedia.org/male.K/k/kodikian-raffi.htm

There is another one that I can't find a link too. It happened on a day hike south of Lake Mead. The hikers thought they could survive the heat with minimal water. After two hours one killed the other one because while dehydrated and crazy because it seemed right.

This post is about a planned and supervised trip where a teen was lost a short time and died. The desert is merciless.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?ni...g=5040,1545082

This post, from Southeastern Outdoor, is pretty sick:

http://www.southeasternoutdoors.com/...-exposure.html

+1 on this! My hydration pack has saved me from receiving a few nasty bumps to the back on more than a few occasions. While I don't think any of those hits would have crippled me, there's no doubt a few of them would have made for more than a few sore evenings.

Yeah, maybe I should just carry the three liters...

:lol:

I do know what you are talking about as far as getting used to using less water.

The Indians out here in desert SW had a cross country competition where they would run 5 miles with a mouth full of water. When they finished the 5 miles they had to spit out the water. The Indians and their horses also could outlast our cavalry in chases during the summer. I am a wimp for water. ;)

Proper Hydration the DAY BEFORE a ride is key, yes so true... But sweating in the Florida humidity drains you real fast. You will need some Gatorade and water after a few hard hours, and I find I sip and spit a lot. Three, four, five, six hour rides, miles from a store...I'll fill my 3 ltr to the max with Ice then water and my frame bottle with 'Ade'

Usually what my wife and I do is fill our hydration pack up about 3/4 with water, freeze it, and then prior to leaving we'll fill it the rest of the way with water. This way, it usually stays cold for a while. I've found those insulated bottles don't work for crap; while they're better nothing, they're still not all that great. :notamused:

I'm glad I don't live in FL because the heat and I just don't get along very well. I start feeling really sick if I'm out biking in anything more than the low 80s, regardless how much water I drink, food I eat, etc. I dunno what it is, but I just don't feel well in the heat...