I've been having lots of issues with the heat this year. A friend says he fills a camelback with ice to keep him cool while riding. I wondering how cool the ice would keep you vs having something heavy and non-breathable on your back? has anyone else tried this?

I've hiked with ice and water filled camelbak. It never kept me cool. If the outside doesn't feel cooler than room temperature, it is not going to cool you off. By design, it should do a fair job at keeping the cold in. I wonder if he meant having cold water to drink helped him keep cool. I certainly prefer chilled water to 85ºF water when I am riding.

hmmm maybe that's whaat he meant, thanks for your info.

For long hot rides, I fill my 70 oz. Camelbak with ice, then add water. Works great. Been using it for decades. The way to keep cool on the bike is to sweat. The way to sweat is to drink. When you stop sweating, you are in deep trouble, right now. Taking plenty of water is what you do. A big advantage of a Camelbak on the bike is that you're more likely to drink because it's so convenient and safe with both hands on the bars and no bottle to distract.

A Camelbak comes in handy on longer rides w/o a C-store. Filled with ice, it seems to cool me(it has a channel for airflow between the pads). I've also frozen it solid for 100 degree centuries. Still cool by mile 90.

I'll fill empty pockets with ice; that at least goes away completely when it stops being cold. I'd never want a Camelback on a ride.

Never done it myself, but I know a double century rider who uses ice in a Camelback all the time for cooling.

My Camelback is fairly insulated, so I don't think there would be a lot of contact cooling, just cool water from it. I use it mostly as a utility pack without water... yes some sweat, but more of an inconvenience of ending up with a moist shirt than any particular sweaty feeling.

I've found may Contigo stainless bottles fit in standard bicycle cages (although they may rattle a bit).

I don't use ice, but they seem to keep the drink cool even if left in the sun.



Limited to about 20 OZ, I think.

Before CamelBak insulated came along, I used a CamelBak Classic 70 oz. during warmer weather.

I hate drinking hot water.

I used to take a camelbak into the mountains because I was concerned I'd run out of water (Honestly, I should still do it).

Things the camelbak provides:
1) handy storage for stuff. Brought a spare tire once when I was getting side eye from one of my tires and actually needed it.
2) TONS of cold, fresh water. I don't like drinking out of that little tube while climbing, but it's certainly easy to refill your bottle.

THings the camelbak does not provide.
1) any sort of cooling. Well, you might get some dripping condensation from the bladder, which is a benefit.

But if you have excess amounts of fresh, cold water... you can drizzle some down your back and that feels divine when you're hot. Oh, and you can wet your sunsleeves with fresh water when you have something sugary in your bottles, so there's that.

Roadies love to hate them but they're crazy useful.

I just put ice in my insulated Camelbak Podium bottles.

What Trojan said!

I use one all the time. The ice water may provide some internal cooling, but the bag does not other than maybe keeping the direct sun off your back.

Crushed ice or cubes doesn't last long. Freeze a couple of 500ml bottled water, run a little hot water over them and slice the plastic off. Place in the bladder and then top off. (this also keeps the "earthquake emergency" water stock rotated. Otherwise it would sit until it aged out)

A 3L with two 500ml ice cylinders is enough for 80-100mi and still cold till 80mi in 90+ heat.

Depends on how long you're out there.

Once you've melted that ice -- which doesn't take that long, the pack is a liability.