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Hydration options while riding?

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I've been riding to work at night a bit lately and although its only about 90 degrees, I still want something to drink before I finish my 45 minute ride in. There are camel backs which seem good, but I don't want something on my back trapping more body heat. Can something like that be set on the tank in a bag or something to use while moving?

What are everyone's ideas? I'd like to know what works best for full face helmets as that's what I have. A water bottle with a bendy straw would work at stop lights, but not on the freeway.
 
If its in a tank bag, can you still drink from it easily? I always assumed the camel back used gravity to feed the water most of the way through the tube. I've never used anything like it before so I know nothing. Those look pretty simple and well priced.

Thanks for the link Meriden
 
When I'm on my Tenere I put my Camelback on the tank. Works good.
 
I don't want something on my back trapping more body heat.


Filled with enough ice, the camelbak will actually be cooling you down. Or, get an extension hose and put the pack on the back seat or tank. Gravity isn't needed, the thing can be below you and you can still comfortably drink from it...
 
Filled with enough ice, the camelbak will actually be cooling you down. Or, get an extension hose and put the pack on the back seat or tank. Gravity isn't needed, the thing can be below you and you can still comfortably drink from it...

In a cooler, iced down.
IMG_0988-L.jpg
 
I just got turned on to the packing ice in the camelbak trick. It makes a big difference in the comfort on your back and quality of the refreshment. If you already have a camelbak I'd try this first before spending any more money.

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:tab I am a big fan of putting ice in the bladder, if it is available. Many times, when stopping for gas, they will let me get ice out of the soda machine without any charge once I explain what I want to do. Also, when finished with lunch, if we eat at a restaurant, I will ask for a pitcher of ice and dump it in the bladder.

:tab Realistically though, I have not found that wearing my backpack makes me any hotter than not wearing it. I wear a KLIM Badlands Pro jacket. The armor is ribbed and also has holes in it to allow for air flow even if it is pressed against the back. Also, my backpack has raised pad with gaps between them that also allows for air flow between the pack and the jacket. The only real issue is how much weight I am willing to have on my back. I have found that I prefer to have a three liter bladder for a single day ride, especially if it is hot. There have been times where I have drained it by noon, or shortly thereafter! I sometimes even carry a ceramic water filter so I can refill it from a creek, lake, puddle, whatever. But, that is only for times when I am WAY out in the boonies.

:tab One piece of advice I would stress is don't put anything in it that has sugar. If you forget to clean it right away, it will start growing all kinds of fuzzy things. This is what I currently use:

https://kriega.com/riderpacks/r20

The bladder opens at the top completely, so you can stick your entire hand inside it. It folds over and has a clip that slides over the fold so it cannot come open. It has NEVER leaked at all. It makes cleaning super easy compared to the Camel-Bak bladders with the screw type lids. Filling is also easier, especially with ice. The backpack can hold quite a bit. I usually put stuff like extra gloves, snacks, sweatshirt (when it is cold), and other light stuff so that the water is the only real weight. The backpack sits VERY comfortably on my shoulders and back. I don't really even notice it when riding. It is also quite durable. I have crash tested it with a nasty high side into a lot of dirt/mud. I landed on it and the bladder did not rupture and the pack itself shows no indication of wear. I have also worn it in heavy rains and the contents stayed dry even though it is technically not water proof. I still put things that MUST stay dry in big Zip-Loc bags.
 
I just got turned on to the packing ice in the camelbak trick. It makes a big difference in the comfort on your back and quality of the refreshment. If you already have a camelbak I'd try this first before spending any more money.

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+1
And I've rode in some crazy hot temps (up to 118°F) without thinking twice. I like to drink while standing on the pegs so bladder must be on my back. Standing is a great technique to stay cool also.

I also never have to buy water. At each gas or food stop just top off your bladder as needed with ice. All those fountain machines filter their water used to make ice. I've only had one place in all of NA riding, 5 yrs, 135k miles to charge me for ice. Exxon station in Presidio, TX.

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I have a camel back brand pack. Used it yesterday while running to Yorktown for a tour of Honor pic. Finally dawned on me to wear it under my jacket. Full of ice, courtesy of the Brenham Starbucks, and what a difference. Made the last part of the ride bearable. 2pm on 290. HOT. Now what to do about the 2X10 with foam Honda calls a seat.....


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I use a Geigerrig because it has a pressured bladder. I have the biggest one they make and it will typically last me all day even in the hottest of temps. When two-up it sits laying down on the trunk top rack. When solo it sits upright on the passenger seat. I have a long enough tube that it comes up the right side of the bike and then crosses over my lap/tank with the mouthpiece secured between my GPS and my clutch cylinder.

I use it to not only drink from but to spray down my jacket sleeves in order to soak my LD Comfort shirt. With a typical hydration pack you need to be sure to blow the excess water in the tube back into the reservoir or the next sip you take is going to be pretty hot. With the Geigerrig I just sqeeze the mouthpiece and the water sprays until it's cold again.

https://www.aquamira.com/geigerrig/products/hydration-packs/
 
great info so far. thanks everyone. I'll start doing research on cost vs features and find something.
 
I use the same camelbak for bicycle or motorcycle riding. Works great. In hot weather on a long ride, I make it a point to take a sip every 10 minutes or so.
 
I make it a point to take a sip every 10 minutes or so.

:tab This is what a lot of people fail to understand. Your body can only absorb so much fluid in a given amount of time. If you drink more than it can consume, it just passes on through and makes you have to whiz. I see people that will go a long time between drinks, then guzzle a huge drink at a stop, and they don't understand why they are getting so thirsty and dehydrated. If you are at the point where you are really thirsty and/or your mouth is getting dry, you are already way behind and it will be exceptionally hard to catch up unless you just stop your activity. Taking regular drinks (like 5-6 mouth fulls) every 10-15 minutes will do wonders for keeping you hydrated. It is amazing how much fluid you can take in and sweat out even in a few hours. If you do it right, you will rarely have to stop for a bathroom break.
 
All great advice here. On the cruisers I tend to run a sports waterbottle up on the dash- a bicycle style squeeze/squirt style usually. On the sportbike I've been putting the camelbak in the tankbag and that seems to work; on the dirtbike I'm running the camelbak on my back and not minding it very much. Good to know that it can be loaded with ice- haven't tried that yet.
 
:tab Regarding ice, I have heard some people say they fill and freeze the bladder. Just be aware that if you do this, NEVER fill it completely before freezing! Water expands when it freezes and it may rupture the bladder. Also, the ice simply will not melt fast enough for you to be able to drink what you need when you need it. You are far better off either just adding ice from your freezer or a gas station, or just freeze half the bladder and then top it off with water before you leave.
 
I use a half gallon rtic water bottle fitted with camelback drink hose . I store in my aerostich pannier bag.
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I need that sticker on every door in my house... :-P
 
:tab Regarding ice, I have heard some people say they fill and freeze the bladder. Just be aware that if you do this, NEVER fill it completely before freezing! Water expands when it freezes and it may rupture the bladder. Also, the ice simply will not melt fast enough for you to be able to drink what you need when you need it. You are far better off either just adding ice from your freezer or a gas station, or just freeze half the bladder and then top it off with water before you leave.

When I bought my first hydration pack - actually a cheap plastic thingie from Walmart, that dropped inside a day pack - I began the practice of sipping every couple of minutes while hiking. I was frankly amazed at the difference it made in how much more easily I could knock out a 10-miler. I carried that practice over to bicycle riding, and it's become a norm for motorcycle touring.

When I was on the way home from Arizona last month, I stopped at a convenience store in NM and asked if I could refill my Camelbak. Nobody in the store had any idea what it was. They were all absolutely convinced it was some kind of portable swamp cooling device. In a sense, I guess that was true.
 
I'm guessing with the ice thing, the camelback goes inside the riding jacket. My Tourmaster jacket has a large foam pad in the middle that I would assume would really just insulate me from the coolness.
 
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