Water Bottles vs. Bladder: Which is Better for Bikepacking?

[@BIKEPACKINGcom]

What's your favorite water carrying solution for bikepacking?

[@positiivi_teme]

I think the bladder should be classified as the current water bag with drinking tube - system and bags without the tube as soft bottles. Because for example the 2L hydraflask you used in it is kind of same as a 2L water bottle, just made from soft material. 🤔 I prefer to have 1L hard bottle, 2L soft bottle and then collapsible 0,75L bottle to go with the filter. 😄 Hard bottle can take the electrolytes, and soft bottle purely on the storage duty.

[@GeekonaBike]

I'm more a bladder guy. They are harder to lose than bottles & fit better in bags, plus us old geezers can always use more bladder capacity. ; -)

[@Jean-jk4zv]

Bottles everywhere 😊

[@zanedeg]

I've only done a handful of trips but I'm really digging the hardshell style bladder "CrankTank". Feels like the best of both worlds in that it contains all that water weight at the optimal spot in the frame, is less susceptible to punctures, easy to monitor how much is remaining and can be easily filled with a squeeze filter without removing from the bike. I suppose the downsides are: bike fit challenges, inability to add drink mix and a weight penalty over a soft bladder.

[@tomsitzman3952]

In the past year I have switched from plastic water bottles to wide mouth double wall stainless steel water bottles. I have two one liter bottles inside the triangle, with the option of one of them being 1.5 L. All my bottles have screw top lids. On the handlebars I have four grub bags, two on the front of the bar and two facing the cockpit. Grub bags can carry either a one liter or smaller bottle. I have given up on plastic bottles including Nalgene. The water stays cooler and tastes better out of stainless. The wide mouth bottles are easier to keep clean. I only fill the bottles I will need for the day if I know I will have a wet camp in the evening. I have considered a three-liter bladder but have never needed one on the tours I do. But if you have a bladder, get at least a three-liter bag. You can always put one liter of water in a three liter bag but you can't put three liters of water in a one liter bag. One of my half liter bottles is dedicated for an energy drink to prevent Bonking. It is NIDO a fortified mixture of powdered whole milk 28% butter fat and Milo an energy picker up designed in the 1930 called Milo, both from Nestle, found worldwide. Mine is a dedicated sky blue bottle to eliminate confusion. My emergency water filter is a filter straw, 10,000 L. At 82 I need to carry more water than a younger rider since my physiology thermal range is narrower than those under 60.. A good source for like new stainless steel bottles is the Goodwill at $2.

[@josiebones1]

I'm relatively new to bikepacking but from all of my hiking and backpacking experience I know what a cool sip of water from an insulated bottle does for my morale on a hot day. It is huge! I am glad that you have made it work on the bike and I definitely plan to do the same.

[@williamhills6473]

I carry two 2 liter nalgene bottles, one with a drinking hose, on my front forks. I also carry a grayl at the bottom of the frame for purification and extra water. When it's summer I also wrap the bottles in wet wool to help cool the water down from evaporation, it's not a whole lot, but it certainly makes it easier to drink.

[@brokenspine66]

Wrap the bottle? Why not simply slip a thick sock over the bottle😁

[@williamhills6473]

@brokenspine66 This is exactly what I do... merino wool. Retains water fairly well and is naturally mildew resistant.

[@brokenspine66]

@@williamhills6473 I love simple low tech solutions, like using Nalgene bottles with cargo cages instead of a bottle cages (beside stem bags) to strap on works doesn't matter how thick the sock might be👍

[@RomanoCortesJorge]

Camelbak Magnetic Tube Traps secured with Velcro straps can help organize hydration hoses and keep them from dangling as well as make them easily accessible. Camelbak Big Bite Valve Covers can keep dirt off the bite valve. I use a Camelbak Hose with my Apidra Frame Bladder. Downsides to bladders in general is that you can't easily know how much water is left and they can be hard to clean especially when you mix sports nutrition formula that can go off when left too long.

[@MarlerDunshee]

HEY kislux !! I have been watching you for years and im so proud of where you have made it! I love you so much! Also thanks for making my day

[@BladSpot]

you’re literally my comfort person i love you kislux !

[@SamLasky]

I'm definitely a bottle and bladder combo guy. I like to use a 32 oz bottle in a stem bag for drinking, and i keep a 3L Hydrapak Seeker bladder with a BeFree filter attached in the frame bag. I only fill the bladder up to about 2 liters because it allows the 3L bladder to spread out and conform to the bottom of the frame bag (and I can always fill it up to the full 3 liters if needed). I just use the bladder/filter to refill the bottle as needed.

[@marcellopacifici]

Thank you for another interesting video Neil! I like to use bottles and bladder on bikepacking trips. I have one 0.6L (20oz for my American friends) bottle with electrolytes in a stem bag and a 2L Hydrapak seeker + a 0.6L Befree filter in the frame bag. Living in Finland, where water is abundant, it's usually enough. I refill the bottle from the bladder when necessary and didn't purchase -yet- a bladder with hose, when I want to drink pure water I simply take a sip from the Befree. I'm somehow attracted by hydration vests, they seem to be popular among the ultra cyclists nowadays. But it seems a bit overkill to me, Also, when touring and the road gets rough I move my camera from the handlebar bag to my shoulders. ADD: I didn't see it mentioned often, but bottles tend to get pretty gross when mounted on donwtube, forks, frame, racks... I believe that drinking from a bottle in a stem bag, is one of the most hygienic solutions. Or bottles with a lid of course.

[@garypalmer2066]

I use both bottles and a bladder. I have three one liter bottles on my bike and carry a 2 liter Camelbak in my daypack. Ive been touring 9 months a year since 1982.

[@printerror]

For most of my bikepacking trips, I'll have two 25oz bottles in "chuck buckets" in my cockpit and a 32 or 48oz Nalgene bottle under the down tube as my reserve supply with an empty filter tucked away somewhere. I find this can get me about pretty far for the most part, and if I need to strap a few extra bottles somewhere due to the nature of the trip, it's easily accomplished with extra bottles on the fork or strapped to my tail rack.

[@nicpurton]

I use a number of different combinations depending on the ride (mainly UK based) but the biggest advantage for using bottles is that you can see how much you've got left at any time, plus it easier to ask a pub or cafe to top up your bottle 😊.

[@_MattyG_]

I use looney bins and stem bags. Looney bin has a xl long Nalgene, and a tall bike bottle and in the stem bag I keep a 24oz soft silicone bottle, that collapses as you drink it. This bottle is used for fueling with sodium powders and what not and is topped off with the Nalgene water. I do think having some water storage is great. Throw a trunk bag on your bike and stick a bladder in there! Run an XL hose or just use it for off body water storage. Plenty of ways to do!

[@donovanrice2671]

The 3L water bladder by apidura in my RIPPIE full frame pack and a bottle on the bars for powders.

[@props651]

I carried a CrankTank 3 plus 1 500ml bottle on my last bike packing trip/race. Used the bottle for mixing powder then pour it into the tank. I also used it to keep plain water because sucking on mix got pretty annoying from time to time. So fresh, plain water felt really good to drink.

[@fastmtnbiker]

Use a quick connect on the hose and an ID card retractable lanyard at the valve end to keep the hose within reach. Grab hose before shreddy descent, suck down water while shredding, open mouth when done and the hose retracts back to your bars. With the quick connect hose, unzip framebag and disconnect the hose to remove the bladder for filling/cleaning/switching to a different size. Both my bikes have a hose on them all the time and I can switch between bladders depending on the mission.

[@BIKEPACKINGcom]

Did you sell those Dave? I was thinking of you when I was talking about negotiating hydration hoses.

[@majic2802]

To protect my 3L Camelbak bladder, I’ve shaped a large piece of neoprene to wrap around. The protected bladder then goes into the frame bag from Bike Bag Dude

[@brokenspine66]

I ditched regular bike bottles for Nalgene Bottles all the way for Touring Mountain Biking and Bikepacking. I have still some Camelbak Backpacks w/ bladders lying around but it's more comfy to carry nothing on me.

[@jakedwyer3920]

Original Free Range offers some great hydration accessories. They have a mount for a hose/bite valve that snaps the hose back into place via a little key card style lanyard reel.

[@michaelmather7352]

theres a Austrailian company that makes a hard plastic bladder that fits at the bottom of the frame , holds 3 or 4 ltrs i think .

[@Zyzzyx42]

Not full bikepacking yet, but some long day rides. Right now its just bottles. Two in the frame, two on the fork (Twofish mounts on a Lauf fork). And if I really need it, two more in holders on my Osprey hip pack.

[@gregs7562]

Bit of all 3 really. I've moved away from my Osprey rucksack for my rides. A shoulder injury means that whilst it's OK to wear when walking it's very painful to wear biking. I've instead switched to a Dakine Hotlaps, 2l max bladder. If additional water is needed I can sling a bottle under the down tube. I tried the bladder in frame bag & couldn't be done with the faff of the drinking tube moving around. On shorter rides I'll pop a small bottle into the frame bag instead of everything else. My fat bike seldom leaves the garage without the frame bag in place. Best buy ever.

[@reiddryden9805]

Trying to find a purifier down here in Straya,what kind do you recommend? TIA and cheers

[@karyamanswasta]

what mount do you use for garmin etrex ?

[@CookingMike]

I'm use my backpacking method of using a 2 32 oz smart water bottles in my frame bag , a 24 oz water bottle with sports cap in my feed bag , water filter , then small nalgine for tea and hot water.

[@joshandjamesvosperfromhere6887]

On our bike tours, we carry six 750 ML bottles on our bike (mostly used by my dad) and I use a camelback which has approximately 3 liters of water.

[@bobbymullin88]

3 liter CrankTank paired with a half frame bag

[@davidpodger1388]

good to see the crank tank getting a mention

[@halamagrep9727]

I like the Hip Pack because the hose doesn´t get in the way or even rips off as it can happen when its in a frame bag. It´s nice to put off weight of your bike when u pack light and go MTBing because the weight doesnt affect your bike handling. Plus no rattling bottles on the fork or other Shaninagans. Also you sip away the weight rather quickly from your Hips. If you refill you do so when you take a break anyways so going in the saddle with the weight doesnt feel so bad at all. Thats my 5 Cents for Hip Packs. Lovem.

[@lockie4005]

On a side note, what shirt is that you're wearing?

[@erikd2628]

On hot days I have used a hydro pack in addition to bottles. It's not bad if you're sucking it down and really need it. However 95% I'm bottles only for a couple of reasons: -Easier to fill from a variety of sources or from filter -Durable when strapped to the exterior of the bike -Ease of insulation (big deal if you ride when it gets cold, once that hydro tube freezes it's a real challenge warming it up) -Ease of replacement. Not a huge issue for me currently but you can replace a bottle at anytime with anything, if you are relying 100% on a bladder it's DIY time if you're mid trip it punctures

[@imajez1]

You can get insulation for bladder hoses for cold weather. You can also blow the drink back into bladder, something I do in warm weather when I have chilled drink in backpack. Which also cools the air gap between back and bag. My drink can stay cold for hours, even in a toasty hot day. I also use Camelbak insulated podium bottles, they keep iced drink cold for ages too. Also useful when colder.

[@erikd2628]

Honestly even with just hiking I've not really found the neoprene sleeves or similar to be adequate freeze protection. I'm sure it works for others, I just find it easier to insulate bottles or defreeze them by adding a little boiling water. @@imajez1

[@imajez1]

Just blow the fluid back into bladder and there's nothing to freeze in tube. @@erikd2628

[@_MattyG_]

Not relevant to water, but would love to see a video on crank length and your take. Seems to be a popular topic right now. And wondering if shorter crank would be better for bikepacking for many reasons, more ground clearance, less hip impingement, knees stay lower. Maybe test your cranks you like, some short ones and some long ones and tell us what you think.

[@brandonlopez4800]

I like mountain margaritas and always designate a bottle for this purpose on each trip. I’ve ruined bladders doing this and they are more expensive than bottles.

[@adammacer]

Neither - each has it's own use and purpose.. I use whichever is appropriate and most often in combo

[@IliaDem]

I tried using bladder in backpack. Water became so warm it was disgusting to drink. This is the biggest drawback of bladder in backpack, I find it strange it was not mentioned in the video.

[@subliminalfreedom]

💧

[@FUUUUU1111]

Bladders get smelly and are hard to wash and dry, sooooo...

[@lukeparry1]

I've really enjoyed your videos in the past but I find these surveys quite uninspiring

[@michaelhayward7572]

Backpacks...just say no...

[@MrKneeDropper]

This video had no good info