Keen to understand how many use a hydration pack, bottles (if so where are they mounted) or a hydration pack in a frame bag.

If you go with the latter 2 options how does that impact what you don’t carry as a result of not being able to have a full frame bag because of bottles OR because the hydration pack pretty much takes up the majority of the frame bag.

If you do go with a hydration pack what size pack in litres do you find is the maximum you can use without it getting loading up with other stuff and becoming too heavy?

I use bottles on the forks. No hydration pack – but then I don’t own one and wouldn’t ever use a hydration pack on my back. If I want more water I put a bottle in the frame pack or in a cage under the down tube.

Depends whether I’m “racing” or touring, length of ride, weather, etc. For races that I expect to complete in a day I’ll use a hydration pack – a 2L Camelbak Lobo. Sometimes I’ll use frame mounted bottles, if it’s hot I might use both bottles and hydration pack. I use a partial frame bag and use DMR clamps to move the bottle down slightly so that it all fits. I’ll also fit a bottle mount to the front of the seat post so there’s a bottle beneath the nose of the saddle.

Another factor to consider is how often you will come across water to top up, if there’s a lot then you all you might need is a single bottle. Conversely with not many becks around you’ll need to carry more.

As Bob says, each ride can result in a different strategy. I find that I’ve developed my ideas almost every time I’ve been out. Two bottles in the frame and a third on the downtube can be handy if doing long night rides when replenishment can be difficult. In wet areas, one bottle can be enough. If there’s lots of hike-a-bike then 1.5kg in a backpack can be easier than having that weight on the bike.

I’d say it’s best to get out lots and find what works best for you.

I use a camelbak 3l and also use ortlieb water bladders. The ortliebs pack down to nothing when empty too and they wedge in amongst the other kit.

I also try to arrange it so there’s a fill up opportunity too, cafe , pub etc.. If I’m in the Highlands, I’ll use water tabs and a stream to fill up.

When I’m in the Highlands I just fill up from the stream no tabs.

I’ve only had giardia once….And that was from a “safe” drinking tap in new Zealand.

I am like trail rat. a bottle to fill up is enough usually. Don’t put tabs in highland water – its the best purest water you will find! Only thing you can put in it is whisky

This is why I use tabs. This was on a riverbank in the Highlands. It’s below the waterline too.

I don’t want to risk drinking this, even watered down. If I’m ill, I earn no money.

No money = No bike bits

Filling up from a river wouldn’t be considered a smart move anyway so unlikely I’ll have that issue.

As long at it’s not a heat wave I use a Sawyer water filter to keep my 2 bottles mounted on the frame topped up

As for a frame bag I use THIS ONE

Nothing on my back unless it’s cold and I need warmer clothes then they go in a small Wingnut (lower) back pack

I use a hydration pack on general day long MTB rides, but on previous bike tours I have used a larger Vaude backpack with bladder (too heavy), so was trying to work out whether a 9 litre hydration pack with 3 litre bladder would be too heavy on the back for multi day trips.

As to bottles on forks, could you mount litre sized bottles and if so what cages would you use?

I’d avoid taking 3 litres of water if at all possible (obviously the route might demand this ).

I use a variety of set-ups. Most common is a bottle mounted low in the frame, which allows space for a small partial frame bag under the top tube. May supplement that with a small bladder in a waist/bum bag. Often carry a fold-up bottle and sometimes a Sawyer filter on longer trips where I think I might need it.

bumper – 5 m downstream anything from that dead sheep will be so diluted as to be insignificant. anyway as trail rat says you fill from side streams above the line where the sheep feed. For 50 years I have been drinking highland water and lowland as well. Never been ill from it, never heard of anyone being ill from it.

I’ll still not risk it thanks. Water tabs cost next to nothing and take no space up in my packs.
That sheep was actually up in the mountains, way higher than you may think. You don’t know what other shite is in the water. It may be diluted but you’re still playing the odds no matter how much they’re in your favour.

I’m not Bear Grylls.

Water tabs taste disgusting tho – thats my objection.

I suppose a sawyer mini would do better than tabs or a small gravity type filter. I’ve only used tabs occasionally on super hot days when I’ve ran out. Then I boil the water for something and add it to food etc. It loses the swimming pool taste a bit then.

Sawyer water filter

I have one of those too, but I have become really confused regarding their effectiveness. The standard filter will not filter out viruses as it only filters to 0.1 microns.

“Viruses: Parasitic infectious microbes, composed almost entirely of protein and nucleic acids, which can cause disease(s) in humans. Viruses can reproduce only within living cells. They are 0.004 to 0.1 microns in size, which is about 100 times smaller than bacteria.”

When should you worry about viruses. Are they an issue in water sources found on most bikepacking destinations. Rockies, NZ, Scotland?

Boiling and steri tabbing ?

My house water isn’t even that clean 🙂

For most trips I use a half frame bag (revelate tangle) and two bottles. One normal cycling bidon one and the other changes between a cycling bidon and a drinksafe travel tap, which is a filter bottle

Giardia is present in new Zealand. I even got it despite only using “safe” taps. Didn’t once fill up from a river over there.

We somewhere in Abel Tasman I got it

Jenn got it on the tour divide as well but she admitted her self she was using questionable sources

Viruses? Not in scotland I think. Giardia is around yes but thats a parasite is it not. Think thats all you can get in Scotland and its only in the water below the sheep grazing and even then its rare IIRC

You will get viruses in rivers below sewage treament works or cities but even I would not drink the lower Clyde

sawyer water filter! i sometimes get a 2ltr bottle of water and when used i squash the bottle flat then store it, if i need water i blow it back up and fill from stream/river/puddle then attach the Sawyer

I used to live in a house with a private water supply basically diverted from the stream on the hill above the house. We used to chuck a bit of chlorine in it when the inspectors were due otherwise nothing – and that was sheep grazing land. No issues

trail_rat – Member
Boiling and steri tabbing ?

My house water isn’t even that clean

I do drink it unboiled too, just end up using it with something to ‘hide’ the taste so it usually ends up being boiled too 😀

My dog had giardia, possibly from drinking welsh stream water. It was messy! There’s also a chance of crypto, which would give us a nice case of diarrhoea. I know the chances are slim but I’m not willing to risk it.

I grew up in a house with unfiltered, untreated spring water. Our current house’s water supply is unfiltered and untreated. Never had any problems.

Anyway back to the subject in hand. What to leave out instead of water? Tough call – generally you need to figure out what you didn’t use on previous trips, get rid of all that and you should have room for water 😆

Always use a 28l Osrpey pack with a 3 liter bladder

I know most bike packers prefer not to have a back pack, i prefer to have a dropper and no saddle bag

Long rides I have a soft pouch bottle that can be rolled up when empty in the frame bag. two bottles on the frame (Tangle frame bag an XL frame means I can get two in).
I have some Alpkit Stem cells, which could take two bottles if I chose. Best of all is the King cage stem cap mounted cage as its out of the mud and close to hand.

On the trail day 17 by Jim Barrow, on Flickr

Depends what I’m doing, when I was in America and we knew we wouldn’t be going near civilisation for a bit we filled up two 1L bottles on the forks and had a 2L bladder in the frame bag. If I’m doing something in the UK I tend to just use the bladder in the frame bag. When I did the bear bones event last weekend I used a backpack with a 2L bladder and carried nothing on the fork legs. John Climber and I filtered water coming out the bog by the bothy using our Sawyer filters and we’re still alive!

Slight hijack – are the Sawyer mini filters any good? I’ve heard conflicting stories, some say they’re fab, others less so.

They’re good

I’ve used a Sawyer’s filter to drink tap water in a Delhi hotel, and I’m still alive. The ultimate test!

Sawyer filters are good, easy to use and quick.

Something like the Drinksafe is slightly harder to use but catches more stuff – e.g. viruses and chemicals. The filter pores are smaller than the Sawyer

So I tend to stick with the Drinksafe. I have one already so not worth changing for me. Plus the Travel Tap bottles fits in a bottle cage on a bike

I use a Travel Tap when going anywhere that will have streams, rivers, etc. Which is most places I fancy bivying.

But then I never race, or am in a hurry.
Just one bottle filled whenever the opportunity presents has worked well so far.

The original design was a normal bike bottle shape, the new one is less cage-friendly, but the lid threads might match up to something else. I’m still on my original – just buy a new cartridge every couple of years. You can also get an inline filter for a camelbak hose.

I use it on day-rides too.

+1 for stream water, I’m not even that picky about the stream and I’ve never had an issue with it in the Peak district , Lake district, Wales, or SE England.

If it’s moving, aerated, and in sunlight it’s likely to be fine.

That said I usually plan to take enough water for the day/trip unless I can plan water stops.

If you go with the latter 2 options how does that impact what you don’t carry as a result of not being able to have a full frame bag because of bottles OR because the hydration pack pretty much takes up the majority of the frame bag.

One method I’ve seen used well is a 1l bottle in a frame bag, placed upper/front area. Doesn’t collapse as you drink / constant space use. It’s not as fast access as a bladder but we don’t need to drink as often as camelback might promote. If you have a smooth zip on the frame bag it can work, simple too.

If you do go with a hydration pack what size pack in litres do you find is the maximum you can use without it getting loading up with other stuff and becoming too heavy?

I used a backpack for one ride where speed/ease of refill counted plus a full frame bag took up bottle space but the backpack only held 3l a couple of times and was generally 1-2l and some food, maybe a jacket, easy stowage stuff. So 2-3kg average max, any more can get uncomfortable.
Generally prefer a smaller pac-a-sac for short-term overflow storage and a smaller frame bag that leaves space for 1 or 2 large bottles. I’ve fitted them to the fork but don’t like adding 1.5-2kg there unless it’s really necessary. Using chlorine di-ox and / or a sawyer with a 1l platypus folding bottle means there’s few rides that need more than 2 bike bottles, 1.8l capacity. Remembering to drink a bottle full at any source before re-filling and moving on helps.

I take a 2l camelbak bikepacking because I couldn’t be arsed figuring out how to get the bottles on my bike otherwise (have a full frame bag). Usually go half-full and top up somewhere, although will fill it up if its hot or water will be scarce.

More than happy to drink stream water in Scotland/Lakes etc but might be more wary in other places. I certainly wouldn’t totally discourage some kind of purification if you’re not keen o the water source – it’s your guts after all.