Went out for a ride tonight without using a Camelback with just a bottle tucked in the back pocket of my jersey.

How nice was it without a sweaty patch on my back. 😯

I take a Camelback everytime I go out and it's got various spares, pumps, cables and tools that I've probably used once on my bike and more often than not lend to someone else.

So here's the question…..other than for carrying jackets is it worth taking a camelback for a short ride or just use bottles and put them in my jersey pockets.

What do you guys do?

i hate using a backpack of any kind with a passion.
but how else do you carry enough fluid/stuff for days ride……and moreso keep you water source clean.
cow/horse/pig pooh slurry ona bottle is not nice……….. 😆

Short rides, use a bottle cage and pockets/saddlebag.
Long rides I normally take a bag as I can't carry the food and water.
Races I treat like short rides as you normally have the oportunity for a refill.

Different for an all dayer but for short rides I think I'll give the bottle thing a go

I once licked sheep poo off my top lip once and it didn't taste very nice

My Camelback only gets used as a last resort I hate having a sweaty bag of water on my back

Strangely, I usually carry my CB Mule with spares etc, but gave up on hydration bladders years ago !

Stuff a bottle in there – but as others have said, mtb off road + bottle on frame = misery (too much sh*te)

Only use my camelback for long rides or when it's really hot. Rarely put more than a litre of water in, and have never even drunk all that. Tools, tubes etc are packed in saddlebags, which look a bit crap, but means anything I might need is always attached to the bike. I'm absent minded, and would forget things otherwise.

I normally use 2x big bottles with caps ( prevent crap )for water and a bag for clothes / medkit / dog food and doggie med kit etc on mediun rides or as a last resort a water bladder on the big rides… but i hate the weight my my back…

Also the dog has its own pannier system too on epic days!!

short rides = single bottle and a saddlepack…

a rucksack is awful in the heat but at least it offers some crash protection

paul

I like using a camelbak. Don't notice it on me any more than I notice wearing a helmet.

I thought it was only me who hated camelbacks.

As you did, I eventually got round to fitting a bottle cage to my bike, after years of camelbacking.

It was fantastic! Jst like the good old days!

Is it my imagination or do many new frames not have the female fittings for bottle cages? My Ibis doesn't. I use the camelback Mule, with the bladder fully loaded for summer rides here in the desert SW/US, but only 1/3 to 1/2 filled in the winter. In summer, I fill the bag almost full of ice cubes, then finish filling with water, so have ice-cold water for entire ride.
I have always like the idea of keeping the frame unweighted as possible, although not sure it really makes a difference.

Has to be a camelbak for me. I drink like a fish when I have water on me, can easily drink 3+ litres of water in 3 hours or less coupled with the fact that water bottles will fly out distractingly at the smallest bump jump or drop and it's a no brainer.

On more than one occasion my camelbak has functioned like basic back armour and stopped me losing plenty of skin. Yet another reason to strap it on – sweaty back syndrome only becomes noticeable when you stop anyway.

I've ditched my Camelbak Mule and got a Vaude Juicy Air 7+3 for shorter rides – crap name, but a good pack. It uses the trampoline back system so the body of the pack is held about an inch away from your back, meaning much more ventilation and much less sweatiness. The pack itself weighs about the same as the Mule – it's probably slightly easier to pack as the frame for the trampoline system keeps its shape and stops it turning into a stuffed sausage. It's got 2 main compartments, one larger one that takes the bladder (in a separate sleeve) plus pump, windproof etc and a smaller one with a couple of subdivisions for other bits & bobs. It's also got 2 small mesh pockets on the side and one on the waistband that you can just about squeeze a small pack of Haribo into. It's missing some of the expandable pocket features of the Mule but as I never felt a need to stuff a full face helmet or pads in there that's not an issue. The material's a bit lighter weight than the Mule too but it's survived a crash or two with no ill effects so far. Overall I'd reccomend it as a small pack for anyone who gets proper sweaty backed.

Don't really notice mine giving me a sweaty back, I like it even on short rides for the back protection + the fact my bike can't take bottle cages (and I've already eaten enough sheep and cow shit off water bottles to last me a lifetime).

If I go out for a quick (1.5 hours or less) then I take a bottle & saddle bag, otherwise its the camelbak.

As good as its riding without a camelbak, the pro's out way the cons…I always end up with a dodgy stomach after using bottles because of the crap that gets over them.

Plus my FS wont take a bottle, but I think its time I invested in a new camelback as my Mule is very old.

Always use a Camelbak, or an Osprey Talon 22 for all dayers. Don't like the sweaty back, but would'nt go out without lots of hydration, tube, pump, tools, snack. Oh, and a lock for when the bike is parked outside the pub

I've got a Vaude backpack that's got the same back system as thepurist's from the sound of it.

Much better than having the entire pack sitting against your back.

I have a small camelbak for races/short rides and that makes my back loads more sweaty than the Vaude one.

I only use a bottle for my commute, really.

I don't like stuffing anything non-squashy in the back pockets of riding jerseys in case I go flying and land on it – ouch!

Camelbacks always seemed a necessary evil to me- much preferred to use bottles where possible. I bought a Wingnut pack a while back, which is a lot better with the bulk of the pack carried about waist height. Looks like Camelback are bringing out something along the same lines this year as well.

Switched to a Wingnut pack for long days out but for anything around 3 hours or less I now use a water bottle.

I need a CamelBak…

CamelBak Contents by Flamejob, on Flickr

I need a CamelBak…

How many mech hangers do you break on an average ride?! 😯

I often go on short rides with NOTHING. No mobile phone, no water, no spares. I like living on the very edge.

How many mech hangers do you break on an average ride?!

I keep one for each bike in there.

There be rocks in them hills

The first aid kit is re-filled weekly when I'm riding with/for Switch-Backs. People tend to go a bit nuts the first day or so 😐

I always take my Camelbak – I hate having stuff in my pockets, and my frame is too small to have a water bottle mount.