Normally ride with a Dakine drafter and have found this to be fantastic. Found my old Dakine shuttle in the garage and thought about getting a new bladder for it to use in the winter when I don’t need to carry as much water. The price of the bladders aren’t to far off the price of a new pack ( on sale ). I’ve just started riding a road bike with bottle and cage, got to say I’m really liking not having a pack on my back. Don’t want to use bottles for the mtb but seen some waist hydration packs on the net. They are marketed at the stand up paddle boards but can’t see any reason you couldn’t use them for the bike. Any one got one? Dakine sweeper and camel back tahoe.

Or has anyone got any other options?

Wingnut 2.5 might be worth looking at. I find mine a lot better than a conventional pack.

I quite often use an Osprey Talon waist pack; there’s two versions – a 4litre and an 8litre. Can’t recall which it is I have.

Can take two bottles, so you have potentially 1.5litres of fluid, and plenty of internal storage – and has two zipped pockets on the waist belt for more kit. As someone with Type 1 diabetes I tend to need to carry more than just the usual bike gubbins.

Inov 8 do one as well, this has a proper bladder rather than a bottle carrier

I use a Wingnut. they are great once you get the fit right and the straps at the right length. they do look a bit like a big bum bag though so your mates will take the piss.

Can’t see where the hose goes on the inov8 one. Do they hop around much ( the pack ) while riding?

The wingnut seems to go up your back a fair way going by the google images?