camelbak, not worth it?

Anyone else think they are overkill for most rides?

Welcome to the forum.

…and don’t know. Up to the individual, I guess.

Only take one if I’m going out on a big ride, for local stuff, a bottle and stuff in my rear pockets, happy days.

Yrah,but easy to have all your stuff in one bag rather than swap it around.

Gives me more time to meet girls and do acting.

I like them but then again my bike has no bottle mounts.

If I’m gong for a shorter ride just put less water in the bladder. All my tools are always in it and its nice to have somewhere safe to put my keys and phone. I hate riding with stuff in my short pockets.

If I’m going out for longer than half and hour I’ll always take my Camelbak. For a trip to the shops, yup probably overkill!

I hate stuffing a tube and tyre levers into my pockets when i ride, so a Camelbak makes things much simpler. I like both – minimalistic riding sans camel bak and the don’t-have-to-think-about-it-because-all-the-stuff-I-need-already-lives-in-my-camelbak.

Gives me more time to meet girls

You met many girls recently Al? 😉

I think they are overkill moneywise. Non branded bladder and decent rucksack can be had cheaper.

Not a fan myself, so yes, overkill.

Bag pretty much always, bladder only for longer rides and wet days, where a bottle would get covered in deer shoot

You met many girls recently Al?

Bailed until July I hear.

Camelbak overkill? It’s a bag of water, how is that overkill?

What else am I going to carry the kitchen sink in on my ride?

Difficult to carry my parachute otherwise

only if most rides are mincing round your local park. If you mountian bike in mountains they are quite good. Great for carrying food, spare tubes, water and all that crap without buying stupid tops with pockets in them.

You can also carry those small plastic troll figures in them

Great for carrying food, spare tubes, water and all that crap without buying stupid tops with pockets in them.

See all my tops have pockets for carrying food, spare tubes, water and all that crap, so I don’t have to buy a stupid overpriced rucksack. I also am far less bitter about other people having choices, and see why people do use them.

If I’m out for 15ish miles or less I’ll generally not take the camelbak. If its a new ride, or maybe more techy I’d take the camelbak.

I’ve even been known to not take anything at all, I’m crazy like that sometimes!

As for value, I bought a cheapo £15 no brand camelbak copy, lasted two rides. After that bought a proper one and its been fine for the last 5 years. A poor man pays twice.

not used a bottle off road since i went to lift one to take drink and that lovely waft of dog shit hit my nostrils.

How else are you going to carry the dSLR, spare lenses and external flash?

I thought this was going to be about the price.
£80 for a ickle back pack!!!

Not sure why anyone would pay £80 for one.. unless they wanted one of the larger ones for big days out, then obviously, it wouldn’t be overkill.

I wasn’t sure but didn’t want the bottle on the bike so bought one from Sportsdirect on eBay for £12.
Not brilliant but better than chasing bottles rolling down the hillside.

The prices charged are now ludicrous….take a bow Acre.

If I’m mucking about on the local jumps and DH runs then it stays at home because I dint like jumping or riding DH with one. Any XC or trail ride then it gets worn. I hate riding with stuff in jersey pockets….even on the road, anything other than a phone and food is annoying hence me braking ‘the rules’ and using a saddle bag.

Not sure why anyone would pay £80 for one.

The last one I paid that much for lasted 7 years it’s not really that much.

I like them as it saves me having to worry what i need to take as it is all sat there and I just pick it up check for water and then ride

Water bottles off road get covered in crap so I prefer to not bother with them

I have a HAWG which is the biggest one I think and take it out every ride. I leave pump shock pump (once randomly lost all air in forks and not been out without one since) tubes and tools in there, which is my minimum for a ride, then for a quick blast i just pick it up and go, or depending on the ride add bladder, food, jacket, spare kit etc.
Amazingly it does actually work without filling it up, i’d rather have too much space and not allways use it all than not have enough and break the zips trying to fit everything in…
Plus if I only have 40 minutes to get ready get out and get back I don’t want to spend 20 figuring out which pack bottle or jersey to take.
Cost me £50 in the crc sale

I like them as it saves me having to worry what i need to take as it is all sat there and I just pick it up check for water and then ride

(I’m usually bleary-eyed and half awake when I’m throwing everything together for an MTB ride)

+

my bike has no bottle mounts

Only ever bought em cheap/half price, and my ’98 MULE only got retired a year or so ago as my other half banned me from repairing it and bought me a new pack for my birthday.

My last camelback lasted ages before I retired it for being a bit rotten and manky which was all my fault for leaving it wet and manky in the garage. I replaced it with an Evoc jobbie bought in the sale.

I don’t see why they are more overkill than any other method of carrying stuff around – so long as you’re not filling full of superfluous stuff. You don’t have to fill the bladders, they don’t weight much so wha’t the problem? You only have to decide if you can stand having a backpack on while riding. It doesn’t bother me and don’t see why rodies don’t wear them instead of cluttering up their bikes with bottle cages and saddle bags. A very practical solution.

As for the cost – well there are plenty who seem to think that spending more than £30 on Lycra shorts is acceptable so £80 for a really useful and practical thing that will last for years seems a bargain to me.

I think a full one has saved my back twice in big stacks. Hard enough to burst it once ! Worth it for that alone.

Used a North Face Hammerhead since about 2008, cost about £60 IIRC, so at about a tenner a year, it’s not worse than replacing bottles I guess. Bike has no frame mounts, and it’s got my tube and repair kit pre-loaded (so to speak) so it’s no bother.

Oddly though, I carry all my stuff in jersey pockets on the road bike.

Choice is great

Choice is great

Sensible views like that have no place round here!

I keep all essentials (pump, tube, multitool, sram link etc) in my HAWG and use it when i am commuting and on the trails. Got a HAWG for the extra room as i needed to carry work clothes in it when commuting. Only use a bladder on proper rides, i use a bottle when i am on the road. I do have a smaller camelbak for shorter rides but got fed up swapping stuff between the 2 bags so just use my HAWG now.

Have two, both bought second hand.
Small one for local rides gets used most.
Leave both kitted up with pump, tube(s) & a Topeak Hummer ready to go.
Wore one on a road bike once & old ladies & vicars threw stones at me.

So say your sans camelbak & you want to take a jacket in case it rains or it gets cold, where do you keep it?

Anyone else think they are overkill for most rides?

Yes, but then mostly I’m only out for less than a couple of hours, and a bottle & pockets does.

So say your sans camelbak and you want to take a jacket in case it rains or it gets cold, where do you keep it

Cycling jersey. Goretex jacket in one pocket, Tube, multitool, levers, gas, patches and pump (all in a ziplock freezer bag to keep everything clean) in another, phone and food in the third.

This is OK for summer riding. I carry a camelback with a spare base layer and a space blanket for going up actual hills in winter.

They make a very good crash mat 😳

I’ve just retired my ancient Mule after who knows how many years of abuse and replaced it with a new Mule NV.

Considering I carry a pump, shock pump, tyre levers, multitool/allenkeys, brake pads, mech hanger, zip ties, 2 x tubes, gel sachet’s/jelly babies, 1.5-2.5l of water and (bearing in mind this is the UK) more often than not another layer of some description on nearly all of my rides….I’d say, they are not only worth it, but essential.