How do you carry your stuff?

My old Camelback mule is knackered and also too big for most of the rides I do. I need enough space for keys, phone, co2 inflator and a bottle. What do you all use? Are those belt type bottle holders any good?

Thanks.

I use a mix of different stuff depending on the bike and the ride, ranges from a single jersey pocket, through saddle bags, bar bags, Camelback, or drybags strapped to bike/rack.

I need enough space for keys, phone, co2 inflator and a bottle

a pocket and a bottle cage (assuming you have one?) if that’s all you need.

If you’ve got no pockets or just don’t like using them then a small under-saddle pouch will swallow everything but the bottle.

Are those belt type bottle holders any good?

Never used one myself but a few locals do and they seem to get on very well with them, seem stable and the weight is well placed, probably ideal for the >pocket, <bag scenario.

I tend to just ride with a sports direct foldable bottle in one pocket, and keys, phone & sweets in another.

Longer rides I’ll take a small bumbag to carry tools and food.

Or if I’m going somewhere remote or riding all day I’ll take a camelback, but prefer to ride without if possible.

I carry lots, on every ride nearly, old outdoor instructor habits.

My waterproof, repair kit, inner tube, pump, first aid kit, hat, gloves, bivvibag, headtorch and spare batteries, phone, water….all require a 15lt rucsack, more if it is a group ride…

I try and avoid carrying anything on my person when there’s a perfectly suitable bike to support the load. If you come off the bike with stuff in your pocket e.g. phone, could work out expensive.

I use a Camelbak Mule 😀

Sounds like all you need is a bottle cage and a pocket, failing that one of the smaller packs on the market.

I try and ride without a pack if at all possible, and put stuff in jersey / short pockets and use a bottle cage. The trick is to find jerseys which don’t look like you’ve just stepped off a road bike, but thanks to enduro, there are more MTB jerseys with pockets becoming available.

Depends on the remoteness of the car an availability of water/food. At races most have a feed station so just use them so its rare to use a pack.

Usually just bottle on the bike with possibly a tube taped on and everything else such as multi tool, energy bar, phone, key in my pocket…

Most stuff when I take a pack doesn’t get used anyway! pointless weight

I went for one of those “take minimum gear” ride some time ago. **** it, never again! I prefer to have the kit I may not use, than to not have something I need…

Backpack with bladder for me every time.

I’ve got three camelbacks, small medium and large.

Jersey pockets, saddle bag and bottle cage.

I carry lots, on every ride nearly, old outdoor instructor habits.

Yup, I am a bit like that sometimes,always have the ‘just in case’ stuff that never comes out the bag.

Road bike,it’s just pockets and a seat pack.

I suppose it comes down to how long/far away from civilisation I am going to be.

Quicklink taped to swingarm, tube velcro strapped to top tube, water and co2 on bottle cage, tubeless repair kit in handlebars, multitool and phone in separate pockets, my phone is waterproof and pretty sturdy though. Wouldn’t want to do that with an iphone.

I also have a camelbak but since buying a frame with bottlecage mounts haven’t used it once!

I tend to use a Revelate Tangle “half frame” bag with a couple of bottles, less sweaty back moments…

If my camelbak seems to be too big, I pull the cinch straps an tighten it up then stop worrying.

ir_bandito often goes for a ride without his bag or with less kit and he’ll puncture without fail 😆

a multi tool. a tube. a pump. that’s it.

local rides I often carry nothing at all but also have a local use specific bike I which has a pump/tube/bottle on it permanently. often ride that upto 5 hrs.
further afield – depending on warmth/climbing I might use a 1.5l camelback which also has a multi tool. pump and tube (x2 if on a long solo ride) and a small snack

I’m the exact opposite of matt_outandabout. know firsthand all the outdoor leadership rules/regs. and deem it all OTT personally for UK riding.

Can’t think of anything worse than riding with a 15l pack.

Belt type holder here and love it.
Got enough room for most bits/bottle and a bungee type strap to fit a thin jacket.
Much prefer it to a backpack and no more sweaty back.

I used to take shit loads of stuff!!! 😆
Camelbak Kit by MilkieKula[/url], on Flickr

I still take quite a bit: Pump, Shock Pump, Tyre Levers, Patches, Tubeless Repair Kit, Energy Gels, Cable Ties, Spare Tube, MultiTool, Waterproof Coat, Waterproof Bag, Plasters, Pain Killers
^^ That all stays in the bag and goes with me whenever I take my bag.
I also have a little bag of spares that stays in the bag, it includes: Mech Hanger, Bolts, Washers, Quicklinks (9/10/11sp), Gear Cable, Brake Pads and probably a lot of other stuff I can’t remember.

All this goes in a Osprey Raptor bag, add 3L of fluid and knee pads and it weighs a ton! 😆 If I’m doing a short local ride that means I’m only 15-20mins from the car/home then I won’t bother taking a bag, it will get left in the car.

After seeing someone drop 15 feet off a trail, flat on his back on to the road below 8O.. I prefer to take my Camelbak, it does give a little protection, he wouldn’t have been carrying on with the ride if his bag didn’t break his fall.

ir_bandito often goes for a ride without his bag or with less kit and he’ll puncture without fail

Yeah Jon,it’s sod’s law. You can do hundreds of miles,take a load of stuff and never need it,then you pop out on a ‘local’ ride with next to nothing and have a complete nightmare.

Milkie… Like your style 1210s for beats on a ride!!

If it’s just a spin around FOD or BPW on my own then I tend to carry a pump, tube, levers, tool and 500ml Volvic bottle (other brands of water are available), key and sometimes phone in my pockets (usually a pair of Endura 500 shorts) with the small wSter bottle in the handy sized ‘enduro’ pocket on the back of my 5 year old Endura roadie bib shorts.

If the GF or other people are riding I tend to use a Dakine Nomad pack with a 2L bladder, some snacks and a 2nd spare tube.

Most of my riding friends seem to trash bikes and never have the kit/tube to fix it so I have to be prepared.

^Good God Milkie!^ I don’t think I’d be taking that much stuff on the Divide!

Jersey pockets, saddle bag and bottle cage.

where possible. But on “proper” rufty tufty mtb rides (no cage and dropper posts don’t like saddle packs) I use a wingnut, plenty of space for carrying kit/overpacking but it sits on your hips rather than back – more comfy, less chance of it hitting the back of your helmet when doing steep downs and less sweaty back-ness.
not cheap but last well.

I need enough space for keys, phone, co2 inflator and a bottle

A £15 Deuter ‘fanny pack’ I bought recently has been great on the few hour-long spins I’ve done with it.

Otherwise…

on “proper” rufty tufty mtb rides (no cage and dropper posts don’t like saddle packs) I use a wingnut, plenty of space for carrying kit/overpacking but it sits on your hips rather than back – more comfy, less chance of it hitting the back of your helmet when doing steep downs and less sweaty back-ness.
not cheap but last well.

This.

Neoprene pouch thing that attaches to the bottle cage bosses. That caters for everything except phone which goes in jersey pocket (as does waterproof jacket if needed).

I was loving my neon-yellow ‘fanny pack’ – it’s tiny, but I can get all the tools, food, tube and pump etc into it, as well as a small extra water bottle if needed. Copes fine with longer rides as long as there is a cafe stop.

Now I’ve watched the Akrigg video, I’ve remembered just how uncool I am.

I have a well stuffed Evoc 16l backprotector pack stuffed similarly to Milkies’

They do make lots of different Camelbak sizes, just get a smaller one?

Most stuff when I take a pack doesn’t get used anyway! pointless weight

Quite happy that I don’t use the first aid kit I always carry 🙂

I use a Camelbak, with the exception of the amount of food/drink (dependent on ride) it’s got everything I take no matter how little time I’m going out. So first aid kit, tools, tube, pump, co2 etc plus a 2nd layer.

CBA to walk back, and since the majority of my riding is in a remote-ish area I’d rather be prepared than lacking.

For shorter 1-2 hour rides I just use a water bottle and a fanny bag with a snack phone, keys and wallet in it. No tools, pump, tube or anything like that.

Longer rides I have a Osprey riding pack, in it would be the usual tools, tube pump, food etc