Carrying water

[ianfitz]

How do people do this? Partial or ful frame bag? How much do people take?

I used to use a revelate tangle which meant I could fit a big bottle underneath (using some 'strap on' bottle bosses in a lower position) but have just got a secondhand full frame bag. Seemed like a good idea. But where do I put my bottle now??

[JohnClimber]

How do people do this? Partial or ful frame bag? How much do people take?

I used to use a revelate tangle which meant I could fit a big bottle underneath (using some 'strap on' bottle bosses in a lower position) but have just got a secondhand full frame bag. Seemed like a good idea. But where do I put my bottle now??

A platypus in the frame bag and the pipe fixed to your bars

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'm really not convinced by the logic of putting your water in a frame bag ... might as well just use a half bag and keep your cage. I tend to look for another place to mount a cage, seatpost, King Cage top cap mount, etc, etc or if I'm wearing my BUM BAG I stick a 600ml bottle in the side pocket. I also usually carry a 2L Platypus bladder thing that I fill up for camp / overnight duty.

[fatbikephil]

Camel back on back for techy stuff, strap it to the bars for easy riding

[JohnClimber]

Or a bottle in an Alpkit Stem Cell?

[Richpips]

In the UK i never carry more than one bottle.

Frame, stem cell mounted, or bottle in the back pocket.

[ianfitz]

I've never needed more than one bottle in the uk. Our rain levels mean plenty of streams! Could see a bladder in frame bag being useful for somewhere warmer though.

Have phone (=GPS) mount on stem so wouldn't fit a top cap mount.
Jersey pocket is a good shout. May try a fork mount though...

[ScotRoutes]

In the UK i never carry more than one bottle.

Ok until everything is frozen (yes - made that mistake)

[Artie Fufkin]

Ian,
I used to carry a Platypus in the bag, then have a bottle strapped low on the down tube. Worked well for me and that bag is easily big enough for all your supplies!!

[mountainbaker]

Another advocate of Platypus in framebag, a 1L bladder. And for TD will have bottle under downtube and 2L bladders for extra water on long stretches without services. You can fit stuff in around the bladder, chocolate bars, gels, small things, so it's better IMO than a 1/2 bag and bottle. Plus it's 1L, not 600ml like most bottles.

[Scattamah]

I'm not a framebag user (I like to be able to shoulder the top tube for HAB)...so I end up with 1 litre + 700ml bottles on the bike + 2 x 500ml bottles on my hip in a Batpack6. Gets me across long stretches without the need to stop for water.

Greetz

S.

[mtbmarkymark]

I tried most of the ways above but decided the convenience of a water bottle was one i missed.
So i altered my Wildcat frame bag so i could use a bottle in a cage on the seat tube
I use the the travel tap bottle, normaly without the filter but carrying the filter for when needed

No pics of my own but a quick search for "Aidan Harding's Singular Swift bikepacking setup" will bring a picture of the idea

[Ray Young]

This is what I use. The frame bag was made for a smaller frame so when I transferred it to this bike I filled the gap with a frame mount bladder holder. This is the first version which could take 1.75 L bladder but I found it a bit bulky so I cut it down and bought a 1 L platypus bladder to fit it. I also carry a 750 ml bottle mounted under the down tube which I only fill when needed for cooking.

2005_0131bladder0001 by youngray50, on Flickr

[Richpips]

...so I end up with 1 litre + 700ml bottles on the bike + 2 x 500ml bottles on my hip in a Batpack6.

In the UK I can't see the sense in carrying all that water.

I recall years back a guy on the Pacific Trail in summer (walking 30 miles a day) saying he carried a litre bottle during the day.

[Matt]

Last year I set off on the WRT with no water.

Found some a few miles later that had been mixed with hops & barley

[ianfitz]

Last year I set off on the WRT with no water.

Found some a few miles later that had been mixed with hops & barley

Haha. Yes, have experienced similar myself! More than happy to drink that sort but was curious about how people carry and can readily access the clear stuff.

Thought that a full frame bag rather than the half I was using before was an upgrade. Now no so sure.

Can see that a bladder could be good for longer dry rides but really just want somewhere to put a bottle that a can reach while riding. Will try a feedbag type thing to see how that goes.

Does anyone have good ways of getting bottles on fork legs? I'm riding rigid. Tried monkee cages which didn't work too well. The bracket stated on but the cage and bottle escaped! There's a bigger one now - the gorilla? - anyone used that? Does it allow access to bottles whilst riding?

[Scattamah]

In the UK I can't see the sense in carrying all that water.

You're probably right on the money there...it's a habit thing I guess. Last weekend was the first time in a long time I used just the 1 litre bottle and in a touch of irony, my Sawyer acted up on the night. Cést la vie.

Greetz

S.

[Ray Young]

Does anyone have good ways of getting bottles on fork legs?

Decathlon do an adapter to mount bottle cages without braze ons. If your fork legs are tapered then the rubber straps that hold them on are not secure enough, I used a jubilee clip.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Does anyone have good ways of getting bottles on fork legs? I'm riding rigid. Tried monkee cages which didn't work too well. The bracket stated on but the cage and bottle escaped! There's a bigger one now - the gorilla? - anyone used that? Does it allow access to bottles whilst riding?

Ian was that the standard Monkii or the Monkii V type cage? The fitting on the V requires the cage to go on at an angle, then twist into position. I've found it very secure and not lost a bottle in years. The Gorilla is too big for a normal water bottle, it's really designed for luggage.

I think one of the best places to fit a cage is the front of the seatpost, it shouldn't hinder pedalling and is usually just deadspace.

[ScotRoutes]

I've used the Decathlon "rubber strap" mount to carry a Topeak Java Cage on my fatbike forks. Seemed to cope ok.

[Brothersmith]

Being short seatpost attachment doesn't work for me but found Monkii cage on top tube worked pretty well and didn't interfere with pedalling too much.
Hollins cross by Brother Smith, on Flickr

It was a bit of a faf to get to if you weren't riding though so experimented with one of these camelback bottles with a longer hose, which saved having to remove it. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Camelbak-Perfor ... 82&sr=1-15

[Chew]

I've tried various different options:

Tried a bladder in a frame bag, but it was a real faff. Awkward to refill and difficult to monitor how much water you had remaining.

Usual camelback, but theres the weight issue on your back and heat ingress in summer which makes things less palatable.

Settled on the tried and trusted bottles an cages on the frame. Easy to manage how much you're drinking and when you may need to refill. Easy to refill and I usually take two bottles (not always full). One purely for water, but the other may have a mixture of whatever I picked up from the last shop I passed to add a bit of flavour.


Tired using Monkii cages mounted on the forks, but they were very problematic, especially if the bottles were half full. One self ejected somewhere in the Great Basin (which isn't great when you're crossing the desert) and the other I launched into a bin somewhere in Colorado due to getting fed up with it.

[Ian]

Just to throw something different into the mix, I'm quite tempted by this: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fi ... r-all-cycl
Like a rigid camelbak, only smaller and less like a camelbak. What will they think of next
Plus it says it's suitable for all cyclists, so I guess that extends to bikepackers

[Bearbonesnorm]

Just to throw something different into the mix, I'm quite tempted by this: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fi ... r-all-cycl

I saw that and I thought ... wouldn't this contour to the shape / confines of a jersey pocket much better?

[ctznsmith]

Just to throw something different into the mix, I'm quite tempted by this: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/fi ... r-all-cycl

I just can't visualise that at all. Looks erm...hard/uncomfortable.

Plus I hate things that fall over when you try to put them down, I'm bad enough at knocking flat bottomed bottles over!