Carrying water

[Gpl23]

Got my new bike and bikepacking set up. Pleased with it all apart from my water carrying. My frame (Sonder Camino medium) fits a Restrap medium frame bag for my cooking stuff etc but the space left only takes 2 water bottles with combined capacity of 1.25 litres. How can i up my water capacity. Full frame bag and bladder ? or something better ?.
Cheers.

[whitestone]

A water filter?

1 1/4 litres is enough for a couple of hours. It's rare in the UK to be very far from a source of water, in upland areas I'm fine with drinking straight from streams but will use a filter in lower areas, where there's stock present or near habitation. Either the MSR Trailshot or one of the Sawyer filters.

[Chew]

A water filter?

As Bob says.
Unless you're going somewhere arid, 1l is plenty for UK riding.

[slarge]

Are there other options that would fit in your frame?

I have a small MTB frame and have moved the downtube bottle cage mount down about 40mm using a piece of flat bar with tapped holes in (I think wolf components do a specially made adaptor). That means I can get a full size bottle in below the half frame bag.
Also you could see if a seat tube mounted bottle would fit

Then there is the under the downtube mount (voile straps etc) - does get covered on cowshite and is not accessible whilst riding, but can be used as a reservoir from which to fill the clean bottle.

I have also used a 0.5L disposable bottle strapped to my top tube that I can then crush and stick in the bag or refill as a small extra capacity. As it's disposable it doesn't matter how battered it gets and doesn't need special straps.

[samwise]

MSR Trailshot or one of the Sawyer filters.

Love the Sawyer filter but also have a Katadyn BeFree for easier cleaning on the go.

[Gpl23]

Thanks for the replies. I think i was reading too many American bikepacking sites. A water filter sounds a good idea. What would you recommend ?. The variety Sawyer ones confuse me.

[johnnystorm]

MSR Trailshot or one of the Sawyer filters.

Love the Sawyer filter but also have a Katadyn BeFree for easier cleaning on the go.

The katadyn is great and you can use is as a softbottle if you want to carry another half litre or so.

[Gpl23]

Are there other options that would fit in your frame?

I have a small MTB frame and have moved the downtube bottle cage mount down about 40mm using a piece of flat bar with tapped holes in (I think wolf components do a specially made adaptor). That means I can get a full size bottle in below the half frame bag.
Also you could see if a seat tube mounted bottle would fit

Then there is the under the downtube mount (voile straps etc) - does get covered on cowshite and is not accessible whilst riding, but can be used as a reservoir from which to fill the clean bottle.

I have also used a 0.5L disposable bottle strapped to my top tube that I can then crush and stick in the bag or refill as a small extra capacity. As it's disposable it doesn't matter how battered it gets and doesn't need special straps.

All the other spaces are being used and under the downtube is too small unfortunatley.

[whitestone]

I think i was reading too many American bikepacking sites.

You need to remember that the States is a big place and there can be a long way between reliable water sources, even ones that need filtering. Can also be hot in a way we just don't get here in the UK.

There's been a few threads on water filters on here over the years so maybe do a search. I've got the Trailshot but have used the Sawyer mini as well. Like all these things they've all got their pros and cons so it's a matter of choosing the model closest aligned to your proposed usage.

[Bearbonesnorm]

For a small compact filter, look at a Sawyer mini or MSR Trailshot. Both work well.

EDIT: the Water2go filter bottle is also worth considering. No messing about, simply fill it and drink.

[lune ranger]

I have a Sawyer Micro and MSR Trailshot and alternate between which I like best.
The Sawyer fill a bottle quicker and easier most times. No pumping, which is good with tired hands.
It can be a PITA if there is only shallow water to fill the bag up, this is where the Trailshot comes in very handy, it only needs a trickle of water to fill from.
Both suffer from getting clogged pretty quickly
- pay attention to how you clean them after a trip.
Both need to be protected from freezing - the filter fibres burst and the filter looses efficacy.

[directdrive]

Another vote for the Sawyer filters, work well, take spare bags though as they have a tendency to split if not used properly (or even if used properly tbh)

I chug through a lot of water, so I also like to carry more than 1l. I use one of these, under the downtube: https://www.topeak.com/global/en/produc ... LA-CAGE-XL

The rubber strap thing is crap, it broke immediately, and Wiggle refunded me the whole thing without a return. Replaced it with a thick cable tie that slips over the bottle cap and it works like a charm. I carry a 1.5l bottle without it fouling my double chainrings but YMMV. I pair that with a smaller EDIT: BOTTLE in the main triangle.

Really good for loading up on water for cooking etc before a camp. I know some people are ULers and wouldn't dream of lugging 2l of water around in the UK, but I'd rather fill up than spend more time filtering.

[woodsmith]

I recommend the Sawyer Squeeze. The mini and micro are cr@p. Filter your water everytime, regardless of how good it looks. I've caught Giardia twice in Scotland and its not recommended.

[The Cumbrian]

Another vote for the Sawyer filters here. I replaced the the original Sawyer squeeze bottles with the much easier to fill Cnoc Vecto. I only use the Sawyer bags as spares now. I also carry an empty Capri Sun pouch with the top cut off to collect water from small dribbles and springs. It only weighs a few grams and has been really useful at times.

[psling]

For convenience and cleanliness I usually carry a bottle in a stem-cell bag behind the bars.
IME stomach bugs are often picked up from a dirty bottle on the downtube as much as a dirty water source.

[directdrive]

For convenience and cleanliness I usually carry a bottle in a stem-cell bag behind the bars.
IME stomach bugs are often picked up from a dirty bottle on the downtube as much as a dirty water source.

Learned this the hard way last summer after stupidly drinking from my sheep sh1t-covered bottle. Setup since updated to avoid this outcome

[The Cumbrian]

I stopped using standard bottles years ago and switched to bottles with flip caps. I was lucky enough that I wasn't made ill, but I got tired of the nozzle being covered in mud and grit.

[Jurassic]

Another vote for using a filter. I have an MSR Trailshot which is fine. I only carry 750ml of water with me and just fill up when I get low. I also carry a Platypus bladder with a screw on top which I use when I stop overnight. It packs down to almost nothing but can carry up to 3 litres of water when full. I use that water unfiltered for cooking, making brews etc (when it'll be getting boiled anyway) and it saves trailing back and forth to a water source from my camp/bivvy spot. It also means I don't have to stop right next to a water source, I can set up my camp then jump on my bike and ride to the nearest water and fill the bladder and just carry it back on my bike (2-3 litres will do an overnight for me).

[ootini]

Anyone have any recommendations for bottles with flip top caps, to prevent shitty nozzles.... ooh err

[Jurassic]

Anyone have any recommendations for bottles with flip top caps, to prevent shitty nozzles.... ooh err

I have a couple of Elite Fly bottles with flip tops but wouldn't really recommend them. The flip lid bit doesn't seal very well and dirt still gets underneath and onto the drinking nozzle bit. The flip cap is also quite fragile. I used to have some old Zefal ones with a rubber bung that pushed onto the nozzle and was attached with a sort of leash that were great but I don't think they make them anymore. I'd be interested to hear what people recommend as well as I wouldn't mind phasing out the Elite Fly bottles.

[Alpinum]

Screenshot_20210324-071439_Samsung Internet.jpg (81.71 KiB) Viewed 2513 times

[The Cumbrian]

Of the flip top bottles I use, one of them is the Camelbak Podium Dirt: https://www.camelbak.co.uk/shop-c35/bot ... l-21oz-p23), another is the older version of this: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/sports-bo ... _TURQUOISE and I've had another for years and can't remember where I bought it.

They all keep dirt and grit off the nozzle.

[stevewaters]

I have a couple of Elite Fly bottles with flip tops but wouldn't really recommend them. The flip lid bit doesn't seal very well and dirt still gets underneath and onto the drinking nozzle bit. The flip cap is also quite fragile. I used to have some old Zefal ones with a rubber bung that pushed onto the nozzle and was attached with a sort of leash that were great but I don't think they make them anymore. I'd be interested to hear what people recommend as well as I wouldn't mind phasing out the Elite Fly bottles.

I also use the Elite Fly bottles with the lids and have found the flip cap very fragile and easy to rip off. They are however lightweight and fit snugly into Elite bottle cages. They also come in a range of capacities: 550ml, 750ml and 950ml. - I often use the largest one on its own, but it is at most risk of bumping out on very rough descents when full due its weight so I usually put a Voile strap around it until it is half empty which obviously increases the faff.
I think there was a solid market opportunity for a better designed bottle - unless anyone is aware of one that I have missed ?

[Jurassic]

I have a couple of Elite Fly bottles with flip tops but wouldn't really recommend them. The flip lid bit doesn't seal very well and dirt still gets underneath and onto the drinking nozzle bit. The flip cap is also quite fragile. I used to have some old Zefal ones with a rubber bung that pushed onto the nozzle and was attached with a sort of leash that were great but I don't think they make them anymore. I'd be interested to hear what people recommend as well as I wouldn't mind phasing out the Elite Fly bottles.

I also use the Elite Fly bottles with the lids and have found the flip cap very fragile and easy to rip off. They are however lightweight and fit snugly into Elite bottle cages. They also come in a range of capacities: 550ml, 750ml and 950ml. - I often use the largest one on its own, but it is at most risk of bumping out on very rough descents when full due its weight so I usually put a Voile strap around it until it is half empty which obviously increases the faff.
I think there was a solid market opportunity for a better designed bottle - unless anyone is aware of one that I have missed ?

I have a 550ml and a 950ml. I'm currently using the 950 without the cap (just as a conventional bottle) and it is handy for days when I want more water with me. Funnily enough it bounced out of a side entry (Lezyne) cage just last week on a bumpy descent. I wholeheartedly agree that there's a big gap in the market for an effective, simple, reliable bottle with a crud cap.

[ScotRoutes]

No idea if they're any good...

https://www.total-cycles.co.uk/product/ ... alloy-cage