water bottle or Camel bak ?

[Stocky]

So I got myself a Camel - Bak Mule and I love it. I don't know it's there except when we stop for a breather.

I'm wondering what you guys keep in your pak as far as "the essentials"

In my pak
1. Multi tool
2.xtra tube ( I'm tubeless, but just in case)
3 Tire pressure guage
4."off" wipes for those buggy days
5 3 or 4 Co2 cartriges ( I'm on a 29er ) and unit.
6.Pump
7. two tire levers

I have a chain tool on my multi tool.

I also put my cell phone in and my car "key" I remove it from the key chain. There is a handy clip inside one of the pouches that I can clip it to and not worry about it getting lost.
Usually a "granola bar" of some sort.

I'm interested in what you guys carry and what I'm missing.

 

[walter]

I think you pretty much have it covered. Something new I just found out, carry some duct tape, a dollar bill or a gel wrapper. Its an emergency fix for a torn tire.

 

[trailtreker]

for those packing a camelbak for their rides, how do you go about drying out the hose after use? drying the reservoir is a piece of cake, and then i throw it in the freezer. but my hose seems to never dry; it always has some wetness resident on the inner tubing.

what are your techniques?

 

[al415]

I'm pretty much a one bottler. I arrived at Hartshorne the other day and saw a pack of goateed-Full-sussers, wearing camelbaks that were stuffed to the gills. I was wondering if there is some secret network of trails in there that I've never found. I have a MULE that I'll break out for trips to the rocky north...

for those packing a camelbak for their rides, how do you go about drying out the hose after use?

One of two ways. I'd either pop off the mouth piece and allow the tube to drain/dry that way. Or I'd use a wire hanger to suspend the tube into the air and allow it to drain/dry back down towards the reservoir.

 

[elzoller]

rinse it and stick it in the freezer. no biggie.
I just got a new camelback for my b-day :getsome:

 

[bonefishjake]

rinse it and stick it in the freezer. no biggie.
I just got a new camelback for my b-day :getsome:

did you pay for it or win it in some sketchy raffle?

i can't remember if i've posted in this or not, but i'm migrating away from a camelbak for most of my rides. riding on the road w/o one really changed my views of this. i'm going to switch to a bottle or two and a small seat bag. the rest i'll just jam in my jersey.

 

[trailtreker]

yea, i've popped the mouthpiece off and attempted to let it dry, but it never seems to dry completely (at day 3 now). i guess i just shouldn't worry about it and throw it in the freezer like mentioned.

thanks for the insight all.

 

[elzoller]

did you pay for it or win it in some sketchy raffle?

It was a present...I try to avoid paying for stuff

 

[J-Dro]

If I just had to rely just on water bottles, I would have been dehydrated and dead on the side of the trail a long time ago. On really hot days I can polish off a full 100oz bladder and still run out.

 

[xc62701]

Remember the good rule of thumb is a bottle an hour. So if you can refuel bottles are the best option IMHO. But for anything where there's a question of how long you will be out or refilling options it's best to be prepared for anything and take the camelback. For drying out the hose - why dry it at all. Just leave the water in and use it next time. A little mold won't kill ya That's how I train my immune system.

Especially this time of year it's important to remember to hydrate. I am guilty as I'll do a 2+ hr ride on a bottle or less but it's still not smart. Don't forget to utilize those jersey pockets. You can fit bottles easily and most times it's not as bulky and annoying as a camelback.

 

[Mare]

for those packing a camelbak for their rides, how do you go about drying out the hose after use?

take the hose off from the bladder and remove the bite valve. blow out whatever water you can, just hang it until you are ready to use it again. i usually do that for the first few rides after a good cleaning, then i wonder why i waste my time... then i end up leaving it together and just using it until it starts to get moldy and black and repeat cleaning cycle. it's always fun to see how much mold comes out of such a tiny area.

 

[CrossAddict]

Bottles Only !!!

I hate SBS (the "sweaty back syndrome"). So, If I'm not out on some type of epic mountain bike ride that is point to point, then it's bottles only. I buy about a dozen a year then it's off to recycling after they get nasty. I rock a pump/co2, tube, and an ID in my jersey pocket. This works well if you wear form fiting clothing, but if carry stuff in a lose jersey it will just bounce around. So man up and get some cloths that fit. <--- Just my opinion

-rf

 

[rlb]

Just picked up a camelbak on saturday and used it for the first time on sunday. I'm used to riding w/ a book bag so I didn't even notice it there. The convenience of having my water source on my shoulder blows away any of the negativity of carrying the weight IMO. Plus, the 100oz capacity is hard to beat. I drink a lot of water so I wound up carrying extra bottles in a book bag and they were always shifting around and messing w/ my balance. Not to mention I had to stop every time I wanted a sip, and I had to wipe the mud off the nozzle each time too. I'm sold after 1 ride.

As for drying/cleaning I opened the lid and hung the bladder upside down (so the hose was at the top) on a clothes hanger. I stuffed a balled up piece of alum foil inside to keep the bladder "open" (think i read that from someone here, thanks) so everything will drip towards the lid. I wiped out the excess moisture at the bottom about an hour later. I also pulled off the valve assembly from the hose so the remaining moisture could drip out, which took about a day. Glad I didn't spend the $10 on the camelbak bladder hanger, this seems like it will work fine!

 

[NiceIrishGirl]

Check it out!

www.zerogoo.com

Nifty little hydration bladder dryer fan thingy. Made specifically for the camelbak hydration bladders, but they're working on adapters for other brands.

 

[Allamuchy Joe]

So I got myself a Camel - Bak Mule and I love it. I don't know it's there except when we stop for a breather.

I'm wondering what you guys keep in your pak as far as "the essentials"

In my pak
1. Multi tool
2.xtra tube ( I'm tubeless, but just in case)
3 Tire pressure guage
4."off" wipes for those buggy days
5 3 or 4 Co2 cartriges ( I'm on a 29er ) and unit.
6.Pump
7. two tire levers

I have a chain tool on my multi tool.

I also put my cell phone in and my car "key" I remove it from the key chain. There is a handy clip inside one of the pouches that I can clip it to and not worry about it getting lost.
Usually a "granola bar" of some sort.

I'm interested in what you guys carry and what I'm missing.

Honestly, you ought to carry some first aid supplies. Some gauze pads, wipes, tape, etc. We had one of our crew slice open his calf, and we had only a few supplies -- between the 4 of us on that ride, we helped him out, but we had to use duct tape and tie the gauze on with string. Not too pretty and definitely not sanitary.

Since that time, we've each picked up some basic supplies to keep in the camelbak.

 

[Stocky]

Honestly, you ought to carry some first aid supplies. Some gauze pads, wipes, tape, etc. We had one of our crew slice open his calf, and we had only a few supplies -- between the 4 of us on that ride, we helped him out, but we had to use duct tape and tie the gauze on with string. Not too pretty and definitely not sanitary.

Since that time, we've each picked up some basic supplies to keep in the camelbak.

One of the guys that rides in our group carries ,gauze, tape ,ointment and some Hannah Montana band aids, so I got the first aid stuff covered as well.

 

[Takedown]

I use a CamelBack....a knock off to be exact and I love it. I carry a point and shoot camera, GPS, basic tools/flat repair kit, cell phone, snack and if the ride is epic enough I throw my Xterra first aid kit in as well.

 

[Sprintzer]

i just started riding with my larger camelbak so i can get that extra tube in there. If i was racing i think i would use a bottle as i wopuldn't care if sumn ahppened. Pop a tube, loose the race. I can get anything in my pack and with the straps it stays snug. besides if ya have a reall nice otb, its a little extra padding.