For people using a waist pack, do you prefer one with a bladder or one that holds water bottles?
Waist packs - bladder or bottles?
bad mechanic
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For people using a waist pack, do you prefer one with a bladder or one that holds water bottles?
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+1 for the Osprey Seral . The 1.5L bladder is plenty for long rides and it holds my key, wallet, etc. My only problem is I have no waist, I have to cinch it down super tight and high on my belly but it still slides down and rests on my hips which can be irritating.
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Neither. One bottle on the bike + a Katadyn Bfree collapsible filter. Assuming you have unlimited natural water available on your trails like I do.😉
I really can’t stand bladders, so bottles it is. Sometimes I’ll carry one bottle in the hip pack + the one on my bike if I know I won’t get to a water supply in a while. I don’t like the feel of two water bottles on a hip pack though. I make it a point to drink the bottle there first if I must carry one.
I really can’t stand bladders, so bottles it is. Sometimes I’ll carry one bottle in the hip pack + the one on my bike if I know I won’t get to a water supply in a while. I don’t like the feel of two water bottles on a hip pack though. I make it a point to drink the bottle there first if I must carry one.
same.
it can also hold bottles, but I don't like the positioning/balance, and they're never going to as secure as a fully contained bladder.
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I prefer bottles. I find the bladders give the packs a bulge that isn’t comfortable.
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I think it depends on which bag you buy. My Evok Pro carries a bladder nicely, but others don't, and are better off with bottles. I carry a bottle on the bike with drink mix in it, and water in the bladder. It's easier to drink on the fly with the bladder.
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Also, I have one of the early Evocs and it's really bad, the straps do not tighten by pulling, they got some bizarre system in there that basically is the opposite of "quick adjust", which I find a big negative for a bladder, since the size and fit changes significantly based on whether the bladder is full, half full, or empty. If the hose comes loose, which happens occasionally-not frequent, but not unheard of-it SNAGS stuff quick and it's bad situation to have something hanging down into the machinery from your waist IME. Phone storage is a bit frustrating. It's not the most horrible thing ever, but it just has some negatives. I won a bontrager bottle-based hip pack recently and it basically has none of the negatives...
Another plus for bottles is you can add mix easier and keep the bottle clean easier. So if it's hot and you need some electrolyte mix or want some energy mix, much easier to do this with bottles and if you have a bottle on your bike, you can "rotate them" out too, put the empty one where you want it, in the hip pack or on the bike, etc.
Another plus for bottles is you can add mix easier and keep the bottle clean easier. So if it's hot and you need some electrolyte mix or want some energy mix, much easier to do this with bottles and if you have a bottle on your bike, you can "rotate them" out too, put the empty one where you want it, in the hip pack or on the bike, etc.
I got a waist pack specifically for bottles. A Dakine hotlaps that has two bottle "loops" and a bit of storage. I had a bladder backpack thing that I found to be too hot and the bladder rather fiddly. The loops are elastic and quite tight, so I rotate the bottles in and out of the cage.
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Bottles.
I have 2 hip packs:
-Evoc Hip Pack Pro that can hold more crap, 2 bottles and is great for long days.
-Evoc Hip Pouch Pro that can hold 1 bottle and is great for 2ish hour rides.
For either configuration, I have 1 bottle on the bike.
If I'm out for a quick 1 hour-ish ride, I ride without a pack.
I have 2 hip packs:
-Evoc Hip Pack Pro that can hold more crap, 2 bottles and is great for long days.
-Evoc Hip Pouch Pro that can hold 1 bottle and is great for 2ish hour rides.
For either configuration, I have 1 bottle on the bike.
If I'm out for a quick 1 hour-ish ride, I ride without a pack.
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29,132 Posts
I have a hip pack made for trail running that came with two proprietary bottles and it works better than MTB packs because the bottles are curved to hug the hips rather than carry the standard bike bottle. Regardless, I hate wearing a pack of any sort. If I really need a lot of water I use an USWE backpack.
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Having Bontrager Rapid hip pack but never used it with a bottle. One bottle on the bike is all i need because I always have a place to refill it.
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Counterpoint if you haven't spent the money yet - I tried a waist pack and hated it. The sweat just moved from my back to my butt. I prefer on bottle on my frame and one bottle in a pair of bibs.
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