mstateglfr 

- 2 large water bottles in regular spots.
- add a wolf tooth b-rad to the downtube for a 3rd bottle.
- carry a 4th bottle in a jersey.

If you use a large wedge bag, you could fit 2 in there, or use the tri-style saddle holders for 5th and 6th bottles.


4 bottles is 80oz of water. If you can't come across a water refill in 80oz of water's time in WI, you are actively trying to avoid water spots.
But add those 2 more and now you have 120oz which is a crazy amount.


the last thing I want when riding is a backpack. Insweat enough as it is.
good luck on route planning.

Cue

​​​​​​I understand where you're coming from. Running hydration vest is 95% there, they
​​​​have solved the strap issue by using stretchy breathable fabric instead.

PoorInRichfield

I thought of a little experiment I should try with stuff I already have. I have the CamelBak Bootlegger backpack which is an insulated pack I use for winter hiking to keep my water from freezing and it's pretty minimal as far as CamelBaks go. My experiment would be to use this pack for the opposite it was intended for.. put chilled water in it and go for a hot weather ride to see if:

1. It keeps my back a little cool
2. Keeps my water cold a little while longer

#1 would be a bonus but If it did #2 well, that might actually be refreshing instead of drinking a bottle of warm, plastic-tasting water like I usually end-up with.

Jbhardy

Check out Osprey Raptor. It's cycling specific and works great for me.

PoorInRichfield

This military pack from CamelBak is what I envision a roadie pack would look like... very minimal and light. Heck, just take the two hand straps off this bag and it's perfect!

Kapusta

Injust got the Raptor 14 for mountain biking. Wow, the fit and stability are amazing compared to my ancient Camelbak Mule and HAWG.

Seems pretty big for what the OP is looking for, though. Is the 10 noticeably smaller?

Jbhardy

Unknown about the 10. I have the 14 as well.

Cowboy905

how heavy is that 10 and 14? i have a 1.5 and i don't think i'd want to wear anything heavier.

Cowboy905

nevermind, i just read it, comes with a 2.5l udder. I interpreted it as a 14L reservoir tank!

Carbonfiberboy 

I think you'll find it'll do both. Not chilled water. Fill it about 3/4 full of ice cubes, then add cool water.

trainsktg

A Zefal Magnum water bottle is 32oz and the same size as an insulated 24oz bottle.

i do ride with a minimal sized Camelback but only on my gravel bike.

Keith

PoorInRichfield

I did not know about these... interesting.

However, you now have me thinking about the movie "Zoolander"...

2bridges1bike

I use a top tube frame bag with a 2l platypus hoser reservoir, replaced the hose with a cap. Can’t drink from it while riding but I do use it to top off my bottles as needed.

Jax Rhapsody

I thought about making my own camelback, if I couod figure out how.

noodle soup

I use an Osprey Raptor 10 for mountain biking(2.5L capacity). It won't keep your back cool, but It's nice to have 3+ hours of cold drinking water.

PoorInRichfield

I did a little experimenting the past week while hydration... I didn't discover anything earth-shattering that all of you wouldn't already know, but just for the sake of logging my experience...

1. 60+ mile ride using two 24oz water bottles

While I did just fine on this ride with only 48oz of water, it probably wasn't a good idea to drink so little water. It was in the low 80's (F), so not sweltering heat. Since I had planned out the route in advance, I knew where the half-way point was and made sure that I had only consumed one bottle of water by that point. On my way home, I finished off the second bottle when I knew I was within 5 miles of my house, so I only went a few miles with no water at all. When I got home, I had lost considerable water weight which I discovered when I stepped on the scale before getting in the shower. I drank a gazillion cups of water when I got home as I was pretty darn thirsty. This confirms, at least for me, that 48oz of water is only enough for 40 to 50 miles of riding, assuming it's not overly hot out.

2. 40 mile ride using CamelBak

This ride was in the 70's (F) and I rode with my insulated CamelBak (50oz capacity) just to see how annoying it would be to wear it. Quite frankly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. At first, the CamelBak was all I could think about... it felt like my cat was napping on my back I eventually forgot about it as my mind drifted off onto other things. The water does "slosh around" a bit but that is very tolerable. The weight of the backpack and the straps didn't bother me as much as I thought, probably because one's back is mostly in a near horizontal position while riding. The water inside the backpack did indeed get quite warm, so I'll have to remember to put the water in the fridge prior to using it. One of the biggest challenges was that I'm so used to drinking from bottles that I keep reaching for my bottles almost automatically instead of drinking from the CamelBak.

I plan on doing another 60+ mile ride this weekend and I'm going to try using the CamelBak along with my two 24oz bottles. While I'm not sure if this is the perfect solution for increasing my range, it's the cheapest and doesn't involve me having to mount any extra cages on my bike that I only need on occasion. I'll admit that I wish my CamelBak had some pockets. As long as I'm going to have an annoying bag on my back, I might as well use that annoying bag to hold my phone, energy bars, and any other goodies I might need to bring on a longer ride that I normally wouldn't carry.

PoorInRichfield

Looking at the Raptor 10, I like this side pocket feature. In addition to making it easier to access energy bars, I could envision this as being a way to get at my phone much faster so I could take pictures of things w/o so much fumbling around...

BluFalconActual

I know it's one of the "rules", but I bought a Camelbak Chase vest for gravel riding. I also ended up using it for summer rides in Joshua Tree National Park when I was stationed there as well as the Mojave Death Race. 2 water bottles usually was just barely enough in between the two entrances to the park where the only water stations are at, but I carried the vest as an insurance policy. The vest is very well designed and I don't even notice it while riding.

https://www.camelbak.com/en/vests/R0...d790590affbe17

noodle soup

I’m very impressed with the quality of the pack. The bladder has a couple of baffles inside so that it stays flat when filled, and the mouthpiece has great flow.

Kapusta

I have the Raptor 14, and I can't fit an iPhone 6 (which is on the small side) with a case in the side pockets. If I take the phone out of the case, it sort of fits, with just a corner sticking out... not sure if I want to ride around like that, though.

After using this pack a few times (for mountain biking), I find it very well designed, fits great while riding, and is well and thought out... with two exceptions:

1- the magnetic hose holder is a bit gimmicky, and ultimately not useful, IMO. As easy as it is to hook up, it is still more than I want to deal with when riding. Better to just cut the hose 4" or so shorter and use a 90 degree bend bite valve like on the Camelbak. Just let the shorter hose hang.

2- No place convenient to hold the phone. The issue I have is not just that there is no easy access to it (unless you have a very small phone that fits in the side pockets), but the way the belt and shoulder straps are constructed, it is not easy to add a phone holder. My old Camelbak has a thick belt, and I was able to add a camera pouch that fit my phone perfectly. This might not be a big deal on my road bike, as I use a phone holder on the bars, anyway... but a moot point since I don't use the backpack for road rides.

PoorInRichfield

Thanks for the feedback, @Kapusta. In looking at multiple hydration packs that have side pockets, you're definitely right that the pockets aren't large enough to be useful... at least not for what I want to use them for. In revisiting the CamelBak web site, the Chase 8 vest is really growing on me... 70ml, relatively simple, and front pockets large enough to carry a phone and snacks. I'm just getting a little annoyed with myself as I already have 3 CamelBak vests and now thinking about a 4th (They all seem to serve a special purpose, or so I think!)

noodle soup

That pack looks like it would be hot on the chest

Rhondito

This one integrates the hydration pack right into the jersey plus it still has pockets!
https://www.bicyclebuys.com/camelbak...ak/0101211PART

SCTinkering

I've never used the waist belt on my MULE when road riding. If I didn't have it, I'd probably go with a Rouge. Problem with the old MULE is that they don't make straight 3l bladders for them anymore, so I have to get a different brand and hope it fits.

I did a combo road and gravel ride last weekend and completely drained 3l plus a large bottle. fortunately I was about 4 miles from home and fully hydrated, so it wasn't a big deal. You really need to learn the part about having that much fluid with you and drink very frequently. I couldn't imagine riding with only two water bottles now.

drewtk

Here's what I use for gravel and mountain biking. 2.5L bladder AND it has a mesh air pocket between the pack and your back. I don't see many bike type backpacks with that feature.

https://www.rei.com/product/143336/o...mens-25-liters