Camelbak - Yes!

Oh yeah, I see it's real, and real expensive. I'm thinking of siliconing a condom onto a quarter inch vinyl hose.

I use my Camelbak everyday on long trips. There's nothing like a sip of ice cold water when riding hours in heat.

One one advantage of the Camelbak brand is the large diameter cap which allows it to be filled from an ice dispenser. I fill it in the morning with ice cubes and top off with water. It easily stays ice cold for over 5 hours.

I wear mine over my jacket and the bit tube is an easy reach laying on my chest. You can move the bite tube under the the chin guard to your mouth and drink while both hands are on the bars. Simply pull the tube out to remove.

After the last sip, blow the remaining water in the tube back in the the Camelbak otherwise your next sip will be warm from the water left in the tube.

Each night empty the bag and place the yellow spacer inside to keep the bag open to allow it to completely dry each night. The spacer comes with a hanger to hang it up while drying. Don't store with the bladder closed for long periods.

Stadium Pal

RoboRider said:

Oh yeah, I see it's real, and real expensive. I'm thinking of siliconing a condom onto a quarter inch vinyl hose.

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Stadium Pal is $29.95. David Sedaris' take on it is quite amusing.

RoboRider said:

Here's the only problem. You now have to pee a lot! Someone invent a bike urination system, please.

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You must be drinking a lot more than I am. I can still ride a tank or two of gas without stopping to pee.

I think I'd just as soon pull over....

tommcgee said:

You must be drinking a lot more than I am. I can still ride a tank or two of gas without stopping to pee.

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I could squeeze out a tank, depending on speed, cause that's about 250 miles. But a tank OR TWO! Man, you have some party bladder if you can go two tanks! And if you stop for gas, you'd skip the pee stop and go another tank?

RoboRider said:

I could squeeze out a tank, depending on speed, cause that's about 250 miles. But a tank OR TWO! Man, you have some party bladder if you can go two tanks! And if you stop for gas, you'd skip the pee stop and go another tank?

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My range is also around 250 miles; more if I behave myself. To say it another way. I can go about 8 hours without stopping to pee.

The flip side is I'm up once an hour all night. Sucks to get old.

I like wearing my 70oz Camelback on my back for the cooling effect, even through my mesh jacket. Pack it full of ice, fill in the little spaces with water. I can get up to 7-8 hours of the cold stuff on even the hottest of days.

When using a Camelback in hot weather you can avoid warm fluid by blowing back thru the bite valve when you are thru drinking. I fill my reservoir with ice and then add as much water as I can. A cold drink in high heat and humidity can be priceless.

Camelbak, YES!

HydraPack -- NO! Mine leaked like a sieve -- that cheesy slide-on plastic assembly cannot compare to the big screw-on plastic lid of the Camelbak, which is absolutely watertight.

Those of us who ride in the SW desert know about the importance of frequent infusion of liquids, and - you probably CANNOT stay properly hydrated by just drinking when you stop for gas or peeing. In fact, you need to be peeing several times on a warm day ride, or you aren't getting enough liquid. To continue the urine theme, it should be light in color, as DARK urine means you are dehydrated.

BTY, the FIRST thing to "go" when dehydration hits is your "higher mental capacity" (don't laugh, we all have it). This would be yer judgment parts, as in: Is that lever on the right the brake????

Regards,

Walking Eagle

you can find camelback designed for the construction industry that are made in neon colors if you want to add water and visibility at the same time.

http://www.boss-safety.com/Hydration-Systems-Backpacks-Safety-Workplace-Hydration-Systems/CamelBak-Safety-Workplace-Hydration-Systems.asp

Between rides if not to many days - store the bladder in a freezer - stops those ugly microbial things from developing without the annoying 3 days to dry the thing entirely. Time to go, pull the bladder out, fill with ice, then water....and we're off.

The freezer trick will work and here's another known to scuba divers who want to keep mold out of their bc's. Simply put about a tablespoon of something alcoholic into the empty container and shake around, drain. You'll want to rinse it out as part of a refill. Some use alcoholic mouthwash but you use almost anything not toxic.

Get it dry for long term storage though and leave it a bit open.

BTW, following Ted's review I bought an identical 70 oz camelback using my REI dividends and tested it on a hot ride last weekend. I think it is a better idea than the hydrapack inside a fleece bag inside my BMW tank bag. I agree with Ted's comments.

Many of the drink mixes I'm seeing sold are inane from a physiology viewpoint and will also encourage mold growth in the bladder from any residue. Many seem to have sugars (not necessary and contribute to "cottonmouth"), caffeine (a diuretic),
worthless concoctions of herbs, excessive salts, etc. What is needed is water and, over the course of a long day, a few salts but nothing even close to what is in commercial junk like Gatorade (which will add to your thirst if you don't cut it at least 50-50 with water).

wuli959 said:

you can find camelback designed for the construction industry that are made in neon colors if you want to add water and visibility at the same time.

http://www.boss-safety.com/Hydration-Systems-Backpacks-Safety-Workplace-Hydration-Systems/CamelBak-Safety-Workplace-Hydration-Systems.asp

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Thanks for the tip. I bought one from Amazon.com, using my free shipping Prime account, which ended up being cheaper than the boss-safety.com price+shipping.
It's a great match for my Hi-Viz lime green jacket and I love the added retroflective tape.