Hydration Pack for Gravel?

[Lewis Moon]

At the Chino Grinder this year, my Elemnt read 102 degrees as I was climbing back out of the Verde River valley. I went through four 24 oz bottles in 62 miles of gravel, meaning I had to stop twice to refill a bottle.
I've seen that a lot of Dirty Kanza racers opt for hydration packs, and the hands free aspect would be greatly appreciated on choppy, unstable roads. What are good, MINIMALIST packs for this type of riding? Basically I want a bladder with ~50 oz capacity and just whatever is required to hold it on my back. No front pockets or whatever.

[DrSpoke]

Check out some of the new vest style backpacks. I've got a Camelbak Chase and like it a lot. I use it for mtn biking on shorter rides and most gravel rides. It's short enough that you can access jersey pockets. And the front vest pockets are useful - I use the left side for my iPhone.

[bigbill]

I use one of these on my gravel rides. I use a stash bottle in one of my cages to hold tools and stuff, and the other cage usually carries a bottle with sports drink. I use my Camelbak for water only and put my tubes (I ride tubeless) in the pocket.

https://www.amazon.com/CamelBak-HydroBak-Reservoir-Hydration-Graphite/dp/B01L8JENFO/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3EBJ5QEXR3TP3&keywords=camelbak+backpack&qid=1557418654&rnid=2941120011&s=outdoor-recreation&sprefix=camel%2Caps%2C204&sr=1-3

[Geekonbike]

The chase vest seems to be de rigueur for the gravel "racers"

On sale a sierra trading post.....


https://www.sierra.com/camelbak-chase-24l-bike-hydration-vest-34-floz-reservoir~p~654gk/?filterString=s~camelbak-hydration-packs%2F

[false_Aest]

Camelbak Chase.

Alison Tetrick + Selene Yeager both say Yes to it.

So do I.

[foo_fighter]

USWE packs are also similar to vests with their 4-point harness system.

[dem]

For pure hydration (ie, not storage) - I'll be controversial and say go with the cheapest pack you can find, and stick your preferred bladder inside it.

Less material and layers, thinner straps, etc.. mean lighter weight and less sogginess from sweat. For mountain bike, fit is much more critical as well as storage.

I've been using this one for a couple years with a 2.5L Camelbak bladder, and it has gone around the world a couple times. :)

https://shop.highsierra.com/independence-day-sale/high-sierra-classic-2-series-wave-70-hydration-pack/58457XXXX.html?dwvar_58457XXXX_color=Black%2FSilve r#start=9

[Lewis Moon]

USWE packs are also similar to vests with their 4-point harness system.

Wow, the Outlander 2L looks great.

[scopes]

You mentioned 'whatever is required to hold it on my back' so I'm not sure if you're against fanny packs, but after making the switch to one of these I will not go back to a backpack.

I don't get as hot, find that it doesn't bounce around and it has enough room for all the things I'd want to bring. 2L bladder.

https://www.dakine.com/en-ca/bags/backpacks/bike-backpacks/hot-laps-5l-bike-waist-bag/

[josephr]

In the past I've used a Revelate Tangle top tube frame bag (it has a hole for a tube) along with a 2L camelback bladder. Everything is great until the afternoon when the water gets hot on a long ride in the sun.

[sooshi]

I use a Wingnut, the Assault, when I'm wanting more H2O than a couple of bottles can provide. Very minimal and sits low on the back which I much prefer over the Camelback I'd tried in the past. My buddy used a couple of his packs when he did the Tour Divide and really liked them as well.

http://wingnutgear.com/

[muz]

This is what I use for hot double centuries and brevets, absolutely the most minimal setup:
https://www.rei.com/media/be422606-b297-4f1d-bfee-58797867ce58?size=784x588

[KVN]

+1 for the hip pack. Especially on hot days!

[Likes2ridefar]

Wow, the Outlander 2L looks great.

Agree, I’m going to try it out.

[simplemind]

I have the Endurance Pack from Orange Mud (https://www.orangemud.com/collections/mountain-biking-hydration-packs). Extremely light, plenty of fuel storage, and well built.