Backpack with hydration bladder or bike bottle?

The warmer the weather gets, the more important it is to ensure sufficient fluid intake during sports or outings. As a cyclist, you have it really easy here, because unlike a tennis racket, soccer ball, or surfboard, your sports equipment helps you transport your water supplies. You can attach one, two, or even three bottle holders to almost any bike, and on a bike with a luggage rack, you can even take a whole crate of water if necessary. Or you can carry your water "on your back"; a hydration backpack can hold liters of liquid. Here you will learn how much water you can pack where and what you need to pay special attention to as a cyclist when it comes to water supply.

What can a hydration backpack do?

First of all, hydration backpacks are rarely sold as such. The crucial part of a hydration backpack is the hydration system, which includes the water bladder, hose, and mouthpiece. Usually, you buy a separate cycling backpack and then a hydration system. Only occasionally are the two parts sold directly as a combo. Smaller water reservoirs have a capacity of 0.75 liters, and the largest can hold up to 3 liters of precious liquid.

Drinking system with hose and mouthpiece, here Hydration Bladder 1.5 liters from Evoc

In general, you have two options here:

• You can buy a hydration backpack. It is primarily intended for carrying a water bladder and offers some additional storage space for a few other items. The advantage of this option: The backpack does not come with many additional features, but it is lightweight.
• Alternatively, you can buy a cycling backpack that has a compartment for a hydration bladder and an opening for the hose. These backpacks come in many different sizes and with varying capacities. The advantage: Cycling backpacks are particularly comfortable to wear on a bike, and they have many compartments for your small items.

This is how the drinking system works

The opening of the hydration bladder is large enough for you to easily fill and clean the bag, and many models allow the entire top to be opened. If you do happen to land on the hydration backpack, the water bags are particularly stable and protected against bursting. They are made of thin plastic and are therefore light and soft; they can adapt to the shape of the backpack and your movements.

The water bladders often have a scale to help with measuring and mixing spritzers or drink powders. Thanks to the soft material, these are more approximate values.

Water bladder with quantity indication, here Reservoir 3L from Leatt

Almost all drinking hoses have a mouthpiece that opens by gently biting, also known as a “bite valve”. Some manufacturers also offer drinking hoses with an insulating cover to keep your drink cool in summer and warm in winter.

Depending on the construction of the backpack (this has less to do with the design of the hydration bladder), you can route the hose over the shoulder or under the arm. Some models allow both.

In the backpack, your drink is warmed from two sides, by your body heat and by the sun from outside. If you don't like drinking lukewarm, an insulating layer in the water compartment of the backpack is helpful.

If the water tank does leak, some backpacks have a waterproof phone compartment to protect your smartphone from the liquid. Our tip: To be safe, you can also pack the smartphone in a small dry bag.

Hydration backpacks for MTB:

Safety or enough to drink? Fortunately, you don't have to decide here because there are mountain bike backpacks that can do both. They have a built-in back protector, yet there is a compartment for the water bladder.

Most hydration bladders are vertical, but MTB riders can buy horizontal hydration bladders. They have less capacity, but they can be stored low in the backpack. This has two advantages: The weight of the water does not rest solely on your shoulders, and with a closed hip belt, the hips take on part of the load. Additionally, your backpack has a low center of gravity and does not affect your riding stability.

Information about the bicycle bottle

It depends on how many screw mounts the manufacturer has built into your frame, but a bottle holder can usually be mounted, often even multiple ones. Only with full-suspension bikes, it sometimes looks bad, as there is simply not enough space in the frame triangle for the “cage”. The holder (or in English: “cage”) is made of plastic, aluminum, or carbon, and the bottles are mostly made of plastic, but they are also available in aluminum or stainless steel.

The materials of the bicycle bottle in comparison:

Plastic bottle	Metal bottle
light	heavier
durable	can be damaged or dented in falls
soft, can be squeezed to quickly access a lot of water	rigid
very cheap	a bit more expensive
should be made of non-toxic plastic	Stainless steel is generally non-toxic; aluminum is no longer recommended for food contact
heat up quickly, but there are insulated bottles	double-walled bottles insulate
usually do not damage the bike	can rattle in the bottle holder and damage the paint if dropped
transparent and marked with a scale	you have to guess the remaining amount

A classic plastic bicycle water bottle, here FOX Racing Purist, 26 oz., 770ml

Are there special bicycle hydration backpacks and bottles?

There are many water bottles, and hydration backpacks are being offered for more and more outdoor sports. This naturally raises the question: Do you need a bottle and backpack specifically for MTB, road bike, trekking bike, and the like? Or are they all the same?

The hydration systems in the backpack are the same for hikers, bikers, or joggers. What differs is the backpack around it. For cyclists, there are bicycle backpacks that fit better in the bent riding position than backpacks designed for an upright back. Generally, you can go hiking with a bicycle backpack without any problems. However, a hiking backpack quickly becomes cumbersome on a bicycle. If you want to use your (hydration) backpack often and for long periods on the bicycle, a special bicycle backpack is highly recommended.

A bicycle backpack just fits better when biking!

You can use a bicycle bottle in any other sport, but many water bottles do not fit in the bicycle bottle holder or at least do not stay there. The bottle holders have settled on a suitable diameter of 74mm, but there is no standard. The length of the bottles is also limited so that they do not tip out of the holder. Much more than 700 to 750ml per bottle is not possible. The bottle holders are based on these dimensions and ensure a good hold.

Which is better? Water bottle or hydration backpack?

Whether you prefer to train with a hydration backpack and water hose, or reach for the bicycle bottle, is purely a matter of taste. Both hydration options have advantages and disadvantages, which we list here again:

Hydration backpack advantages:

• holds large amounts of liquid
• you don't have to mount bottle holders
• also stores muesli bars, phone, or rain jacket
• you can drink "hands-free," keeping your eyes on the road and hands on the handlebars
• in very small frames (e.g., full-suspension bikes) or when you mount frame bags, there is no space for enough hydration supplies, a hydration backpack is not a problem in this case

Hydration backpack disadvantages:

• higher purchase price
• when fully loaded, a fairly large weight rests on your back
• now and then you need a replacement for bitten mouthpieces
• there are no insulated water bladders, you need a backpack with an insulated compartment
• the soft water bladders and the drinking system must be rinsed by hand

Bicycle Water Bottle Advantages:

• easy to clean, even in the dishwasher
• insulated bottles cool or keep drinks warm
• significantly cheaper than drinking system and backpack
• you don't carry the weight of the liquid on your body
• some bottle holders can also transport tools, spare tubes, or mini pumps

Bicycle Water Bottle Disadvantages:

• limited amount of liquid
• you have to look for the bottle and reach for it with one hand
• in small frames there is no space for (multiple) bottles

Bottle holder with storage compartment for a CO2 mini pump. Here the bottle holder Uncage Side Draw by Birzmann

How to Drink Properly During Bicycle Training

Your hydration backpack holds 2.5 liters - water in and off you go? Your bike has three bottle holders, so you fill them all up too? Stop, it depends on your biking plans. During intense professional training in high heat, the body can lose up to 2 liters of water per hour, while for hobby athletes it is significantly less, about 0.5 to 1 liter. Here are a few tips on how to drink "properly" during bicycle training to avoid dehydration and its negative consequences.

• Drink even if you don't feel thirsty, because your body develops thirst as a reaction to water deficiency. If you become thirsty, it's actually already too late.
• The rule of thumb: It's better to take a little too much liquid than too little! Top athletes during road bike training need a bit more than downhillers who let gravity do the work or leisurely tour riders.
• In the two hours directly before training, you can drink about half a liter.
• It's better to drink a sip frequently than a whole bottle at once. A hydration backpack is particularly practical for this! It is recommended to drink about 100 to a maximum of 250ml every 15 to 30 minutes
• For intense training, you can estimate the amounts of liquid based on the duration of the training.
• For a relaxed day tour, you should simply pack as much liquid as possible, especially if you have no opportunity to refill along the way.
• You can also check your fluid needs precisely. Weigh yourself before and after training. The difference in the before-and-after weight is the fluid loss. Now you know how much liquid you need to drink to balance your water balance. You can subtract the amount you have already consumed on the way.

Children also need enough fluids on the go!

Can you drink too much during bike training?

Athletes should drink a lot, but it is actually possible to drink too much! Especially with extreme athletes, it happens that they lose a lot of electrolytes through sweat, and with too much water, they further disrupt the balance. This can lead to a “water intoxication” or the dreaded over-drinking with fatal consequences.

What drink should go in the bike bottle?

In general, it is always a good idea to pack water, because your body needs fluids before, during, and after exercise. To replenish lost calories and electrolytes (minerals like sodium, potassium, or magnesium), juice spritzers are also very suitable. Isotonic sports drinks also replenish sweat-lost fluids and minerals, and thanks to precise dosing, you can meet your needs exactly. Depending on the composition, they can also provide calories that prevent a performance slump. And even though the rumor keeps circulating that beer would be helpful in replenishing lost calories and minerals, alcoholic drinks are, of course, taboo on the MTB or racing bike.

For intense training, the combination of water and energy gel is also suitable, as you can swallow gel more easily on the go than energy bars.

Isotonic drinks can be purchased in many different flavors. Even if they are officially supposed to taste like orange or strawberry, you often get a slightly salty drink, the minerals added are responsible for that. Isotonic drinks in powder form, which you can mix yourself, by the way, save a lot of plastic waste, because many liters of finished drink can be made from one can of powder.

The right bike bottle: Practical tips

• Carbonation in the hydration pack or bike bottle?

Carbonated drinks are generally not recommended during sports, as you swallow a lot of air bubbles with the drink. Especially on a bumpy MTB tour, carbonation in the water supply can also lead to a technical problem: the bike bottle or hydration pack gets thoroughly shaken on the go, putting them under pressure, and the closure can blow off. If you want to take carbonated drinks with you, you should buy a bike bottle that has a valve through which excess shaken-out carbonation can escape.

• Poison in the bottle for bike tours?

If you buy a high-quality sports water bottle today, you can assume that it is made from a non-toxic material. This also applies to the hydration bladder of a hydration backpack and the hose system. This means the bottles are free from chemicals or toxins that could leach into your drink. When purchasing, look for labels such as “BPA, BPS or BPF free,” “contains no plasticizers,” or “phthalate-free”! Bottles and hydration bladders from good brand manufacturers are generally clean, only very cheap bottles still use questionable plastic.

• Tasteless is better!

Especially when the drink inside the bike bottle slowly warmed up in the summer, water bottles used to impart a stale plastic taste to their contents. Today, however, they are generally tasteless, even if the liquid has been stored in the bottle for a longer period. Many manufacturers seal the interior surface with a tasteless layer.

• Thermos bottles help against lukewarm brew

During a summer bike trip, every bike bottle will eventually get warm, especially bottles stored in the bottle holder are directly exposed to the sun. Here, a thermos bottle or insulated bottle helps, as it not only keeps tea and coffee warm in winter, but also keeps your water supply cool in summer. These bottles have a double wall, with the air in between serving as an insulating thermal layer. However, the thicker bottle wall reduces the content, although some bottles can still be squeezed.

The water bladder of the hydration backpack is usually not insulated, but the backpack may have an insulating compartment.

A double-walled bike bottle keeps drinks cooler for longer. Here Podium Dirt Series Chill from Camelback

• Can I clean bike bottles in the dishwasher?

Not every bottle can be cleaned in the dishwasher! When purchasing, you can check whether the manufacturer has approved the water bottle for cleaning in the dishwasher; if it also has a large opening, you save yourself the manual work. The smaller the opening, the less chance the dishwasher has of cleaning the bottle all the way to the bottom edge.

Attention! Especially if you want to fill your bottle with more than just water, cleaning in the dishwasher is easier and more hygienic than hand washing. Juice spritzers are also a popular drink among cyclists, but the mix of water and juice is also a good breeding ground for mold spores. Other isotonic mixes can quickly become a breeding ground for bacteria. For these drinks, a dishwasher-safe bottle is the best choice.

• How do I clean the water bladder of my hydration backpack?

Cleaning a hydration backpack is a bit more challenging. With a cleaning kit that includes cleaning brushes and cleaning tabs, the hydration bladder becomes hygienically clean

The user manual will tell you which cleaners can be used to clean the hydration system. Depending on the manufacturer, there are special cleaning tabs, or you can use denture cleaner or dish soap.

To reach all corners of the drinking tube, the hydration systems can usually be disassembled into all small parts, so you can easily scrub them individually.

With a cleaning kit, your water bladder stays fresh as April. Here Crux Cleaning Set from Camelback

• Want a little less? Water in the belt bag

If you don't want to carry liters of water, you can simply opt for the slimmed-down version of the hydration backpack. Waist bags also offer the possibility to pack a smaller water bladder. Up to an incredible 1.5 liters fit into the waist bag, and many bags are far from full, leaving you with additional storage space for other items.

Waist bag with hydration system, here Hydration Core from Leatt

Bicycle Bottle Fun Facts

1. If you have “only” water in your bicycle bottle, it can also function as a small shower on the go!
2. It's even more fun with a hydration backpack where you can remove the mouthpiece. Hang the full water bladder on a branch and turn it into a camping shower. Unfortunately, it doesn't work the other way around, as camping showers are not always made from non-toxic materials and are therefore not suitable for drinks.
3. There are special containers that are the size of a bicycle bottle, in which you can store other accessories. In principle, nothing stops you from putting a hose and a multitool in a bicycle bottle and storing your emergency kit in the bottle holder.
4. Apart from the fact that carbonated drinks put a lot of pressure on your bicycle bottle, the air you swallow with a carbonated drink also has to come out again. In plain language: a lot of carbonation leads to a lot of burping. This can quickly become embarrassing, for example, when riding in a group.

Hydration pack or bike bottles, amount to drink and which beverage... now you know how to balance your fluid intake during bike training and the advantages and disadvantages that the two possible water storage options offer you. Cheers then!