Hydration packs

[lone rider]

Been out of MTB'ing for a few years but after a few rides recently the itch has returned. Looking for a new bike but also noticed a lot of other things have changed as well. I have seen a few reviews on hip packs and wondered if there is any real world experience V back packs. My old camelback is not the most secure thing on my back and the extra ventilation a hip pack would give seems a good idea. My concerns are does the belt dig in, is it stable with 1.5l of water, and is it harder to use by grabbing the hose end from your waist?

[jaseyjase]

I started with a hydration pack, just your run of the mill 2L camelback, went to a hip pack with bladder, then hip pack with bidon holder, and now have ended up with a just a slim hip pack (more of a belt really) under my jersey, Hipack holds phone/keys/multitool/bar, bike has bottle/tube/co2.

My usual circuit is only a tad over 20kms, so i dont need to carry that much water. I found bottle on the frame was easier then reaching for it behind my hip pack, or around the waist for the bladder mouth piece,

I personally found carrying 1.5L of water in the hip pack a bit much, specially when going over jumps and the rough stuff, it really bounced around.

To answer your questions
- No, most mtb specific belts dont dig in, as they are usually quite wide banded and padded, so they are pretty comfy
- as mentioned, it does tend to bounce around with a full load of water, pending how rough your terrain is
- grabbing hose is usually easy, putting it back is more likely the harder move! although most have a magnetic tip making it easier to hook back on. I guess it will be a bit of a fumble until you get used to the location.

For reference, the hip packs i tried;

- Camelbak LR4: had the bladder, not bad, but bouncy when loaded
- Bontrager Rapid: bidon sat in the centre of the pack so was quite stable, even on rough stuff, but putting in and out was always hit and miss for me
- Fox Slim hip pack: suits me perfect to hold what i need, phone, keys, mulitool and a bar. Under mtb jersey easy.

hope that helps!

[CmdrBiggles]

Been out of MTB'ing for a few years but after a few rides recently the itch has returned. Looking for a new bike but also noticed a lot of other things have changed as well. I have seen a few reviews on hip packs and wondered if there is any real world experience V back packs. My old camelback is not the most secure thing on my back and the extra ventilation a hip pack would give seems a good idea. My concerns are does the belt dig in, is it stable with 1.5l of water, and is it harder to use by grabbing the hose end from your waist?

Hydro packs have come a long way in the many years I have been involved in MTB cycling.
They seem to have a gung-ho cult following. Reviews are what other people have done and experienced. It is not necessarily the best guidance for you.

I bought a cross-country/hydro pack from Macpac in Queenstown, NZ in 2015; still using it! Adjustable waist sits a bit higher up on me, and does not cause any grief. Two side pockets allow access to sunscreen, tissues, lip balm, party hats and bandaids.
It can take a hydration pack (can't remember now if it came with one, but the infrastructure is the giveaway) but...old habits die (very!) hard, and I still prefer two big bidons on my MTB to having a heavy hydro on my back. Bidons are also easier to fill, and the hydro pack hose can create strife getting tangled up when putting the pack on. Having said all that, I have a simple DIY hydro set up for my (heavy) photography pack: just a SYSTEMA waterbottle (flexible drinking straw) and a long-ago disused Cambelbak insulated hose (right-angle mouthpiece) with a medical-grade rubber piece that attaches by push-on to the drinking spout of the SYSTEMA. First dreamed up during the 7-week lockdown in 2021, and never changed since.

[lone rider]

Thanks for replies. Helped with what I was thinking.