Hydration Pack Buying Guide

Hydration Pack Buying Guide

When a bottle just doesn't hold enough fluid for your epic ride, Hydration Packs are the perfect solution. Essentially these are a specially designed rucksack that holds a bladder full of water. You then have a rubber hose that is held on the shoulder strap so you can get to the mouth piece with ease. These bladders can carry upwards of 3 litres of fluid and if required you can fit more than one of these in the larger models should you need more than 3 litres. You can get bladders on their own ranging from 1 litre and up.

The best known brand of hydration packs is Camelbak. They are to hydration what Sony Walkman was to the personal stereo. They have a comprehensive range that covers various other sports as well as cycling. Including packs for hiking and walking. These rucksacks vary due to the position that they sit on your back and the padding placement for each.

There are of course many other quality hydration brands available. Evoc, Dakine and Deuter are a few of the other popular brands. Some of these other brands come as just the rucksack and the bladder must be purchased separately. Most Camelbak packs come with the bladder.

Most of these brands offer multi sports hydration packs suitable for walking, running, climbing and of course cycling. Evoc offer a little extra with their packs as some come with a spine protector as part of the pack. Perfect for Freeride or Downhill cycling or your more extreme sports.

All packs come with some sort of capacity to carry luggage too. Part of what makes a good pack is the ease in which you can access all of what is inside and how many separate pockets you have for all your tools and spares etc. Dakine were the first to create a bag that you could open out in full so you could get full access into the front pocket without having to rummage about for a puncture patch or allen key. Most brands now have a bag in their range that offers this function.

Spares are also available from all brands so consider how long this purchase will last and how much you are willing to spend. It may be worth spending a little more to get the extra features that you think you might use at some point because these things last for years and years.

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