Carry water and tools on back versus on bike?

PB Forum :: All Mountain, Enduro & Cross-Country
Carry water and tools on back versus on bike?
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flag metatrail
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 7:52 Quote
Is it better to carry the weight of your water, tools, food, etc, on your back or on your bike in water bottle(s) and storage packs? I ride with all of my water, about 3L worth, tools, and food in my Osprey hydrapack. When full, it is quite heavy but I'm used to it however, lately I've been wondering if it would be better to carry everything on the bike, so that my overall center of gravity is lower. I typically do 3 hour rides that have a mix of climbing, technical singletrack, and so forth and I do a lot of bunny hopping over logs so lifting my bike off the ground is important. When it is cooler, I don't need to carry anywhere near 3L worth of water but because I live in south central Pa, where it gets extremely hot and humid in the summer, I'll still have to use my hydrapack. But, can I ditch it when I don't need to hump so much H2O?
flag HaggeredShins
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 10:00 Quote
I think you're going to get a lot of preferential responses but its something you'll have to figure out on a personal level. Some riders hate the feel of backpacks, some riders prefer the bike to feel as light as possible.

Most of my rides are short so I personally carry as little stuff as possible in a Bontrager Rapid Pack and add a water bottle in the frame if pushing 4-5+ hours. I carry absolutely nothing when I can get away with it, just my pref.
flag metatrail
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 10:57 Quote
Thanks. Sometimes when I bunnyhop at speed or go over something that causes the bike to lift up, my hydrapack moves upward enough that it pulls me upwards with it, it can get kind of sketchy so I just began to wonder if its better to carry the weight of the water and tools lower. Then I began to wonder if having all that weight higher up affects corning.
I know I'm geeking out on this but hey, work is slow...

HaggeredShins wrote:
I think you're going to get a lot of preferential responses but its something you'll have to figure out on a personal level. Some riders hate the feel of backpacks, some riders prefer the bike to feel as light as possible.

Most of my rides are short so I personally carry as little stuff as possible in a Bontrager Rapid Pack and add a water bottle in the frame if pushing 4-5+ hours. I carry absolutely nothing when I can get away with it, just my pref.
flag Danzzz88
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 11:44 Quote
A bit more dead weight on the frame is better than on your body, it keeps the bike more composed and makes the suspension work a bit better, obviously we are talking a miniscule amount and no weight at all is better still but yea performance wise it's better on the frame than slopping around on your back. The proper mtb backpacks with a water tank and straps to hold stuff in place are decent though. The worst feeling is when you are going on a rough downhill with a normal backpack and a litre of water and other shit is bouncing all over the place.
flag brianl
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 11:50 Quote
EpicCamber wrote:
Thanks. Sometimes when I bunnyhop at speed or go over something that causes the bike to lift up, my hydrapack moves upward enough that it pulls me upwards with it, it can get kind of sketchy so I just began to wonder if its better to carry the weight of the water and tools lower. Then I began to wonder if having all that weight higher up affects corning.
I know I'm geeking out on this but hey, work is slow...

HaggeredShins wrote:
I think you're going to get a lot of preferential responses but its something you'll have to figure out on a personal level. Some riders hate the feel of backpacks, some riders prefer the bike to feel as light as possible.

Most of my rides are short so I personally carry as little stuff as possible in a Bontrager Rapid Pack and add a water bottle in the frame if pushing 4-5+ hours. I carry absolutely nothing when I can get away with it, just my pref.
I currently have a USWE pack with a no-bounce harness/strap setup.
https://www.uswe-sports.com/
flag metatrail
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 11:57 Quote
Cool, thanks for the tip. i'll check it out.
brianl wrote:
EpicCamber wrote:
Thanks. Sometimes when I bunnyhop at speed or go over something that causes the bike to lift up, my hydrapack moves upward enough that it pulls me upwards with it, it can get kind of sketchy so I just began to wonder if its better to carry the weight of the water and tools lower. Then I began to wonder if having all that weight higher up affects corning.
I know I'm geeking out on this but hey, work is slow...

HaggeredShins wrote:
I think you're going to get a lot of preferential responses but its something you'll have to figure out on a personal level. Some riders hate the feel of backpacks, some riders prefer the bike to feel as light as possible.

Most of my rides are short so I personally carry as little stuff as possible in a Bontrager Rapid Pack and add a water bottle in the frame if pushing 4-5+ hours. I carry absolutely nothing when I can get away with it, just my pref.
I currently have a USWE pack with a no-bounce harness/strap setup.
https://www.uswe-sports.com/
flag HaggeredShins
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 12:07 Quote
Danzzz88 wrote:
The proper mtb backpacks with a water tank and straps to hold stuff in place are decent though. The worst feeling is when you are going on a rough downhill with a normal backpack and a litre of water and other shit is bouncing all over the place.

Pretty much. Back in college I'll never forget racking the back of my head with a u-lock in my backpack hopping up a stair set on my way to class lol

Packs like Evoc's with the tall cummerbunds are awesome. I never pedal with a backpack anymore but I use their bags for moto and they're absolutely fantastic for keeping all your shit stabilized against your back. I found these (and most backpacks) to be unnecessarily hot and bulky for MTB though, to each their own of course.
flag eshew
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 12:32 Quote
I gave up on water bottles back in 1993 about the same time I ditched the saddle bags.

I still like to use a camelbak, carries everything I need and some stuff I don't.

Sure I could get a headtube tool kit, strap a tube to my frame, get a C02 air pump, toss the food, phone, wallet & keys in my pocket. If I need a extra jacket, I'll tie it on my waist I guess.

When someone needs a tool, it's usually mine, same with a pump or a tube.

Sweaty backs do suck, and you need to have them strapped firmly in place because they can more around on rough trails. But I don't think I'll ever change.
flag nematon785
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 12:56 Quote
I ride with as much crap attached to the bike as possible. I really dont get along with wide shoulder straps or big waist belts on packs. Less substantial staps just result in carrying a big strapped on purse that flails everywhere.
I have had some success with a decent waterproof anorak. Pull over type with one big pocket in front of beer belly. I load that pocket with my goodies, and roll the whole thing up and tie off sleeves making a nice fanny pack. No shirt, no backpack. Gotta retie after a while when it slips down, still better than the crap they pass off as enduro hip packs these days. Good anorak will take an extra water bottle and a big mash of pb&j plus tools and stuff. Bag doubles as nice coat when that thunderstorm shows up or the sun goes away and your still out there. I also carry at minimum a front headlight, some tiny and run on watch batteries. Lifesaver on yucky exit in the dark.
flag Explodo
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 13:32 Quote
eshew wrote:
I gave up on water bottles back in 1993 about the same time I ditched the saddle bags.

I still like to use a camelbak, carries everything I need and some stuff I don't.

Sure I could get a headtube tool kit, strap a tube to my frame, get a C02 air pump, toss the food, phone, wallet & keys in my pocket. If I need a extra jacket, I'll tie it on my waist I guess.

When someone needs a tool, it's usually mine, same with a pump or a tube.

Sweaty backs do suck, and you need to have them strapped firmly in place because they can more around on rough trails. But I don't think I'll ever change.

Yep...I'm totally the same. I cancelled my original response because you already said it all.

Another thing: Unless you're vigilant about your bike-carried items they can fall off and become yet another piece of trash on the trail.
flag iliveonnitro
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 13:45 Quote
eshew wrote:
I gave up on water bottles back in 1993 about the same time I ditched the saddle bags.

I still like to use a camelbak, carries everything I need and some stuff I don't.

Sure I could get a headtube tool kit, strap a tube to my frame, get a C02 air pump, toss the food, phone, wallet & keys in my pocket. If I need a extra jacket, I'll tie it on my waist I guess.

When someone needs a tool, it's usually mine, same with a pump or a tube.

Sweaty backs do suck, and you need to have them strapped firmly in place because they can more around on rough trails. But I don't think I'll ever change.

^This is the real solution. Find a friend like @eshew who can carry everything on his back, leaving you to only carry the bare minimum on your bike.
flag eshew
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 13:49 Quote
Lol, that is a great plan!

Although I do charge $2 per sheet of toilet paper. I use that income to pay for bike upgrades.

When friends are in town heavy beer the night before a ride & a taco bell breakfast keeps me well funded.
flag Danzzz88
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 13:50 Quote
To be fair though chances are if you are out for the day carrying around that amount of gear you most likely are just hitting natural trails not 45 degree rocky downhill courses so in that sense it makes no sense strapping all that stuff to your bike. But if you are just going to the trail centre or bikepark, a bottle, a tube and maybe a small toolkit is all you need. It's like going to a racetrack vs a roadtrip, completely different reasons to carry so much stuff.
flag derechtefux
Posted: Oct 14, 2020 at 16:23 Quote
I ride with a small 4l backpack (2l bladder + bit of extra space) because I have no bottle cage and got really used to it. I wasn't sure if it would suck while riding because I never rode with one besides commuting, but I can't complain and finally having some water is just nice haha
My new bike I ordered will have a bottle cage, but I'm not sure yet without testing if I would drop the small backpack
flag mopartodd
Posted: Oct 15, 2020 at 3:39 Quote
I've been using a hydration pack (Camelbac) since they came out in 1989. I just can't see trying to reach for a water bottle while riding down the trail. Too, it's just way to convenient to have all my stuff in the same place. The new packs definitely breath better than the old packs and I don't notice being hot because of the pack.

Everyone has their preference though.
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