Bag #1 would have space for one bottle and a water bladder inside the bag. Bag #2 would have space for two bottles below the bag but no space for a bladder. Going on a 5-day trip soon where water shouldn’t be an issue except for one day that features an ~80 mile stretch without any reliable water sources so trying to plan for that
by soccerperson
6 Comments
I ran out of water once at the beginning of August and it was pretty miserable (camp I planned to get water at had all the water capped and shut off, they closed the campground because of some shooting there the year before or something). Fortunately, I was on a road with occasional cars so I got some from someone and then was able to hike about a mile later to find an almost dried-out stream to filter.
Maybe it’s just me but I always, always use and need more water than I think. Cooking/drinking at end of day always has me using so much water.
Haven’t checked in with Joe at Jpaks for a while, but if he’s making bags still check out his Modpack – it’s a modular frame bag that lets you detach the bottom half when you don’t need a full frame bag but still want the half on the top tube. Turnaround time wouldn’t work for your trip but I’ve been super happy with the flexibility of the setup – I use bladders and an inline Sawyer.
I use a DIY bag that takes up the whole frame paired with a 2L bladder, it has a hole at the corner for the hose, and still has some space for some stuff. I drink a lot of water so I prefer to carry more of it, bc being severely dehydrated is a literal hell.
What about setup like below?
https://preview.redd.it/2ferji3aa8lf1.png?width=1532&format=png&auto=webp&s=80c5dbe75131ac2f75c0db0f08eb97e3c6448c1f
One bottle is easilly accessible during the ride, while you use the other to refill during a break. At the same time you can fully use the rest of the frame triangle’s volume.
Picture 1. Lowering cage for the seat tube bottle cage. Have it shaped around the bottle or tapered up.
This looks like a gen 1 Checkpoint? If you haven’t thought about using the fork for water or other stuff because there’s only 1 mounting hole, check out the Widefoot CargoMount Mega that can span the distance between the fender hole by the front axle and that mid-fork hole (you’ll need ~3mm of washers on the top hole to create a plane). They’ve worked really well for my wife for a 1-1.5L Nalgenes, UE Boom Speaker, or 3L stuff sack with sleeping bag.
I’m a firm believer in *full frame bag always*. You can carry water elsewhere so easy, maximize the frame bag space!!!