# Carrying up to six litres of Water Bikepacking. Possible?



## Aushiker (Sep 27, 2007)

Water water water: With my planned ride of the Holland Track in Western Australia I might be able to do a couple of water drops which means that I could leave the trailer at home if I can up with a solution to carrying a max of six litres of water.

It looks like I can get away with two drops plus water at two rocks (assuming good rains). This means a max of five litres maybe six for a safety factor.

Being a Salsa Mukluk I have a water bottle mount on the underside of the down tube so could probably get away with BBB Fuel Tank XL there and maybe a 1.5 litre bottle. That still leaves 10.5 litres to go somewhere.

Thoughts?


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## bsieb (Aug 23, 2003)

I carry a 3 liter MSR hydration bladder in my frame pack, and a Camelbak HAWG which holds 3 liters. Sometimes two more Smartwater bottles in the HAWG.


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

I've often carried 10 - 12 liters on remote stretches. I can get 6L inside my frame pack via a MSR 6L Dromedary with a hydration hose snaking all the way up to my handlebars. Then another 3L on my back and a liter in a bottle on the downtube. If I'm really, really desperate I'll stick a liter on each fork leg, but hate doing this as weighting the outside of the fork changes the handling of the bike more than I like, and in ways that I dislike.

We used the above setup on this trip.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I have stuffed 2 full 3L bladders into my pack before. It wasn't awful, but the pack did carry worse that way. Mostly, it wanted to move around on my back more in technical terrain. It was at least manageable, but given the choice, I'd put the 2nd bladder in a frame bag before putting it in the pack.


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## bakerjw (Oct 8, 2014)

I use CatEye water bottle holders on my bike. I mounted 2 on each side of my suspension fork. Here was when I only had 1 bottle on each fork but you get the idea.









I was out yesterday riding 77 miles and the temps got up a bit. There was one stretch where I had to start keeping an eye out on water before my next resupply store. I am adding 2 1 liter collapsible bags to my gear list in order to supplement the water situation a bit better.

ETA... The extra weight on the bottom part of the forks isn't all that noticeable. I already have a roll bag with a tent and sleeping bag on the top end which has more of an effect than the bottles.


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## Welnic (Feb 6, 2013)

3 liters in a bladder in my backpack, 1 liter in a water bottle under the downtime. However much more I need in the frame bag in a collapsible bladder. It does mean that I have to have room in my backpack for frame bag items that get displaced when there is water in the frame bag. I just refill the bladder in my backpack when it runs out with the one in the frame bag, which is a pain. If I did it more I would probably run a hose from the frame bag bladder.


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## bikeny (Feb 26, 2004)

Aushiker said:


> Water water water: With my planned ride of the Holland Track in Western Australia I might be able to do a couple of water drops which means that I could leave the trailer at home if I can up with a solution to carrying a max of six litres of water.
> 
> It looks like I can get away with two drops plus water at two rocks (assuming good rains). This means a max of five litres maybe six for a safety factor.
> 
> ...


I'm confused. Do you want to carry 12 liters or 6 liters?


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## Aushiker (Sep 27, 2007)

bikeny said:


> I'm confused. Do you want to carry 12 liters or 6 liters?


I initially thought it would be 12 litres then did some workings and looked at drop options and I think I can get away with six litres.

Would prefer to avoid a backpack if possible and by the looks that may be possible.


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## Mark_BC (Sep 19, 2012)

I'd say distribute it. I put bottles on the front forks when I had a Mukluk. Down tube, some in teh frame bag although the traingle on a Mukluk is pretty small. Some in backpack.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

I assume you're using a rack/pannier if you're talking about bikepacking? Just throw in a couple frozen bladders of water into a pannier bag.


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## Matterhorn (Feb 15, 2015)

I regularly run 2L bottles on each fork leg. It does impact handling but so does dehydration. My ECR handles the weight pretty well and I have no trouble riding rocky desert singletrack. I also have two mtn feedbags with water bottles (could fit 1L in each) to reach a total of 6L. This leaves lots of open space for gear/food. Never even gotten close to needing a backpack. 

Good luck mate!


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## Aushiker (Sep 27, 2007)

Mark_BC said:


> I'd say distribute it. I put bottles on the front forks when I had a Mukluk. Down tube, some in teh frame bag although the traingle on a Mukluk is pretty small. Some in backpack.


Thanks for the suggestion. This is more and more my thinking.


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## Aushiker (Sep 27, 2007)

watts888 said:


> I assume you're using a rack/pannier if you're talking about bikepacking? Just throw in a couple frozen bladders of water into a pannier bag.


No racks or panniers. This bike is for bikepacking rather than touring so it has a framebag and will have handlebar bags, seatbag etc.


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## richwolf (Dec 8, 2004)

I don't really notice the bottles on the fork that much and I have done it for thousands of miles. 
2 liters on fork, 2 to 3 liters in framepack and more on your back if you need it.
I like to the weight off my back first then fork then framepack, so that is how I work it.
Running out of water isn't any fun. You can even add a cage under the downtube on some bikes by using hose clamps.


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## iggs (Oct 18, 2007)

How much do bottles and cages weigh?

#offtogoogleit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

The HAWK will hold 2 3 litre bladders, so there's your 6 litres right off the bat without going to the frame, add frame bottles or a frame bag and you should be up to about 9-10 litres with you. I've ridden with my HAWK NV with 5 litres, plus med kit, food, spares, pumps, sunscreen, with room for arain jacket or extra layer still and it wasn't too much.



bsieb said:


> I carry a 3 liter MSR hydration bladder in my frame pack, and a Camelbak HAWG which holds 3 liters. Sometimes two more Smartwater bottles in the HAWG.


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## jselwyn (Mar 14, 2012)

Riding with more than 3L of water on your back flat out sucks. Done that too many times. I've got a frame bag now and carry 4-6L in an MSR dromlite bag there + 2-3L in my normal Camelbak. The frame bag is key.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

Aushiker said:


> No racks or panniers. This bike is for bikepacking rather than touring so it has a framebag and will have handlebar bags, seatbag etc.


I'd still look at a rack. The alloy ones don't weight much, and allow you to strap a couple items to it instead of your handlebar. I'd rather have weight down low and off the handlebar/fork. They also works well as a mud guard. I've seen plenty of people hit up singletrack with an empty rack on their bike.


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## She&I (Jan 4, 2010)

The Revelate Harness Pocket alone holds two 2.5-liter Platypus bottles.


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## bugshield (Jun 22, 2012)

It looks like you have your answer but I want to warn you that I wore a hole in my old Cascade Designs bladder from abrasion while riding in my Revelate frame bag. I think the source of abrasion was the hook side of the velcro inside the bag.

The MSR Dromedary bag Mike mentioned above is different than a regular Camelbak bladder. I just started using a MSR Hydromedary bag which is somewhat of a merging of the two but can't comment on durability yet. If I was going to use a regular bladder in a frame bag again I would put it in a sleeve of some sort to protect it.


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## Aushiker (Sep 27, 2007)

bugshield said:


> It looks like you have your answer but I want to warn you that I wore a hole in my old Cascade Designs bladder from abrasion while riding in my Revelate frame bag. I think the source of abrasion was the hook side of the velcro inside the bag.
> 
> The MSR Dromedary bag Mike mentioned above is different than a regular Camelbak bladder. I just started using a MSR Hydromedary bag which is somewhat of a merging of the two but can't comment on durability yet. If I was going to use a regular bladder in a frame bag again I would put it in a sleeve of some sort to protect it.


Thanks for the heads-up. This is not something I had considered but will look at options now.


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