Hydration...

I'm heading back up to North Carolina from the center of the sandbox in a week or so. After the last trip, I really need to figure out how to stay hydrated on the ride.

I don't think I want to do the CamelBak, but I could be convinced. Are there some other viable options? I've got a rather small tank bag (Bags Connection City) and I figure I need a bite tube to use with my full face.

Any advice?

I bought a Geigerrig hydration pack and like it a lot better than my Camelbak. Why? It squirts water so you can share. The bottom open up completely so you can clean it much better. The inline filter lets you get water from streams so you don't have to carry an additional filter. Their customer service is top notch. ADV members can get a free inline filter, too. The site is here: http://www.geigerrig.com/

PM Gadget Boy for the sekrit code for the inline filter.

that sounds like a pretty good rig, nice and versatile.

i tried a camelbak thingy on my first trip years ago and i stowed it after the 1st day; too many straps & tubes. off-road would be a different thing i guess - more exertion needs more water - but on the highway i stop every hour anyway to stretch, so what i started doing was cramming a nalgene full of c-store ice at every stop. next stop, drink up & pee, rinse, repeat.

Drinking fluids is one thing, another is the gear you wear. If you wear minimal gear to "stay cool" in hot weather, your sweat will actually evaporate too quickly to effectively help cool your core temperature, and you will dehydrate much faster than you would if you were wearing more protective gear.

Control your core temperature and you will suffer much less from dehydration.

I have a 3 quart Coleman jug with an insulated cover and bungee it to one of my passenger pegs. I rigged up a Camelbak-style drinking tube for it with a little patch of velcro so I can stick it easily to my gas tank or tank bag.

It is just as accessible as a Camelbak, but I don't have to wear it.

Some variation on this sounds like a pretty good plan. You don't have a pic by any chanve do you?

I'm afraid I have no idea how to post pics - sorry. I can take one and email it if you pm me your email. There is some webbing on the jug's cover that I ran the bungees through and then around the footpeg bracket, and I just jammed the drinking tube down the spout on the jug's top.

That's a good enough description! I can do that. Cool.

this.

around town is one thing, but on the highway for long rides a long-sleeved shirt under that mesh jacket makes a huge difference.

Stop and buy a couple bottles of water every 150 miles.

I love my Camelbak and use it on every long hot weather ride. Unlike some folks, I leave the drink tube in my mouth between my lips and teeth throughout
the ride. No fumbling to find and shove the tube underneath my helmet when thirsty. I stay completely hydrated on the hottest of days.

A trick I learned in Death Valley, I let the water dribble from my mouth to keep my shirt and hydrating scarf damp. works like a charm.

I'm with him, if you're just cruising across country and need a drink ever now and then why don't you just buy a bottle of water or gatorade at the C.S. nice and cold or you could carry a cup with you and just refill it.

One of the best purchases I made for riding in hot weather is a cooling vest. It makes a HUGE difference in comfort level. I bought what's called a Cooldana for under my helmet, too.

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Soak 'em and wear 'em under a vented jacket = Air conditioned comfort.

Find a bladder that will fit in your tank bag (or get a new tank bag) - the newer camelbak antidotes are more squarish than the old ones and fit better. You just stick the tube under your helmet at the chin and sip, then can either leave it there for awhile or tuck it away if you won't need a sip for awhile.

I can stand on the pegs and drink with the standard tube length, and it beats wearing it.

And of course adjust your gear to keep your core cool as mentioned above. Temps over 95 while on the blacktop will probably mean mesh isn't a good choice.

That, plus the stop is a good idea anyway. Stretch, walk around for five. If you're in such a hurry that you can't stop, you shoulda left earlier.

Just a cautionary note, the ice machines in convenience stores are often NOT sanitized properly and you can get some nasty effects from the melting water.

+1 on the cooling stuff on your head and chest. Just think about it, your helmet is built like a really well insulated ice chest. While driving convoys In Iraq I would drink an ice cold .5 liter water bottle, pull off my Kevlar helmet and pour another one on my head and down the front of my Kevlar vest every 15 minutes to prevent heat exhaustion... UGHH! :eek1

don't forget salts with water, you need electrolytes

If you decide to go the pack route, take a hard look at Deuter hydration packs. Deuter packs are bombproof, and they sit away from your back to help reduce heat.

I use my gear pretty hard, and have been beating on a Deuter pack for 15 years. I recently got a new one, but my old one is still going strong.

That is what food is for.