I’ll be taking mine to Morocco next week. That and a couple of 1L Nalgene bottles stuffed away will always be more water than I need.

I’m more likely to drink the right amount of water if I can do it without the hassle of taking off my helmet.

Water bladders (Camelbak and the like) are nice to have when it is hot and sunny out, but can be a bit of a PITA on a multi-week trip when you don't need them most of the time.

If I know I am going into an area that is mostly hot and sunny, and will probably be hot and sunny for all the days I will be there, I'll carry one. Otherwise, I'll just stop every 90 minutes, take a break in the shade, drink a bottle of water (and maybe have a snack) and then carry on.

I do almost always carry my camelback water bladder. I find that if I only carry bottles I tend to drink less (not enough). Whereas with the camelback I'm constantly sipping while riding.


On longer trips in warmer climates I also carry spare water bottles to be used for refilling the camelback, cooking and washing...

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I guess it's possible to travel "adventurously" in places where the tap water is safe to drink, but this seldom seems to happen for me. I routinely bring (and use) a gravity water filter--mostly for tap water--and try to minimize purchase of bottled water. Not only does that save a minimum of several dollars per day, but I'm not contributing to the stream of plastic litter which prevails throughout the world these days.

A couple of dollars and a couple of trashed bottles per day is a thousand dollars and a thousand bottles per year. Hmmmm. I also try to avoid taking plastic bags with my purchases; I know I'm not the only one who remembers the world before all this plastic crap became ubiquitous.

I always carry some sort of hydration bladder, which I may or may not wear, depending. It's a convenient way to carry several liters of water--again, whether or not I'm wearing it--and I don't see any drawback. When I'm off the bike hiking, bicycling, kayaking or skiing it's essential.

Mileage varies.

Mark

If the temperature is over 25C I always use a water bladder for sipping during riding. Else I just drink from a bottle. The water bladder gives me back mild back pain but it's still better than having a headache at the end of the day.

This ofcourse is a good and valid point you are making - a big benefit to many riders, and sometimes for me also (just not that often). As I wrote - on longer trips I try to get out of the saddle for a couple of minutes every hour - mostly to keep fatigue at bay (be able to ride very long days several weeks in a row). I make a quick stop to stretch my legs, rest my butt, adjust riding gear for changes in climate or just to air out, take off my helmet and ear plugs to rest my brain, have tiny snack, enjoy the scenery from a stand still perspective to soothe the mind... and hydrate plenty.

So, with my riding style I seldom see a real benefit in a drinking tube and bladder. Correctly dressed I find that drinking only once an hour, plus pouring water over my head - is enough even in scorching sahara heat. In hot climates I find that drenching my head and shirt is allmost as important as drinking - and that can't be done without stopping and removing my helmet anyways.

I did find use for my bladder not so long ago though. This was a very fast paced ride, with a hard work out. The opportities to stop were far appart, with little time time to fiddle with my helmet, gloves and a bottle. In addition there was a high consumption of water, so being able to take a sip often was really nice. I knew it would be like that beforehand, and therefore brought it and rigged it. But, I would have managed ok with a simple bottle. When I rode Enduro I would usually take a bladder. But for "normal" rides or long trips, I hardly ever bother to even bring it.

I see why many like them and expect most to vote favorably for the bladder. I don't care one way or another what others prefer - whatever yo fancy is fine by me, I am however curious of what both naysayers and yaysayers think. I do however believe that many overrate them through a somewhat one dimensional view where they do not consider all key pros and cons of bladder vs bottle. Many of us (me included) do not always make the most balanced decision when it comes to gear we aquire and carry (usually too much stuff).

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I think there's two or three water bladders of around 2L capacity knocking around the house but they're never taken on bike trips. I always carry whatever water I take with me on the bike and if I'm thirsty I stop to take a drink. It's very rare that I'm so pressed for time that I need to save the minute or two it takes and drink on the move. The only time I use bladders like that - and even then not very often - is when I'm competing in long distance running events. That consists of one 500ml bladder that fits into a running vest at chest height. So yes, I do use them but not in the motorcycle world. And then there's the taste ...

In hot weather it's very important to stay hydrated, and the easier it is the more likely you are to do it. Also saves packing loads of water bottles in your (probably limited) luggage space. However I agree in cooler weather it's just one more thing to bother about.

Always take my Kriega 3 litre hydration pack. Fits so well I don't feel I'm wearing it. Have been in situations where I have been so dehydrated I couldn't remember which side of the road I should be on, never happened since I started using the bladder.

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For sure a water bladder makes sense to have water immediately available when you will need it during riding.

But how you clean it when you are on trip and you don`t have your home tools available?

I used correga tabs a couple of times. Dismounted the mouth piece and the tube to put both inside the bladder to get cleaned too. Did work fine.

Any other ideas?

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I seldom clean any of my half-dozen water bladders. This includes the one I use at least weekly for mountain biking, the several I use for cross-country, backcountry, and lift skiing, and the several more I use hiking and riding.

Eventually they'll start developing a greenish tinge, but even that doesn't do anything to my health (or the taste), so I tend to ignore it for a while. Sooner or later I'll clean them. If I'm without my little brushes and wires, I just use boiling water; what I'm after is to prevent bacterial growth, not make them look pretty. Vinegar solutions are another solution, as is baking soda (which can be combined in place with some vinegar to produce a vigorous foaming action).

I call this approach "empiricism," spoken in self-congratulatory tones.

Don't know if that's helpful or merely gross, but I'm quite certain that YMMV.

Mark