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This isnt really a tip or trick but i own a camelbak 72oz hydration system an it comes in handy on the trails that i HAVE to follow my dad on. its easy just fill up the pouch with liquid (i use gatorade) and it straps onto your back with about a 3rd of an inch wide tube leading to your helmet just bite the end piece of the tube and suck the liquid out. very handy. come winter i am going to pack it with campbells tomato soup or something hehe.


WWW.CAMELBAK.COM

hondafan wrote: come winter i am going to pack it with campbells tomato soup or something hehe.

Glühwein!

I own one also...they are very much worth the money, put ice inwith your liquid and it stays cold all day.

Keeping the body's fluid level up is of vital importance, but remember that your body uses water faster than it can process what you drink. The best way to avoid becoming dehydrated is to drink all you can hold at least several hours BEFORE the ride. Pros begin pouring in the liquids for several DAYS before a big race. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, though, since they tend to help the body get RID of water.

Try this: The next time you know you're going to be on a long and/or hot ride, drink all the fluids you can hold at least four hours before the ride. Then take note of how thirsty you get during the ride. It makes a huge difference in avoiding thirst, cramps, and low energy.

you are definitely right about pre-hydrating, Gordon
but isn't there a psychological factor to the camelbak, or any other hydrating system?

plus it gives you a place to put your car keys, tools, ...

Gordon wrote:Try this: The next time you know you're going to be on a long and/or hot ride, drink all the fluids you can hold at least four hours before the ride. Then take note of how thirsty you get during the ride. It makes a huge difference in avoiding thirst, cramps, and low energy.

expect to piss every 20 minutes haha good advice though

xpress wrote: expect to piss every 20 minutes haha good advice though

you are not sweating enough then
or not riding hard enough
if you still can spare a thought about your bladder

have to agree with all of your comments. as one who seems to suffer with heat exhaustion i'm always thinking proper hydration. i absolutely have to drink tons of water hours before a long ride in the heat. when i can i do bring a long a camelbak and it helps. however, it can cause the undesirable side effect that xpress mentions.

excellent advice gordon.

Glühwein!

Ev, does that translate to glow wine?

squidjuice wrote:Ev, does that translate to glow wine?

word-by-word, yes
spiced hot red wine
too much makes the world go round

okay.. i havnt used the camelbak in about 2 months, and i left the blue powerade in it until yesterday. well it was BLACK! i ran chlorine bleach through it to get the stain out but it wont come out! is it safe to drink out of it? i made sure to get all the bleach out but still the stains are still there. so is it safe?

I guess so,
I still use tomato stained Tupper

it will be fine to drink out of if you wash and rinse it well...you can also purchase a new insert if you can't get rid of the after taste.

yeah you can get the bladders from the camelback site or galls.com, and about hydration, i have 3 nalgene type bottles that hold 32 oz. each. i fill 2 and drink both in a day at a minimum usually, and during football season, summer or when i'm just thirsty i'll drink 3. by the time you get thirsty you're already starting to dehydrate, even if you're not doing anything physical you should still drink at least 64 oz. of water a day. pee should always or as much as possible be clear and you shouldn't drink more than a quart or quart and a half an hour or your stomach will hurt. always stay hydrated.

The military used to throw those things at us for deployments to the middle-east. Bleach is a big NONO eats the plastic so you're drinking broken down plastic and your tasty poweraid , Hot water and soap. PS the big camelbak will hold about 1/4 beer shy of a 6 pack, but you get drunk pretty fast.