Mick's Hillbilly Hydration System

Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
1,349
Location
Gainesville, Florida
Bike
ST1300A, TracerGT
I have a 2 quart round cooler with a drinking spout bungied to the right passenger footpeg. I then use 3/8" tubing from the drinking spout attached to my tank bag. Easy to refill with ice and new drink. Stays nice and cold if you "blow back" after taking a sip. Keeps my back seat free for my camping gear.
 
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
3,357
Age
52
Location
Rindge, NH
Bike
2006 ST1300
Even though I'm a northerner I use a drinking system. The one trip I didn't bring it with me- my trip to Moonshine, because it was cool...turned out to be a mistake. On my long route home after Moonshine I hit very high temps and really wished I had it with me! Mine is a off brand similar to a Camelback, but I really want to come up with something larger. I think this one holds 2 liters, and in hot/sunny weather I would empty it before the gas tank of the KLR ran out. I would pee maybe every 3 fuel stops...not nearly enough. If I drank at every fuel stop, I could drink a liter of water and still not get half the hydration I was getting by using this. I get continuous hydration while I ride rather than saturating myself during a stop, then stretching it in between.

I'm a big guy, and the backpack-style system doesn't fit me, especially with riding gear. I found a way to strap it to my top box using just the straps from the drink system. It worked great, and one click of a buckle and the straps come off so I can open the box. You can't see it well, but you can see it in this pic-



Jim
 
Joined
May 25, 2007
Messages
496
Location
Huntsville, Alabama
Bike
ST1300
STOC #
7219
The idea here is to drink plenty of water so that one can keep cool by sweating while not becoming dehydrated.
One can complement this by either letting a hydration vest sweat for you or using a phase change vest to keep one cool without evaporation.
These would not be a solution for LD riding, since they have to be recharged every couple of hours but are good solutions for those of
us not interested, or suited, for LD riding. The phase change vest also keeps one cool when stopped or in humid weather, as does a Veskimo.

John-
 
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