Where to store extra water on a full suspension setup

[Rabble]

I've recently made the foray in to the full suspension world and am wondering where people store their extra water. If I'm running bottles when my frame bag is attached, I can put 2 bottles in stem bags and 1 under the downtube which gives me somewhere between 2L and 3L of water. This is fine when I can refill frequently but if I'm somewhere that there aren't any water resources I will run out pretty quickly. For reference I gulp up around 6-7L of fluids per day while bikepacking (I'm a monster).

I've seen a lot of write ups of people saying they carry an extra 2L or 3L bladder that remains empty until they run into a long stretch without water after which they fill it up. This seems reasonable on my XL hard tail where I have an enormous frame bag which can easily eat up a bladder. However, on my FS bike my frame bag cannot hold a full bladder and the only place to put it seems to be on top of my handlebar roll. I think this would work but it would add significant weight to the bars and I don't think I've ever seen a bikepacking rig with a bladder lashed to the frontroll so I assume that isn't the way to go.

I'd like to avoid wearing my 3L Osprey on my back if possible as my back gets pretty worn out on multi-day trips.

[Lentamentalisk]

The bit they always leave out from bikepacking bike photos is the backpack. I find this super dishonest, because it makes people think they can get away with a much slimmer setup than they really can.

Inside the frame is still the best place. If you are good with your hands, you may be able to make a custom frame bag that fills all the little nooks and crannies in there to maximize bladder space. Note that getting a larger bladder and under filling it will allow it to squeeze into all those places. Platypus bladders have less big chunky stuff on them than Camelbaks.

Look into how big of a water bottle you can fit on the down tube. I can fit a 2L Kleen Kanteen on the downtube of my fat bike. Joe Cruz managed to fit an additional water bottle above that!



Also shown here is the stem cap mounted water bottle that King Cage makes.

Depending on the design of your fork, you can also use hose clamps to attach cages to your fork.

[Meadowbolic]

Agreed on getting a bladder in your fully framebag. A solid framebag that fills all the curves is definitely worth it. Be careful on the downtube location with the full suspension. I've cracked many cages when riding technical terrain and often the bike comes to a quick stop when it catches a log or rock. I wouldn't recommend keeping water on the harness when riding technical stuff. Feedbags off the bar work great especially with tall Smart Waterbottles, and then I think your next best bet is the saddlebag (if your not using a dropper, those things can't rebound that much weight). Also if you don't have a dropper, lots of fullys have plenty of space right under the nose of the saddle for a bottle. I like Voile straps for securing that one.

Cheers!

 

[Racingguy04]

Another option is http://www.bedrockbags.com/gear/honaker-bot-bag to get you some more capacity. I think the most obvious and least elegant solution for you is to wear a backpack with a bladder. Maybe something slimmer than the osprey, like a camelback classic?

[offroute]

I would eschew bike bottles and bladders, and commit to Platypus bottles. Bladders are typically too long and too large in capacity, and a rigid cylindrical shape is terribly wasteful of space in a bag. 2.5- and one-liter Platy bottles are kick-ass efficient for fitting water in odd-shaped spaces.

A lightweight backpack is indispensable for provisioning up. Some UL packs are little more than a stuff sack, so have multiple uses. Remove enough light/bulky stuff from your bike bags to fit your extra water, and carry that bulky stuff in your pack temporarily.

If you're ardently anti-pack, you'll have to get creative. Usually tons of room under the downtube (and other sneaky places) for lashing on cargo. I can stash (2) 2.5-l Platys in my front roll pocket. Anything cages (not for water, to make room for water). Two feed bags = 2 liters. Nothing to do with suspension, really, just being efficient and crafty.