Water and GPS Units

[farmerdd]

I am new to bikepacking and have a few questions. On multi-day trips how do you plan for water? If I am riding twelve hours per day I may consume 4 liters. Does this sound right? When I used to backpack, I used a topo map to plan for water stops. Is this how everyone else does it? (sometimes marked water spots are dry though)

I am looking for a used GPS unit. The Garmin website shows sport specific and outdoor specific models. In short, there are way to many choices there for me. Which models work best for you and why? Other brands are ok too, please share your thoughts.

[RossC]

Garmin etrex 20 is the best value for money unit at the moment in my opinion.

1. Runs on AA's so you can just keep feeding it batteries.
2. You can buy a reasonable quality Garmin bicycle mount for it - be warned. I know one rider who has lost their etrex as it wasn't tethered. Make sure you still have a tether strap to keep it on the bars.
3. It isn't track-point limited like the Vista HCX (it's predecessor) and it doesn't have lots of 'features' that you don't really need like the etrex 30 which keeps it affordable.

In regards to water, I've had the luxury of riding in places with plentiful water availability to date. I can only assume programing waypoints with likely (or known) water points in advance and never going past a chance to refill is the safest bet.

[AZTtripper]

On the water side. It all depends on the area of course but yes marking know points and then working out how much you need to get from one to the other. Having the ability to carry up to 6 liters is key for some of the dryer sections of the AZT. Others I'll only carry 3 if I know there will be more chances to fill up.

I think you'll find that you need more for riding then hiking. Back in my rock climbing days it was 2 liters per man per day for big walls. For bike packing I figure I drink anywhere from 5-6 or more liters per day. Plus some kind of electrolyte replacement pills and powders.

As for reliability again that can really depend from one area to the next. For the AZT the Association does have an updateable water table on line. It's great when you can see that a water source was there for someone just recently.  

[farmerdd]

I can relate to the climbing/water more than I can biking/water. I have done much more climbing than biking hour for hour. I did do the Dakota 50 once, in around 7.5 - 8 hrs. I used a 2L Cascade Designs Platypus hydration pack and one water bottle, but I am certain there was a refill station along the way (but I cannot remember it). Otherwise, I have not completed any longer rides to judge water usage.

It would be nice to see others rates of water consumption. It would be nice to compute an average.

Looks like the etrex 20 will my next addition to the "to buy" list.

Thanks for your help all!

[AZTtripper]

Dakota 50 are you in the Black Hills? I used to live there in the early 90's.

My bikepacking set up is 2 3 liter bladders and a 1 liter water bottle. Usually I'll put 2 liters in one that fits in my frame pack 3 liters in the bladder pouch of my pack the bottle makes 6. My Osprey Talon will hold both bladders at full capacity if need be so I can carry 7 if needed.

[farmerdd]

I was in the Black Hills from 97-03. Then I was in Golden, CO from 03-10. Now I am near Omaha. NE. I have noted your water setup. Thanks