Hydration bladders and bag accessories

The hydration bladder is a wear item

It’s the part you replace, and the part that often gets cleaned badly. A hydration pack can last ten years; its bladder, valve and tube won’t. Each can be replaced separately for a few euros, even on a pack worth a hundred.

Choosing your bladder

• 1–1.5 L : short rides, hydration vests and waist packs, where keeping bulk down matters most.
• 2 L : the most common size, enough for two to three hours.
• 3 L : hot weather, long distances and routes without water stops. It also means carrying 3 kg on your back when full, which is worth considering.
• Check the connector type : brands use their own connectors, so one brand’s bladder won’t necessarily connect to another brand’s tube. The simplest option is to choose the bladder designed for your pack.

The parts that really wear out

The valve gets punctured, chewed and eventually leaks — it’s by far the part most often replaced, and you can change it without tools. The hose yellows and cracks. Both are available separately or in a kit. Also consider the insulated tube, which stops water freezing in the tube in winter or heating up in direct sunlight — an accessory few people know about that makes a difference in both extremes.

Cleaning and drying: what really matters

A bladder stored while damp can develop mould within days, and the taste won’t go away. The cleaning kits include brushes for the bladder and tube, while sterilising tablets deal with residue from sugary drinks. The drying kit, which holds the bladder open to the air, is the most useful of the three: most bladders fail because they haven’t dried properly.

Mounts and accessories

• The universal straps strap a tool, inner tube or waterproof bag to any frame tube.
• The bolt-on mounts for eyelets turn a bottle-cage mount into an attachment point.
• The handlebar mounting kits are often needed and sold separately for locking handlebar bags — order them with the bag.
• The rain covers fold into their own pocket and protect a bag that isn’t waterproof.
• The additional back protectors slip into a pack that didn’t originally come with one.

See also: Backpacks and hydration packs · Bikepacking bags · Cycling water bottles