I’m already planning RAGBRAI hydration; never mind that the event is still over five months in the future. If anything, hydration is more important than food; so plan how you’ll get your fluids during a ride.

For a long event, is a Camel-Bak or bottles a better choice? That depends on personal preference. Some riders find that a backpack full of water makes them too hot; and for a fact, a Camel-Bak does get hot. There’s also the weight of the Camel-Bak to contend with.

I intend to use the Camel-Bak for my RAGBRAI hydration, despite the drawacks. Now that I’m doing 20+ mile rides more and more often, I’m using that hydration system much more often. If I’m to use it for RAGBRAI, I must train with it. Since it sounds like opportunities to refill your bottles, etc. are frequent, I won’t need to fill the reservoir all the way. That means more weight allowance for other necessities, e.g. a tube of Chamois Butt’r.

If I have the Camel-Bak, I’ll have a drinking tube; and that tube is easier to grab than a bottle on my bicycle’s down tube. Even after a dozen years of riding that road bike, I still have days when I can’t seem to keep from swerving when trying to manage that bidon! And that’s on flat ground; I imaging that climbing would complicate matters considerably.