So for the last couple months (including tonight) have been dealing with my drink mix freezing into a slushy and the valve/opening freezing over from the inside of the bottle preventing even the slush from getting through.
Guessing some of you that ride year round have dealt with this and found solutions, a google search suggests things like the Camelbak Chill and other insulated water bottles like the Polar, Specialized or Supacaz. Are these sufficient in solving the issue? I’m hoping I don’t have to resort to keeping my drink bottle in my jersey/jacket pocket or have something that isn’t easily drank from while on the fly (I’m clumsy enough eating and drinking while riding, big winter gloves and pogies has exacerbated things). I haven’t found issues with my Camelbak freezing up but don’t put drink mix in it (so still carry a bottle) and usually don’t wear it for road or gravel riding.
I use a Camelbak Chill bottle for most winter riding and it’s good to a point, but anything under about -8 and the nozzle will freeze up, even though the water inside is still nice and liquid-y. Blowing back to keep water out of the nozzle helps a bit, but it’s not foolproof.
Insulated bottle, or get a neoprene sock or similar shape to put around your bottle (I do this when hiking in the winter to prevent my water from freezing)
Some people wear their hydration pack under their jacket with an insulated hose. I’ve also seen people wear a bottle in a rear pocket with a jacket over that.
I’ve been wearing my Camelbak under my wind/waterproof jersey with no issues and still have use of the jersey pockets. My bag is not that big however I’ve seen some monsters out there that definitely wouldn’t fit. Works great for me. You can always set your hose up however you like but I just unzip about 6 inches quick drink and zip back up. The biggest issue is the hose and mouth piece freezing but since putting it under it’s perfect.
I add a couple tablespoons of vodka per litre of water to the camelback and blow the excess water in the tube back into the bladder to prevent freezing in the exposed tube. You might need to experiment with the ratios to find the optimal balance of palatability and antifreeze.
For a water bottle I find the nozzle freezes up so just keep an extra lid in a pocket close to your body and switch it out as needed.
Hey not sure about water bottles but for hydration packs I use hand or feet warmers packed beside the storage bottle if it’s really cold plus warmer water is good on cold nights…
When I was snowboarding in the alps I picked up an insulated camelbak (the hose was also insulated, that worked pretty well. I haven’t tried this, but you could hydration tablets the bottle as they contains salts that I assume would lower the freezing temp a bit (probably not substantially)
I’ve never had the water freeze in my hydration pack bladder, however the hose and nozzle have been a problem. On really cold days I clamp the nozzle in my teeth while riding to keep it warm/melt any ice with my breath. For my water bottle, I keep the nozzle open and when I stop I breathe heavy on it to melt any accumulated ice. I also try to stop and drink often to keep the freezing to a minimum.
