Strapping water bottles on AR style… how?

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I was thinking of adding a mesh back to an Ion. I guess it would go against the point of the Ion’s simplicity, but I prefer a pack with *some* type of outside pocket.

The other option is just to get a MLD Prophet if you’re willing to spend the extra cash and accept a less durable fabric.

Seems to work best with two bungee cords, each about 9" long and 2 cordlocks. Works great with daisy chain fabric loops on pack shoulder strap which keeps bottle from sliding down.

1. take bungee cord run it through fabric loop on pack strap then pull cord ends through cordlock and adjust as needed.

2. about 4"-6" down from first loop repeat 1st step
Should be good to go, usually find 20oz bottles are best with weight pulling down on shoulder strap

Jim: After getting it rigged up, is the point to stretch the bungee to pull the bottle out, or you release the cord tension?

Frank: The SuperProphet is what I've been looking at, but I've realized I do a lot of bushwacking compared to other people. My Jam2 has been great, I just need something lighter. I would love to add a mesh pocket onto the Ion if I could figure out a good way to do it. And I don't think it "detracts" from the pack. It would only add a marginal amount of weight but would increase the usable space quite a bit. And you'd still have a bombproof pack for around 10oz.

Dave: I might be asking you a lot of questions in the near future. Not too many people have used this pack!

Hi Ryan,
Usually secure bungee around bottle & pull excess cordage through cordlock. Then loosen cordlock to access bottle on the move, cordlocks are put in place to adjust tension and keep bottle secure. Been using this system with my standard Prophet and it works great.

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I made a set up a few years ago based on instructions I found on the interwebs. I consisted of double sided velcro found at REI, 24oz bike water bottle, about 6-8 inches of the correct sized plastic hose from hardware store. The velcro attaches the bottle to your straps. Take the water bottle top and drill out the center. Insert plastic hose into drilled out hole. The hose is your straw. The set up worked pretty well and cheaper than purpose built set ups.

You can also check out these places for AR specific gear:
http://arequip.com/
http://www.argear.com/

Just use loops of bungie cord (shock cord) tied to a daisy chain on your pack straps. If you don't have daisy chain… I'm not sure how you'd do it. I actually sewed a daisy chain onto my Gossamer Gear Whisper pack just for this purpose.

I don't use cord locks. I don't trust them to hold a full bottle in place. Plus they may make getting and stowing your water a little bit more fussy. I just tie the bottle on and that's that. I rely on the stretch of the bungie to remove the bottle. You may have to play with the length of the loop when you first tie the cords… too tight and it can be hard to get the bottles out… too loose and they can fall off.

Also… I don't use bike bottles… too heavy. I just use plain old 500 mL bottled water bottles from the corner store.

Finally… carry a little extra shock cord with you. I find that after a season or two… my shock cords can wear out and break.

Here are some pics. Go to the links for bigger versions (much bigger!!!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidlewis/2238199536/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidlewis/528820080/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidlewis/528909401/sizes/l/

Hi David,
Just a thought about replacing cordage, seems like a good idea about knot system but it makes me wonder that if your replacing cordage often is because of possibly over stressing it by tying it off too tight to secure the bottle?

Have not had failure with cordlocks but have had issues with velcro used to secure lower portion of the bottle becoming undone and cordlocked bungee has kept bottle from falling off.

If using only one cord to try and secure a bottle would not trust a cordlock long term but using 2 straps seem to equalize weight distribution & lessen the burden on the cordage used while securing the bottle at the same time

Just a thought

I do this when I'm going to need extra water. What I use is a couple of 24 oz Propel drink bottles and double sided velcro tape, which holds admirably well. I prefer the propel bottles over bike bottles because they weigh only 45 gm compared to 110 gm. Nalgene weighs even more.

Hey Jim.

Yup… the repeated pulling on the bungie loops to get my bottles on and off the straps does stress the cord over time. No question. But I prefer the simplicity of this setup. I am using two loops… one right under the neck / cap of the bottle (which always has a nice lip to hook under)… and one further down. The small loop right under the neck / cap is what really holds the bottle in place. The lower loop is probably acting more as a stabilizer than a holder-in-placer :P

p.s… in that last pic I posted… the close up of me on the beach… i have to say… even after a few years of ultralight… it never ceases to amaze me. that's day 2 of a 4 day solo trek along the coast of the bay of fundy… and look… you can't even see my pack… all you see is a single shoulder strap. so cool. can you imagine what a traditional load would look like? the pack would be towering over my head. Anyway… don't mean to get us off topic… but it just always amazes me when I look back at my pictures and I see myself carrying what looks like a child's knapsack for a 4-5 day trip :)

Also you possibly might want to try skipping the stretchy, bungie cord in favor of regular very thin, non-stretchy nylon cord that sells for $3.49 a roll at home depot. The cord locks seem to hold better with this type of cord and it feels better on the shoulder without the bouncing.

neat idea john. i've never had bouncy bottle tho'.

David,
Those pictures are great was wondering how long you were out for. Get the same reaction up here and that way too often look at backcountry campsites of total/utter disbelief. A troop of heavy packing boyscout's & their leaders threatened to beat me up this past summer when passing them on the trail, think they were kidding but you never know. Back to the thread, sorry to digress!

John,
great call on the cordage, found that stiffer & larger bungee cord works best with slightly textured fabric surface tend to work great, like your idea, will check local Home Depot when next DIY project comes around.

Jim, look for the roll of thin psychedelic pink or bright, pee-in-the-snow yellow. Pick your poison.

David, those are good photos. It is really helpful when these tips are illustrated. As they say, “a picture is worth….”

So you guys don't find that the cord locks ever slip? Do you have to use the cord locks to get at and put back the bottle? I love the simplicity of just a tug on the top loop and then pulling the bottle up and out. Super fast and easy… but I might try cord locks the next time my shock cord break :P

What kind of knot are you using to secure these bottles?

Nothing special. Just a regular old knot. The stretch of the shock cord prevents the knot from slipping. Really… if you have a daisy chain… it couldn't be simpler… at least with my idiot-proof method of just buying some water bottles from the corner store and tying them on :-)

Here are more pics. Close ups this time… without my pretty face :P

One thing is actually of note. You may be able to see in the first picture that the daisy chain where the top loop of cord runs has VERY tight spacing between the two bar tacks. I purposely sewed it that way to avoid any "play". The top loop of cord cannot move up or down. It's "locked in". So my water bottles don't bounce at all. of course… I could do that because I created my own daisy chain.

The pack is a GG Whisper BTW.

I would lose my salvation trying to tie that little knot up high and close like that. Cord locks or some other fastener for quick release are a must with my stubby fingers.

Hey John. I just tie it once of course. To remove / replace the bottle I just give the shock cord a little tug. One could tie a little toggle or something onto the cord to give you something easy to grab.

David,
That's a great tip for sewing daisy chains on shoulder pads, nicely done. Bungee cords with cordlocks have been adjusted in the following manner:
Lower strap is tightened firmly around bottle but am still able to remove bottle with having to adjust cordlock

Upper strap is adjusted tight around the bottle much like your knot set up, only difference is being able to loosen tension with a cordlock set up to access bottle

Only thing that comes to mind is that lower cordlock could substituted by a knot since it is never really adjusted except when setting up with whatever bottle I happen to be using at the time, use plastic water bottles that tend to vary in size depending on which size is available at local store before hitting the trail.
Found that bottles with ridges work best, not sure if you guys have these readily available where you go.

Ahh… good point about the different bottle sizes and cord locks. I just always buy the same style bottles (and reuse them as long as I can before they get too beaten up)… but of course you can't always find that same bottles. Cool.

Too bad the Gossamer Gear packs don't all come with daisy chain already. It's pretty easy to add… but not everyone has a sewing machine.

Would using this style of bottle mounting help accelerate thinning of the shoulder straps over a long period of time (thru hike)? I'm wondering if 1-2 pounds placed directly on top of the padding would speed up the inevitable thinning of shoulder straps. Along the same lines, does having the weight of the water directly on top of the shoulders help balance the weight of the pack, and actually make the pack feel a little less heavy?