Hold the Phone

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been wanting to take more photos on my rides.  But I keep my phone in a pocket of my CamelBak that I can't access without stopping and taking it off.  The inconvenience outweighs the benefits of a photo... at least that's how I feel when I'm riding.  Later when I'm back home I sometimes regret not getting the shot. I don't want to put the phone in my short's pocket because I think it might fall out or I'll fall on it, or it will just move around and be annoying while I ride. Wearing my phone on the front of me, just like I do with my gel flask, seems like a solution to me.  As far as I could find, no such accessory with this purpose is manufactured for my CamelBak.

So I bought a phone holster on Ebay that has a belt clip, belt loop, and a lanyard ring.  Cheap and free shipping!  I figured I'd find some way to use these features to secure the holster to the right strap of my CamelBak.

The case is compatible with my phone and fit quite nicely. Technically I don't use my phone (Samsung Victory) as a phone, but just for GPS tracking and photos/video. For now I have a cheaper pay-as-you-go plan on a cheap $15 phone that also lives in my CamelBak when I ride.  Anyway, the only concern I had with the holster was that its flap wraps over the top of the phone and the flap's Velcro came down a bit too far, so it didn't align perfectly.  The phone came with a piece of foam filler in it, so I cut a small strip off and put it in holster before my phone, giving it the extra height.  Now it has a lot of Velcro holding it closed and won't likely open unintentionally.

Only after receiving it did I learn the holster also has a vertical sleeve which I suspect is a side-effect of how the belt loop and clip are attached in manufacturing.  Bonus!  I removed the metal clip and then worked my CamelBak strap through the vertical sleeve for a dry fit before I found a way to attach it permanently.  The sleeve is tight enough to keep the holster in place when jumping up and down like a crazy person.  So for now I have no need to secure it.  It doesn't seem to be in the way of any movements I make while riding. The real test will be my next ride.

CamelBak Gel Flask

When I race or go on more serious rides I find energy gel is a great way to keep me going.

 I've used the single serving packets, but they have a problem.  First, after eating one, my only option for disposing of the sticky packet is to put it in my pocket.  That's messy and sometimes they fall out of my pockets.  Secondly, while my CamelBak does have a sleeve on the strap to hold a packet, it can only hold one.  During a long ride I've had two or even three energy gels and have had to dismount and take my CamelBak off to access a gel in one of the back compartments.


Online I've found a few containers and holsters marketed to solve these problems.  You can buy energy gel in a large bottle and refill your multiple-serving container for each ride.  Some people even make their own energy gel.  It sounded good but I couldn't find a container and holster that made sense to me. So I made my own.

Actually I bought an Ultimate Direction bottle and holster because it looked like a good start.

It's designed to clip onto a belt, I guess for runners, and I thought it might clip onto my CamelBak strap.  Unfortunately the clips wouldn't close around the straps well, and the angle for the holster wouldn't have been right.  So I made some modifications.

The shape was a bit odd, I guess because of the orientation of the clips and how it is supposed to attach to a belt.  I used a stitch ripper to take the edging off and cut the unnecessary flap away.  I removed the clips and strap that held them on, and then sewed it back together by hand.

To attach it to my CamelBak I used snaps.  I wanted it to be removable because I don't always need it, like on smaller rides and for trail work.  I used a Dritz brand snap tool I bought at JoAnn Fabrics with a 50% coupon to install some heavy duty metal snaps.

It looked good but I was afraid the flask might pop out of the holster when I was riding, especially during a fall.  I don't think I've been to a mountain bike race yet where I didn't see at least one water bottle on the side of the trail.  That's gotta suck to lose your water during a race.  So I added a strap to it too.  Actually, my wife was kind enough to help me with that part.  A square of Velcro keeps the strap closed.

The container holds about 5 servings of energy gel.  I probably won't ever fill it with that much gel, but I can use the extra space to add some water to make it go down a bit smoother.  For now I'll try a big bottle of store bought gel, but at some point I might make my own.

CamelBak Lobo

When I ride muni, I've been wearing a "lumbar bag", as L.L.Bean calls it. I put a water bottle, key, cell phone, wallet, a folding tool, and food in it. When I hop, it bounces like crazy.

So I bought a CamelBak. The model is the "Lobo".
It can hold more than 4 times the water I've been carrying, though I won't be needed that until I can ride a few hours longer.
Hopefully the chest and waist straps will keep it all from bouncing around too much.