1 Gallon RTIC Hydration System

Dr. Tiki

Premier Member
#1
My current hydration system was a 1/2 gallon Igloo mounted to the clutch side passenger floor board. I usually mount it when doing longer trips and on my IBA rides. Overtime, I came to dislike a few things about it…

• It was becoming a pain to install and remove all the time.
• The process to install/remove was a pain in itself as I had to remove the mount from the floorboard, then remove the floorboard from the bike.
• It required the passenger floorboard to be down and found that I frequently hit my heel on it at stops (I am not accustomed to carrying passengers)
• I don't like to go inside the store when stopped for gas just to refill. I like to refill at the end of the day. 1/2 gallon wasn't enough water.
• Igloo wasn't well insulated and the ice didn't last long



I mounted the system to the clutch side of the bike as I figured that if I mounted it to the right side, heat would rise up from the engine and onto the Igloo when parked. Also if mounted on the clutch side, the bike would have more of a chance to cast some kind of shade onto the container when parked.

Mocking up a card board template of the new mount:


Testing template on the bike, holes are at a slight angle so water will accumulate to one side when low


Satisfied with the template and after lots of measuring, re-measuring and measuring again. I took the template down to a custom metal fab shop and had it fabricated. Here I am getting ready to lay out the mounting holes that will mount it to the bike and the holder to the mount.


After getting the holes drilled I had the mount powder coated


The new mount on the bike, a perfect fit.


The jug I will be using is a 1 Gallon RTIC with a quick disconnect siliconed into the top, bottom has a firm 'straw' that reaches to the bottom of the jug.


The quick disconnect seals when the male part is removed. No leakage. Also the RTIC jug captures the small lid on top, the Yeti has a magnetic mount that you just place the cap on when removed. I figured I'd loose that pretty quick if I went with the Yeti.


Everything mounted on the bike. RTIC jug slides into the holder that Yeti makes for their 1 gallon jug. The lock is just peace of mind that it won't bounce out, also found out later that because the jug is a little loose in the holder, it tends to spin around, this keeps it from doing it.


... and this is the finished system. I have about a thousand miles with it now and I am very happy with how it turned out. The system does not stick our further than the saddlebag. It's also high enough that in the case of a tip over, the saddlebag guard will hit ground before the hydration system does. I have a new hydration hose cover on my desk, it just didn't arrive in time for pictures.
 

keithu

Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
#8
I've been running this style of hydration system all summer and it has worked pretty well. But last month while riding the Highline across northern Montana it stopped working: all I got out of the drink tube was air and bubbles. Inspection revealed that an o-ring on one of the quick disconnects broke. I was surprised it broke so early as I think the QD fitting had fewer than 100 cycles.

I found a package of o-rings in the plumbing aisle at Lowes that were perfect replacements. They are 1/2" OD x 5/16" ID x 3/32. They're a perfect fit and don't interfere with QD operation.

If you're using the Mazama QD fittings described in this thread I recommend picking up a pack of these o-rings and stash them in your tank bag on long rides. An o-ring might not be an easy part to source on the road, and if it breaks the hydration system will be non-operable.
 

Attachments

Dr. Tiki

Premier Member
#9
I never thought about O-Ring issues, thanks. I will be adding that to my shopping list for the next time I am at Lowes.

My setup continues to work great and the only real change that I feel that I need to make is getting rid of the lock that I put on it. The lock is really only there to keep the jug from spinning in the holder from all the vibrations. I would like to find a long slim carabiner or something to replace it with, something that I don't have to dig around for keys for. :)
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#12
Nice design, what did you use for the straw inside the jug?
I'm sure Keith with chime in, but I use those quick release valves too and the way he has one mounted at the top of the jug lid suggests there is just a short length of tubing on the inside. I sometimes use semi rigid freezer tubing for inside the jug since it's easier to poke thru the ice I like to fill my jug with prior to topping off with water. But the same tubing that is used on the outside works on the inside too.
 

Steve Gallant

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#13
Thanks Eric! I'm currently using just more of the regular camelback tubing inside, but it can be challenging when the jug is filled with ice, so I'd like to explore using a more straw-like solution.

I'm sure Keith with chime in, but I use those quick release valves too and the way he has one mounted at the top of the jug lid suggests there is just a short length of tubing on the inside. I sometimes use semi rigid freezer tubing for inside the jug since it's easier to poke thru the ice I like to fill my jug with prior to topping off with water. But the same tubing that is used on the outside works on the inside too.
 

HACKLE

Well-Known Member
#14
I had a local fabricating shop make me a stainless tube with a bend at the top. At the bottom I drilled a series of holes on two sides for about 1/2 inch up from the bottom. To this I fitted some food grade plastic tubing to fit on the genuine Camel Back quick release fittings. Female on the stainless tube side and male on the long tube that passes under the side of the seat and up to the tank bag. Mounts on the right pillion foot peg and held in place by a strap round a frame tube and the pannier mount arm. This is on a 2016 Triumph Trophy 1215 SE. It's never moved, whether I have the pannier mounted or not. The container is a 2.5 litre ICEKEG which is in a cheap $10.00 insulated bag from K Mart. To fill, separate the quick release, remove stainless tube, unscrew lid, fill and reverse. Simple. The dearest part was the genuine Camel Back connections. I bought two of everything, you never know. Cheers.
 

keithu

Premier Member
IBA Member
IBR Finisher
#16
I went very simple. I took a rigid plastic drinking straw from a sports bottle or something we had lying around. I used heat to soften the plastic on one end and work it onto the hose barb of the QD fitting. When the plastic cooled the straw was sealed in place around the barb. I cut the straw so the end is about 1/2" above the bottom of the Rtic jug.

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Auburn

Premier Member
#17
I’m looking to do these on a gold wing riding 2up. Does anyone have mounting idea/pictures from other 2 up riders? Can’t use the traditional foot peg mount that single riders do.
 

mcrigid

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#18
went very simple. I took a rigid plastic drinking straw from a sports bottle or something we had lying around. I used heat to soften the plastic on one end and work it onto the hose barb of the QD fitting. When the plastic cooled the straw was sealed in place around the barb. I cut the straw so the end is about 1/2" above the bottom of the Rtic jug.
Very nicely done! What did you use to seal and mount the quick disconnect to the lid? Epoxy? Silicone?
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#19
Very nicely done! What did you use to seal and mount the quick disconnect to the lid? Epoxy? Silicone?
I don't usually try to seal the thru connection to the lid. You need some air to flow in when you're sucking water out, or you would create a vacuum and quickly be unable to suck more water out. Many hose connectors have a flange at the base of the ribbed hose connector, push the connector in to the hole in the lid until it seats on the flange, then push the hose/straw on from the inside, voilà, captured and secure.

On some jugs I've set up, I've had to drill a pin hole in the lid for it to flow well. On this Igloo 1 Gal jug, I drilled a slightly undersize hole in the pour spout lid, pushed rigid freezer tubing in and connected my quick disconnect to that. If you look at the center of the main fill cap, you can see the small hole I drilled there to let air in while drinking.
 

Auburn

Premier Member
#20
My dilemma was how to put two of the RTIC 1 gallon systems on a gold wing when we ride 2 up all the time. Solution was to build a support system. Here is my solution:

(I copied some of the things others did for covering the tubing and sealing the ends. ) Thank you all for different ideas that helped inspire my set up.




The support is a 3/4" conduit bent to fit, with a tab welded on the ends to mount to a crash bar clamp, another support that ties into the fuel cell support, and a bracket that is drilled and tapped into the antenna mounts and the top of the Yeti jug holder. Very solid set up. Done a couple of 600 mile test rides the last couple of weekends. Works very well.


The quick disconnects are 1/8" NFPT double check hydraulic hose fittings (brass with chrome finish) then use 1/8" NFPT brass fuel line 90 degree elbow on top and straight inside. No pipe thread dope used since we are drinking through these. Brass is used in lots of water application, like the fittings for ice makers and water connections in refrigerators.



On the inside of the cap, I put a silicon washer under the stainless steel washer and then screwed in the straight brass fuel line barb connection with 1/4" plastic tubing with stainless steel spring clamp to hole in place.



For venting, I close the top pour cap and then open 1/4 turn, vents just fine. Have not had any issues with ice preventing the hose from reaching the bottom. We just fill about 3/4 with ice and then put the water in. The ice melting to cool the water allows the hose to easily slide into the bottom.