This Dirt Bike Water Bladder Promises Next Level Performance, Has Baja Credentials

Will I finally remember to drink?

Photo by: FluidLogic

By: Jonathon Klein

Mar 20, at 7:44am ET

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I've been known to forget to drink water when I'm out in the woods. Whether that's when I'm walking around looking for furry animals to eat, driving my Can-Am Maverick X3, or riding dirt bikes all day, I tend to lose track of rehydrating. I then end up guzzling water when someone finally slaps me upside the head or feeling lightheaded due to being dehydrated.

And that's with me remembering to bring adequate water for all my excursions. Seriously, I run a 3-liter hydration bladder both in my Sitka hunting backpack and my Klim dirt bike pack. I just tend to forget while in the moment.

Others have this issue too, apparently, and it's not just due to my extreme ADHD. In fact, one company—FluidLogic—knows the pains of off-roader hydration so well, it came up with an innovative hydration bladder that reminds you when to drink and that you need to drink to be at your best. And the company has the background, one built from Baja, to back up those ideas.

Say hello to the FluidLogic GPR50, a hydration bladder with a brain.

Photo by: FluidLogic

The company states, "High-functioning performers know that finding the optimal combination of focus, skill and preparation is the key to progression. The term for this combination is 'Flow State.'" But there's a problem, as "We know that a 1% drop in hydration can lead to a 12% drop in performance. A 3-4% hydration loss could mean a 25-50% loss in physical and mental performance."

To combat that, both on a dirt bike or racing the Baja, FluidLogic developed a smar hydration bladder that uses a proprietary algorithm that "factors in your biometrics, level of exertion, and environmental data," which enables the bladder "to predict the precise amount of water needed to maintain optimal hydration levels over the duration of your activity." Neat!

How it works is that you'll input your biometric data, what you're doing, what level of exerition you're aiming for, and a few other variables, and the system will figure out how much and when you need water. It'll then send a signal to the GPR50 backpack which'll both vibrate and send a visual signal to the rider, who'll then be able to push a button on your handlebars to send water to the drinking hose in your helmet. Simple, right?

The whole unit weighs just over two pounds unfilled, and around five and a half pounds full of water. As for how it compares to other bladders' capacity, the GPR50 comes with a 1.4-liter tank, which is adequate for most quick to medium romps either on single track or riding an ADV. I'd like to see a little more, maybe closer to 2-liters personally, but I tend to stay out. Refilling, however, seems pretty easy and there's a button to let the pack know you're refilling it so you don't screw up the algorithm.

Likewise, for the nerds in the group that love to check out stats and record how they're working hard, the system will allow the user to "transform every drop of water into data," as it can "Seamlessly record every sip, every workout and every adventure to evaluate your performance and build your personal hydration profile." So you'll be able to see if you were working hard or hardly working—I'm here all week, folks!

How much does all this tech run, though? Good question.

Right now, according to the brand's site, you can pick up a GPR50 for the introductory price of $479.00, and you'll get the GPR50 Hydration Pack, In-Helmet Hydration Delivery Kit, and the Hydration Remote Kit with handlebar or clutch lever mount. No word on how much it'll cost after the introductory price goes away.

So yeah, are you ready to let a robot shove water into your face or is analog the better way to go? Let us know what you think of the GPR50 and whether we should test it in the comments below.