Looking for recommendations on flasks that are completely soft, even the cap.
I’ve been wanting to make my own high-carb gels for a while now, but have never been able to find a flask that felt safe to put in my jersey. I never ride with rigid/hard stuff in my back pockets, for fear they will damage my spine/kidneys/other organs in a fall.
Do completely soft flask exist? Could I get empty gel packets somewhere, to fill at home?
This is the best flask I’ve found for gels: Amazon.com : HydraPak SoftFlask - Collapsible Nutrition Flask (150ml or 250ml) - BPA Free, Easy Open Cap, Foldable, Lightweight : Sports & Outdoors
It collapses to basically nothing when empty and is really easy to get all of the contents out. I find it even easier than most commercial gel packets. Inspired by this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TywAUqj-j08
Nowadays I mostly just put carbs in my bottle since it’s less fuss. 500g of cane sugar dissolves fine in a 500ml bottle if you blend it with hot water.
Edit: just realized that the cap probably doesn’t fit your requirement that it should be soft as well. You could always buy empty heat sealable packets on Amazon and seal them with a hair straightener or something.
The HydraPak soft flasks are your best bet….but the caps are rigid and the top of the flask itslef is semi-rigid. You need that strucutre for the top to properly seal on the threads of the flask.
But I would not worry in the slightest about damaging any organs or even bruising if you use one.
I have the smaller version (5 oz), fill it with maple syrup and then add a healthy pinch of pink sea salt for electrolytes and the cut down on the sweetness of the syrup. Each oz is ~25g of carbs.
Take a look at the Fitly soft flask. I use mine for shots of pickle juice. While it’s not 100% flat when empty, it does collapse down pretty far and has yet to leak. Available in a wide range of sizes, also.
i use the Fitly; collapse to almost nothing. has a bite valve so hard to leak.
Another vote for HydraPak with maple syrup. Make sure to get the latest version (with flip cover) not the old one (twist to open/close) for ease of use.
I use the Maurten Gelflasks. Haven’t had too much experience yet, but took them out for a handful of rides and was happy with the function. https://www.maurten.com/de/products/gel-flask-150
I use these:
The lid is kinda semi rigid but I can’t imagine they’d actually cause any damage in a crash
For over a year I have been using this one:
150/250/500ML Collapsible Water Bottle TPU Flask and this one: Racefuel Soft Flask 150 ml - Foldable Water Bottle Including Energy Gel Recipe (QR Code) - BPA Free & Lightweight - Ideal for Running Vest, Marathon, Triathlon & Cycling (Pack of 2, 150 ml) : Amazon.de: DIY & Tools without any leaks. Decathlon has also some nice and cheap options.
All are supersoft and collapsible to almost nothing. And the valve is soft and leak-proof
Thanks for all the suggestions!
I ended up buying these; GATO Sports Soft Flask 150ml | Gel Flask for Runners
But when they need replacing I’ll try something else as the Gato’s are a) 130ml instead of 150ml and b) the flow through the bite valve is a tad too low for my liking.
Formula 369 sells a good soft flask