We had eagerly awaited a member tested review of our proven hydration gear by the BMW MOA magazine, after all we developed our TRH 3.2 Pack at the direct request of many of their membership.  The review of our OffRoad version ended up being more akin to a test driver reporting only on how great a bike looked but not discussing the engine or anything else about how the bike performed.  We had hoped for a bit more.

As our intro suggests we had sent a couple of our demo units (the TRH 3.2 Pack and the OffRoad) to BMW MOA to be member tested.  We had originally introduced our hydration gear at the National BMW MOA Rally in Lebanon, Tennessee last year, partnering with our friends at BigEar Inc. and it was a successful blast.  While at the rally we received dozens of requests for us to develop our system into a pack that could be used inside existing tank bags, so as a result we developed the TRH 3.2 Pack.  Having owned a BMW K1200LT years back, BMW motorcycles have always been close to our hearts.

We would also like to stress that we deeply value the opinions of various testers and customers.  We appreciate our testers taking the time to review our hydration gear, and we appreciate all of our awesome customer support and the trust that they extend to us when they buy our gear.  In this case, we appreciate the BMW MOA member testing our system but we are left confused about his overall take on our hydration gear.  Okay we admit that we’ve never had a bad review, but if someone writes a review, but only documents part of the system then want to make sure that the reader gets the full picture.

I would float the question…did the tester actually use our gear as part of his testing methods?  In other words, did he actually take this out on a ride and use it to hydrate?  I can’t answer this because the relevant performance information is missing from the article.  Was there a problem with a pandemic lockdown or something else?  Again, we don’t know.  Our purpose here is to review the article in question and provide the reader with the facts about our hydration gear that didn’t make it into the review article.  For anyone saying that this article is because the review in question wasn’t the greatest  and our feeling are hurt…you would be wrong, we are providing the performance features to that the reader can make up their mind.

THE ARTICLE:

The article starts off with reviewing some of the high end materials and features of the hydration gear, including the bladder quick connect, different bite valves and their dust covers, as well as the features on the lid, including the velcro, bungee tie down etc.  The article mentions the “foil liner” which is the first of 2 thermal aluminum liners that keep the custom bladder so cold. A cool feature is that this liner can be removed so the tank bag can be used like a regular tank bag.  The 2nd thermal aluminum liner is engineered into all 6 sides of the hydration tank bag, and these dual thermal liners keep the custom 3.2 liter bladder ice cold for up to 8 hours in triple digit temps.  

The article then describes the shape of the hydration tank bag, as well as pointing out that it is designed to mount on many different bikes.  The 9×9 inch footprint is designed to mount on just about any tank or seat without encroaching on gauges.  The wrap around magnet system works incredibly well, however with the affixed D-rings and riser strap, tie-down straps are necessary for bikes with non-metallic tanks.  We easily mount this system onto everything from street bikes to CanAm Spyders as anchor points for the straps are readily available on every bike…you would be surprised actually and you just have to know where to look. 

The article mentions that the tie-down straps that we sent along were “poorly constructed”.  We provided the tester with one of our 4 piece, adjustable pass-through loop/snap ring strap kits.  The pass through loop style of strap is one of the best straps to secure luggage on your tank or seat which is why we use them.  They work by unthreading the strap from the male buckle, passing the strap around your selected anchor point, thread it through the loop, pull tight and rethread the strap back through the buckle. 

The article continues on with the tester’s opinions, which we do value but we don’t necessarily agree with.  For instance, the tester is right…we love backpacks too…but only when we are hiking.  Why would you want the weight of a backpack on your back, over top your other riding gear, when you can have it right on your tank?  Why wear something that traps heat in your body core? This of course is our own opinion.

Next we want to address what’s missing from the article….the versatility and performance of this hydration gear…

PERFORMANCE:

This rider hydration system was designed to meet an incredibly important need.  The problem up until now is that there’s been no adequate way to hydrate for motorcycle riders while they’re exposed to the elements.  With this engineered rider hydration system, hot water bottles, the hot hydration backpacks, tumbler cups etc are all obsolete.  More importantly there is no more need to continue the old and dangerous practice of waiting until stops in order to rehydrate.

This system allows rider to safely hydrate between stops while they’re riding.  The ballistic grade shell and dual thermal lining keep the custom bladder cold for up to 8 hours, as proven by hundreds of customers across the country.  Refills are a snap with the quick connect feature allowing you to fill up at just about any gas station’s soda station.

With the ice water conveniently mounted on your tank, you can easily and safely use the adjustable and retractable hydration hose which stays out of the way when not in use.  Not using your street bike or dual sport today?  Pull it off the tank and mount it on your ATV, side by side or western saddle.  When you arrive at your destination throw it on your back with the included shoulder straps.

This hydration gear works incredibly well as our customer reviews attest.

WRAP UP:

Again we appreciate the BMW MOA member tester who authored this review for a really good reason.  As mentioned we value opinions of experienced riders, in fact several features on our various models are directly from suggestions from our testers and valued customers.  We wanted to wrap up with this response to the tester’s feeling that he “wasn’t satisfied with the big picture”.

We feel that this is due to the possibility that the tester didn’t understand the “big picture” and we take full responsibility for that.

As a growing company we can see where we should be providing more information, more how-to and/or instructional videos for our hydration gear and accessories, etc.  More video’s on how to mount the hydration gear on your bike etc.

This is a whole new way for riders to hydrate and we’ve developed what can confidently say is the most versatile rider hydration system on the planet.  With this in mind we’ve already partnered with an incredible marketing team that will help us put together some great instruction videos and other media to improve our customer experience.

God Bless,

Dan Dougherty,  ThirstyRock Hydration Gear

Hydrate Responsibly.