CamelBak Water Back Pack
This is a short review of a 1.5 litre water back pack called the CamelBak. After using a water back pack that has large pockets and the ability to hold two 2 litre water bladders, this one was a let down. This particular model I rate as useless for any long distance riding in the heat.
The 1.5 litre Camelbak water back pack.
You may think that I say this with prejudice after using a heavier duty water back pack, but I paid $48 for my old one and $56 for this CamelBak.
This one has a few redeeming features, but I'd essentially rate this as a complete waste of my money. I mainly paid for the brand name.
The CamelBak has several features that I found that are good. Firstly the mouthpiece is L shaped. This allows the mouthpiece to be tucked neatly up inside a fly net and near my mouth when I am wearing one. The shoulder straps are made of mesh which allows some cooling where the straps sit over your shoulders.
View of the other side of the Camelbak.
Most importantly it comes in various colors other than black. This allows better visibility and also reduces the heat of your water on a hot sunny day.
It also has a lower profile and by being a smaller lightweight back pack, it is also less noticeable on your back when wearing it unless you encounter the problems I mention below.
With my old water back pack, I fill the bladders by undoing the zip and removing the bladder(s) whilst the drinking tubes are still wedged through the pack. By removing the bladders I am able to get more than 2 litres into each bladder.
The photo below shows the filling cap and hole for filling the CamelBak. As the bladder is inside the CamelBak you have to turn the pack over to get any reasonable amount of water into it.
This is supposed to be a 1.5 litre pack, but there is no way of getting 1.5 litres into it. One serious problem I encountered was that for the first time ever I ran out of water on a ride. When I am wearing the pack, it seems to cut off the supply so that only about 3 quarters of the bladder is drinkable. This kind of defeats the purpose of wearing a water pack if I have to take it off to drain the water out to drink it. In reality I was getting about 750 ml out of this pack.
Filling the Camelbak.
The rear pocket is not larger enough to accept a full sized Ipod. I had to jam it in without it's protective leather case and cover. If the bladder burst, then everything in the pocket will get soaked. My other pack has the pocket further away and because of the way it sits, gravity will cause the water to run down.
As the CamelBak sits at a strange angle, a burst bladder will allow water straight through the pocket. Goodbye to the Ipod and anything else in the pocket.
The CamelBak has two shoulder straps which are made of mesh but lacks any other straps. Most other packs I have tried have two other straps that cross and do up between the shoulder straps. One usually at the sternum and one over the stomach. I found when wearing the CamelBak, that if I bent over to pick somethig up off of the ground that the pack would try and slide off of my back.
Once the bladder requires replacement, which they all eventually do, this one will require a specific shaped bladder, probably made by CamelBak. My other water back pack uses standard bladders, and I have already brought a generic replacement bladder for it quite cheaply.
This pack would be useful for a beginner going on a one hour ride on a warm day. It's lightweight, and has room for your wallet. Because of it's low footprint, it cuts down on the amount of sweat on your back. It also has a low profile so won't get caught on things. It also comes in multiple colors.
For somebody who wants something with more room for water and wet weather gear, this pack is a let down. It has several design faults, and a severe lack of usable water for what is supposedly a 1.5 litre pack. It cost more to purchase than a vastly superior pack that I already have, and will probably cost more to replace the bladder when it wears out. I give this pack a 2 out of 10.
