Makismo Water Back Pack

I have only one complaint about this pack, and that is the fact that it is only available in one color and that is black. It's bad for visibility and also tends to heat the water on a hot sunny western Australian summer day.

The Makismo water back pack.

The Makismo comes with a large pocket on the back, which will easily hold a rain jacket and a wind jacket. There is also an external mesh pocket on the back. On each side there are also two more outer pockets.

The straps that come over the shoulders are quite thick and have two straps that connect across the sternum and stomach. This keeps the pack safely in place when bending over.

To fill the internal bladder, you undo two straps, and the zip, which allows opening the pack and removing the bladder(s) while leaving the drinking hose still in it's opening. By removing the bladder, you are able to hold it correctly and directly under a tap. This allows you to fill the bladder to its capacity.

View showing the filling hole of the internal water bladder.

Once the bladder is full, its just a matter of doing up the cap and inserting the bladder back into the pack. There is a small handle on the bladder to hold it when filling.

If a bladder was to burst, the water would run down your back instead of soaking the pocket. Because the internal bladder is separated in it's own compartment, you could also put other items inside the pack. Instead I fitted a second bladder.

Due to the size of this back pack it can cause excessive sweat on the back, but I also found when riding north with a freezing tail wind that the pack kept my back warm, as my windjacket has a mesh back on it.

This style of water pack uses generic water bladders of various sizes, so if a replacement bladder was needed, they are available for less than $10. The reason that I sometimes use two bladders, is that I can use water in one and a sports drink in the other. Coupled with the water bottles on the bike, I can carry up to 10 litres of water on a long ride.

The 2 litre water bladder that has aged.

I have found that after many years of use the bladders tend to discolour. I have had water, juice and soft drink in the bladders, though not all at once. The one in the photograph is four years old hence it's discoloration.

Apart from it's single color, I find no fault with this back pack. If you are looking for a large heavy duty pack this is the one. It is also reasonable water proof, having ridden in soaking rain with this one. I rate it 8 out of 10.