Got £65ish to spend on an all-day pack.

Need a 2-3l bladder, space for tools, first aid kit, 2 tubes, coat and warm layer, Pump,few spares, lunch/sarnies etc.

Waht is the difference between the mule and the mule nv? Hawg any good? Anything else around that price point that fits the bill? A bonus would be a pocket on the waist band for phone/multi tool/car key sort of things.

Whats the decent Osprey pack??

I have a Dakine Nomad – does the job pretty well, think I paid £75 about a year ago, so may be a bit pricier now.

I went with Dakine because I have a Helipack that I have had for 12(ish)years and has taken loads of abuse and still going strong – if a little faded!

The Mule NV has a webbed structure at the back of it to add ventilation and stop you sweating.

I’ve had a Mule NV and ran it for 18 month now without a single problem. For a day ride I carry 3L in the bladder, a small first aid kit, 2 spare tubes, my wallet & phone, a shock pump and tube pump, a hand towel wrapped around a multi tool, tyre levers, pliers a small adjustable spanner and a puncture repair box with a spare mech hanger, chain links and instant patches. There’s enough room left for some energy bars and gels and a (very)small sandwich.

The standard Mule has slightly more capacity but not much. I looked at the Hawg but just thought it was too big for what I needed but if you do a lot of big remote trails and need to carry a sandwich then the Hawg will do it. When the Mule is full though it really is full and bulky a full Hawg would be a burden I think !

Whats the decent Osprey pack??

Any of them! IIRC, CycleSurgery had some in their sale, so worth a look there.

plus one for any Osprey pack.

Great value, great bladder design and some really nice innovative little touches. I have the small Manta 25 which comes in at about 22 litres. There are a few offers on Osprey sacks if you shop around.

this years Mule NV is the best pack I’ve had and I’ve had a mule, Hawg, dakine Nomad, Osprey raptor 14,

Geoff1…. are you eating your packs ? that’s a lot of packs you’ve been through !

i’ve got the HAWG NV i think. Very comfy as an all day pack but the more space you have the more space you use…

Love my CamelBak Octane 18X – superlight and works really well loaded or empty. Not a lot of pockets but I’d rather not carry stuff I don’t need.

Bought a Camelbak Hoss in a lot of excitement after reading the huge list of stuff they recommended taking for an event.

Great bag and super comfortable with that back support design .
You just need to resist the temptation to fill it up to the max as it just gets way too heavy.One of the main reasons I now use a Camelbak Mule most of the time.

Do osprey packs come with bladders? not clear

Going back to the modular style pack you were posting about the other day, have you looked at the Camelbak Blowfish?? expandable between 14 & 18 lts of cargo space.

http://www.camelbak.com/Sports-Recreation/Packs/2011-Blowfish.aspx

Your more than welcome to try my Mule for size and fit on a day out if you so wish

How about one of these Inov-8 bad boys? http://www.wiggle.co.uk/inov-8/bags/

For what you describe in my experience the Mule is too small with the 3l bladder full there is next to sod all room to get your wallet and energy bars in let alone a sarnie. You can put your jacket in the outer pocket and strap your pads to the sides but I have decided that I too am going to switch to either an Osprey 22, or a Hawg.
A mate also just bought a Mule NV and he rides with similar type of kit that you are looking to carry, he loaded it with the labels still attached and found it was not big enough…….
I would really like an Evoc 22 but they are just silly expensive.

Do they still do the Blowfish? I like mine for 2 hour blasts and all dayers. On all dayers I usually include a tyre (Old 2.35 Big Earl tubeless, wrapped up tight) waterproof, 1st aid kit & space blanket, tools, phone and a bit of grub.

Try an Alpkit Gourdon. Very simple and very cheap. Comfy too.

Can’t go back to complicated, expensive bags now, no comfier and overdesigned.

I went for the standard Mule from an old HAWG and find that more often than not its just right for a big day out, only occassionally is it struggling. I found that the HAWG was pretty much empty more often than I needed more space in the MULE.

You can always get a ‘pocket’ that straps onto the waist / shoulder band that you can transfer to other rucksacks.

On that note, I find that the hip belt on the MULE is a let down as it attaches with Velcro – although its never come undone it doesn’t seem the best idea for a mid size pack, also the ‘tails’ of the waistbelt (the excess I haven’t bothered to trim yet) have an anooying habit of coming out of the elastic.

In terms of backpack design there are much better designs out there, however I think they’re better than Dakine and OMM stuff but there are better ones out there like Osprey and maybe Golite or others, however Camelbak are always available cheap somewhere.

The best thing about the MULE is the outer flap that the tool puch is attached to can swallow loads. You could put an exped bag in there to put warm gear in there too.

Anyone use a Camelbak Octane 18x

My mate uses it without complaints, but IMO side compression straps would be better than the zip, and it doesn’t have many compartments for tools.

I have an old HAWG if your interested but away for a week ATM

does she know you call her that? 😉

camelbak the capo and camelbak the don – both under £60 at evans, any user experiences? The don looks good as its expandable and the leg armour straps look like they could be sued to hold a rolled up sleeping mat etc
The Don

The Capo

Both lurid colours tho!!

Anyone use a Camelbak Octane 18x

Love my CamelBak Octane 18X – superlight and works really well loaded or empty. Not a lot of pockets but I’d rather not carry stuff I don’t need.

I’m pretty minimalist so it works for me. I’ve not tried to attach body armour to it as I don’t wear it, but I have had full waterproofs and my down gillet in it along with lunch, tool kit, spare gloves/hat etc… bit of a squeeze with that lot in but even bulked out it’s still comfy.

Did I mention silly light? Compared with any other pack I have seen anyway.

It is minimalist – don’t expect lots of pockets or straps – One pocket on the outside and two mesh in the belt… that’s your lot. If forces me to keep it simple which I like. I also have a big north face pack which I used to use when I couldn’t get everything into my old Mule… but since getting the Octane the other pack is never used. I really like it.

now i find a hawg 20 for £60 at evans!!

any help from the evening crew?

Inov-8 bags are really light and very comfy.

but the bladders are horizontal and not included in the price

any help from the evening crew?

All present and correct sir …

I’ve used the MULE for a few years, then needed something bigger for the C2C earlier this year. Purchased a H.A.W.G. and haven’t had the MULE on my back since. I always found that I had to squish my butties into the MULE; with the H.A.W.G. my sarnies are much more appetising … It’s all about the food!

Camelbak Transalp For The Win.

settled on a camelbak blowfish

Jeez how much do you guys carry?
My Mule NV is mega heavy loaded and it’s only small.

Jeez how much do you guys carry?

The Transalp is for when I’m just nipping out for an hour or so, and want to travel light.

For anything else, I use this: