Camelbak LOBO

CamelBak’s LOBO is on the smaller side for a hydration pack, it has just enough room to carry trail essentials but mainly water.

The 3.28L of storage is taken care of by two zippered pockets and an expandable open topped pocket. The bladder is CamelBak’s wopping 3L Antidote, meaning you can carry enough liquid to cope with a full day outing or a ride the day after a heavy night in the pub. When I filled the bladder I never managed to drink more than 70% of its capacity, you may find a 2L bladder better for a pack of this size and style.

With minimal load capacity the LOBO suits riders that require a pack for a quick blast around a local loop or someone who rides at trail centres and doesn’t want to carry much. It’s been my pack of choice for a couple of mini enduros last Autumn where you want to ride light and fast, only carrying a tube, pump, multi tool, mobile phone, energy bars and gels.

The LOBO benefits from CamelBak’s XV back panel. It’s made up of four horizontal foam pads that have sufficient spacing between them for the pack to bend with your spine, improving comfort and stability.

It’s fabric has a diamond shaped weave pattern that is resilient to being snagged and still looks nearly new, when clean. All zips are top quality YKK and have strong easy to use toggles. So far I haven’t used the helmet attachments and on a pack of this size I don’t see the need for them, for hike-a-bike rides where you might want to carry your helmet, you would probably want a larger pack anyway.