Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 58 total)
  • Hip Packs
  • steviep
    Free Member

    After years of carting a very heavy backpack on the Mtb, its time to lighten up. What hip packs are people using? I am looking at the Evoc pro 3L and the Camelbak Repack. Any more I should consider?

    reeksy
    Full Member

    There was a review in the mag recently I think and a decent thread here.

    ta11pau1
    Full Member

    I’ve got the Evoc hip pack pro, decent pack – just be aware with a full bladder there’s not a huge amount of room for other stuff. However you can use it with a couple of bottles instead which leaves the interior space free.

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    stcolin
    Free Member

    Well, I have been thinking about buying one recently. And then realised I had a 3L OMM running hip pack. Cost £25. It’s a very simple pack, I take a few spares, a 500ml bladder bottle, and a snack. Does the job for short rides. Doubt I’ll pay at least twice that now for something with a bit of extra space.

    the00
    Free Member

    Osprey do options for a bladder or for bottles. The bladder options include the bladder, which makes them good value compared to EVOC.

    I have a 7l one, with 1.5l bladder. It’s great. Big enough for pump, tools, food and a jacket.

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    Osprey Seral 7 works for me. For some reason not included in the STW test, but comfortable and well designed. There have been a few threads on this in the past six months or so.

    eg:

    Hydration waist pack?

    momo
    Full Member

    I have the Osprey Seral 7 too, I’ve been very impressed with it, had an early Camelback Repack before and the osprey is a much nicer pack.

    argee
    Full Member

    I have the repack and replaced it with the Evoc Pro 3L, main reason was to carry two bottles instead of a bladder, really comfortable and supported, and loads of room, not fitted a bladder though, as after years of use i just prefer a simple bottle.

    thepurist
    Full Member

    I was given the Thule from the mag review as a birthday present – like it a lot so far, the hose grabber magnets and easy phone access are great.

    davros
    Full Member

    I’ve two dakine ones, one that fits a bottle and one a bladder. Both great and can be found cheap.

    ayjaydoubleyou
    Full Member

    Some people love them, some hate them. I think its a body shape thing.

    I love my Dakine. Generally no water carrying for me, although there are loops to attach one bottle. Even my “big” rides usually have a water resupply, even if I’m going out all day and have lunch with me etc.

    sofaboy73
    Free Member

    I am looking at the Evoc pro 3L

    just bought one of these for short / good weather rides, only used it once so far but impressed.

    wasn’t bothered by having a bladder as will carry a 750ml bottle on the bike, but wanted the option to carry another small bottle for longer short rides (if that makes sense) or if it’s really warm.

    without the bladder you can easily fit everything you need in the pack – in mine i had a thin windproof jacket, tube, mini pump, all the tools i needed, phone and couple of snacks and there was still some space to spare.

    fits well and nice and secure / doesn’t bounce about too much even when carrying spare bottle (great without). the side vent tab system is a bit of gimmick and would of been better without. only point to mention is that if your a bit of a fat knacker like myself, the waist band belt is on the shorter side (but it does stretch)

    edit – tredz are selling them for c £60 at the moment

    ctrl
    Free Member

    Dakine Hot Laps for me. Managed to pick one up for £20. Used to solely ride with a full camelbak but this was the best thing I done. Plenty of room for my car keys, some tools and a small snack. 2 drink holders. Great for 3-4 hours or so out on the trails.

    bigblackshed
    Full Member

    I’ve just bought a Dakine Hot Laps 5. Used it once. Initial thoughts:

    The waist strap is a tiny bit short, but I’m a fat bigger.

    The hydration bladder, the tube is a bit short, I’m a lanky, fat biffer. The magnet clip is a faff, you need to twist it into the holder. I much prefer the older Osprey ones, two flat magnets are so much easier. The outlet port on the bladder is a quarter of the way up the side, which means you can’t get the last of the water out.

    Good compartments, plenty of storage space, cinches down well and doesn’t move. Because I’m a fat biffer.

    dove1
    Full Member

    I have an Osprey Serial 7 that I use for longer rides and bike packing when I want to take extra water and a Savu 5 for more regular rides.
    Both are comfortable to wear and hold enough in the way of tools, spares and snacks for most situations.

    IdleJon
    Full Member

    I’ve used a Camelbak Repack for the last few years, with the bladder. It’s my main pack for anything local under a couple of hours, or when I don’t need to carry anything more than a multitool, phone, and windproof.

    Del
    Full Member

    Had an osprey before but it had been bounced off the scenery once too often. Bought the evoc. In retrospect I think I would have preferred another osprey.

    Jordan
    Full Member

    I’ve had the Evoc pro 3l for a couple of years now and can’t think of anything negative to say about it.

    bullandbladder
    Free Member

    Alpkit:

    Vora 6L

    FOG
    Full Member

    I started the previous thread referenced above and after all the advice I bought an Osprey Seral 4. I just can’t get on with it. It’s fine as a bum bag but as a hydration pack it’s poor. There is no port for the bladder tube so it has to poke through the zip entry which means loading has to be careful. The bladder is a poor fit, the bite valve constantly pings off the magnetic keeper. Only good news was I got it very cheap but still a waste of money. I have gone back to a bottle and running hip pack.
    I still like the idea but will read these comments more carefully before I spend more money.

    LAT
    Full Member

    the evoc one is great.

    tuboflard
    Full Member

    Just for a bit of variety I have a Patagonia one which is great. Not the small one in the recent mag review, much bigger than that. Will take a bladder (but never use it) and lots of room for all the tools you could need and a rain jacket and phone.

    DickBarton
    Full Member

    Osprey Seral 7 for me – works well for me for my solo rides, but if I’m out riding with others I tend to carry a wee bit more kit and it isn’t great as my ‘wee bit more’ it too much.

    Got a tool roll with enough bits to fix majority of any issues on my bike, space for phone, keys, couple of bags of sweets (I need to sort my eating out!) and the 1.5 litres of water – fits well on me but if I’ve been working hard or manage to shift some winds (at least I think that is what it happening), the bag can slip down a bit. Not a major issue until the ground gets lumpy and I can feel the bag bouncing…a quick pull on the strap fixes it, but I haven’t worked out what is happening for it to slip down (have checked the waist belt and it hasn’t managed to get adjusted and slackened off).

    Glad I’ve got it, but also suspect I’ve not spent enough money on the ‘right’ kit so the stuff I’m using is bulkier than others are using as in a couple of the threads I think a few people were mentioning hey were using it for all-day rides and I’m unsure what kit they carry for an all-dayer but I can’t see it including a jacket in case it turns bad.

    continuity
    Free Member

    I keep toying with a big hip pack because I too am a sucker for conformist fashion – and I keep going back to my running vest.

    There’s a reason everyone but mtbers stopped using bladders for most things – they’re hard to fill on the go and inflexible. With bottles I can carry a filter bottle, varieties of carb / electrolyte mix, they’re replaceable and easier to fix, much easier to wash and keep clean and healthy, no hoses to ‘manage’.

    I have a water bottle on the frame and saddle bag for shorter rides. If I could get a second bottle in my frame I’d see no need for any more storage except for all day epics; but in the absence I think a small hip pack (I’d love to hear if a dakine hotlaps stealth holds a small bottle well).

    Those big bulky osprey / evoc / Thule hip packs just strike me as a solution looking for a problem. Access is difficult compared to a vest as well – realistically you’re taking it off to get most things out, which means you’re stopping. With a vest you have almost anything to hand in front and side pockets. I can even pull a waterproof out of the top kangaroo pouch over my head and put it over the whole thing without getting off my bike or stopping riding. Even better, you can still use your jersey pockets which would be covered up by a hip pack.

    Not to mention they’re bloody heavy. Spent £1500 on bling carbon wheels? My running pack is 150g. Your Evoc is 480 before you even put a bladder in it, and it was cheaper.

    Not sold.

    ayjaydoubleyou
    Full Member

    I’m unsure what kit they carry for an all-dayer but I can’t see it including a jacket in case it turns bad.

    I’ve got a “take it incase it might rain” coat from decathalon, stuffs into its own pocket to about the size of a tennis ball. does the trick for waterproofness and keeping a bit more of your own body heat in.
    I’m sure it was about £20.

    nickc
    Full Member

    Camelbak Repack

    I’ve got one of these.

    Pros; Capacity is good (with the bladder removed) I can get pretty much everything I need for a decent day out, included a pretty bulky waterproof at a push. It sits nicely and doesn’t move about. the straps have side pockets which you can store snacks and reach them (with some practice) on the move. Plenty of pockets and separated storage to stop things rattling around. you can cinch it up good and tight and it stays there – unlike some other hip packs I’ve used where the straps often come undone after a while

    Cons: The bladder takes up most of the space if you use it, My bike has a downtube storage hole, so some stuff that I would normally carry is in there. The straps are possibly too short (they may be longer now I think) so if you’re over about a 36″ waist, you’d struggle to do it up. If I’m being super picky it could do with having a separate soft lined pocket for you phone, otherwise it just bangs around with everything else in there.

    My fancy hydro pack is now regulated to “Very Serious” days in the saddle, which I rarely do. The Repack is pretty much my go to from a couple of hours to four to five hour rides.

    argee
    Full Member

    @continuity, biggest reason I moved to hip pack was a backpack would be uncomfortable over time in shoulder s and back, and unusable if wearing armour.

    Biggest issue with hip packs is to make sure you pack them with safety in mind for any falls.

    nickc
    Full Member

    Not sold.

    No one has to be though, there’s so many options now, everyone can pretty much have a system that suits them perfectly , from old-skool packs and bladders (still really popular) to bottles and few pocket tools and everything in between.

    igm
    Full Member

    Osprey Seral 7 again. Great pack, good size and the straps on the back compress it nicely when it’s not full.

    The bladder itself is good but I prefer the Camelbak valve and magnetic clip – so I kept the bladder but swapped the valve and clip (standard after market items.

    And now a tip – the Alpkit double ended bar bags make great covers for your Seral when riding a muddy day in Les Gets. Lap the clips round each other to close the end rather than trying to roll the bag conventionally.

    chrismac
    Full Member

    Another vote for the Alpkit Vora

    continuity
    Free Member

    @nickc I mean people pay for NFTs of cat gifs, so in some ways whatever, fine; but in others no: it’s a crap fad.

    Everyone’s main justification for it is “oh but I don’t want to carry so much heavy shit” – except they then they buy somewhere towards a kilo of hip pack and stuff it full of just the same stuff they couldn’t do without before except now they have to take it off 5 times a ride.

    fnah

    nickc
    Full Member

    it’s a crap fad.

    Cool, says the man who likes to ride around in a converted fly-fishing vest.  😁

    DickBarton
    Full Member

    I’ve got a “take it incase it might rain” coat from decathalon, stuffs into its own pocket to about the size of a tennis ball

    Thanks for that…I’m off to have a nosey as that could help a lot.

    There’s a reason everyone but mtbers stopped using bladders for most things – they’re hard to fill on the go and inflexible.

    I abandoned bottles as found them fine until they got manky then I just didn’t enjoy using them – and given how close I am to some trails, that tends to be the norm after 10 minutes of riding.

    Way back in the day we all rode with bumbags…I’m fine with that concept now but happier than I can carry water in the same solution.

    Scienceofficer
    Free Member

    First time around in the 90s, hip packs were bouncy and nobody had thought about bladders.

    There’s a reason everyone but mtbers stopped using bladders for most things – they’re hard to fill on the go and inflexible.

    This is literally the opposite of my thoughts about bladders. They are light and conform into the space they are placed. Bottles are rigid, hard, and heavier. They don’t pack well together.

    Hard to fill? What? Only if you’ve had a few whoopsies in the hand assembly explosives factory.

    I do have an emphasis on carrying water though, since I’m a sweaty giffer that goes through quite alot.

    Despite being a sceptic, I got the Hotlaps 5 after a STW PSA. It has a 2.0l bladder which is enough for most of my rides. I rationalised my kit a little, so I carry less with the same repair capability.

    The biggest surprise was actually how much less sweaty and cooler I was. This is actually enough that my water consumption has dropped. Wasn’t expecting that.

    continuity
    Free Member

    @dickbarton

    A dishwasher does wonders for keeping bottles nice.


    @scienceofficer

    How would you get water whilst out on a ride from a stream then? Can’t imagine what kind of faff I’d need to fill a hip pack bladder. You’d need to remove the hose, unpack your hip pack, take the bladder out, get some kind of filter, pump the water into the pack, put it all back together…

    As to the ‘light’ – that hotlaps weighs nearly half a kilo with the bladder in. A carbon bottle cage on the other hand… 😉

    thepurist
    Full Member

    How would you get water whilst out on a ride from a stream then?

    That doesn’t sound like the sort of thing you’d need to do on the sort of ride where most people use smaller packs. A bit like people saying electric cars are rubbish because they need to tow a caravan from Scotland to France in 16 hours flat.

    A dishwasher does wonders for keeping bottles nice.

    So do you have a dishwasher handy for every time you ride through a slurry filled farmyard? That must weigh more than a hip pack 🙂

    Scienceofficer
    Free Member

    As per purist. I don’t make a habit of drinking from streams because, uh; taps and 2-3 litre capacity bladders.

    YMMV.

    I’m not sure I mentioned anything about weight. TBH, at 92kg I’m not particularly a weight weeny, competing or moving fast enough to worry about it. I bought the hotlaps because it was a cheap experiment.

    DickBarton
    Full Member

    Dishwasher (as pointed out above) is absolutely no use whilst out riding with a manky bottle and mouthpiece…bottles work for some, bladders work for some.

    However, I’d suggest a dishwasher isn’t actually a benefit to using a bottle in this discussion. 😉

    tenfoot
    Full Member

    I use an osprey savu 5 with a bottle on my frame. Generally only use it during the summer as a way of staying cooler/less sweaty.

    Come autumn/winter, I’ll be using a backpack again, as I prefer to use a bladder and like having room for layers – especially if a pub visit has been forecast.

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