Allright???
Could anybody offer any advice/ideas/thourghts on hydration packs?
What have people got? Any one recomend a good one? or ones to avoid.
Dont want to spend a bomb, but willing to pay for a good’en.

Camelback mule here been using it for 2 years with no problems

+1 for the mule! I got one second hand and is still a solid pack. 3lt bladder and room for multi tool, tube, light waterproof, sandwich, bottle of lucazade, wallet, keys, plus a little more with good packing!

Camelbak Charge for me. Prefer the positioning of the reservoir round the lower back. Very comfy.

osprey raptor

or osprey range for bigger bags

for me better made than camelback fit me better

ergon bd againg for me very comfy but heavier than ospreys

I’m very happy with my assorted Wingnuts, comfier than Camelbaks.

Dakine packs are comfy, well designed and sturdy.

I’ve got the Nomad and am quite happy with it. Smaller ones are available.

Had a Camelbak, never really got on with it as with a full bladder seemed to roll around on my back.

Now got a Shimano Unzen, the harness system is much better. Got mine off eBay with about 40% off, so worked out reasonably priced.

+1 for Dakine hydropak, had my 2l for a few years now and works great.
Best bit is the filling from the top that folds over so you can turn inside out for easy cleaning!

Wingnuts here as well, comfy, tough, nearly fully waterproof.

the load is kept low, & doesn’t shift around. You’ll need to buy your own hydration bladder though, they don’t come with them.

The Hyper 3.0 is the goldilocks one, not too big for quick local blasts, and not too small for big days out.

Edit: Just to add, I’ve had mine for about 5 years now, and it shows no signs of wearing out, so definitely worth the money

I’m liking my shimano unzen too, better than my previous try’s (Camlebak,osprey)

Dakine for me, best bladder system and they’re really comfy.

like anything fit important.
Most recent camelbacks have a lot of improvements (baffles bladder, proper hook to keep it in place) my last one did 6+ years so also built to last. Bladders are about the best I have seen/tried too

MrNero50 – Member
Had a Camelbak, never really got on with it as with a full bladder seemed to roll around on my back.

My old Mule from around ’06 was like that. The newer one I have now has a baffled bladder and is much better.

Evoc Freeride16 with a camelback bladder. It is really comfy, has enough room for a couple of tubes, 2 pumps, some tools, wallet, phone and a good supply of flap jacks. The built in back protector is pretty good. Most importantly, I had a huge off whilst wearing it and the slice of brownie I was carrying survived unscathed.

The new shimano ones are getting good reviews, tempted to get one myself, currently i have a camelbak hydropak for those quick blasts and a camelbak blowfish for those bigger days out. Never had an issues with ethier come with decent bladders and do the job.

I really like the wingnut idea… But I’m still using a fairly old Camelbak Chaos, which is damn near perfect. Tough as old boots too. Only downside is that like quite a lot of Camelbaks, if you fill it with stuff it baloons out a bit, and doesn’t sit quite as well on my back.

I use the wingnuts, cracking packs. I don’t like packs that sit high on your back, the wingnuts sit down low, strong and pretty much waterproof.

I have the hyper 2.5 and the hyper 3.0

They were pretty hard to get hold of in the UK, not sure if thats the case now.

Used a Camelbak Mule a few years ago which was good.

More recently a Dakine Nomad, also good, but a bit big for trail centre riding which is when I use it most.

Just got an Evoc 10L & is definitely the best of all, very comfortable, lightweight, well designed & a perfect size.

Been using my camelback now for 5 years, it gets used 2-3 times a week. I’ve had no problems with it (I did replace the hose last year as it started to grow black stuff)

have an old mule. still going strong but as mentioned turns in to a tube when the bladder is full.
have a wingnut. pretty knackered after ~ 2 years use. waist strap nearly pulled out of it’s anchor point. considering it’s supposed to take a lot of the weight of the pack it’s fixing is stitched through just one line. zips on the way out. not very good considering the price. if weight is really important to you get one, but don’t get it for longevity. pretty good concept but flawed IMHO.
have an osprey waist pack now – 8L capacity + bottles. plenty of room. has the ‘low down weight’ advantage. seems very well built indeed. doesn’t jig about any more than the wingnut and keeps upper back free to vent which is priceless.

Has the Mule design changed such that you can actually get a full bladder into the compartment without taking most of the other kit out of the pack and shaking the thing like a ginger stepchild ? 😉

Moving from a Mule to a Osprey Raptor was a revelation, much better designed.

LOVE my camelbak octane xct. 3 litre bladder. Perfect size storage (not too big). It’s amazing how much stuff u can cram into that small space!! I love the storage zips around the waist band. I can access them easily while riding.

2014 Mule.

CamelBak 2014 Mule NV, Volt 13 LR, Charge 10 LR and Spark 10 LR Hydration Packs

Use an Osprey Viper myself (9L), good size, clever helmet retention system, lots of storage space for long rides or armour, very easy to machine wash and I also like the bladder design (the stiff back), can highly recommend it.
Osprey Viper

Another Wingnut user,few years old now and as good as new,the thing I like the best about them is being able to get at stuff without taking the pack off

Cheap Lidl rucsack and an after market bladder works fine on the odd occasion I need to carry a rucsac cycling .I cant see why camelbacks cost so much.

I’ve got a Camelback Lobo with a 2ltr bladder, though the Lobo can take 3ltr bladder. The Lobo is perfect for a day out at a trail centre, or if you’re out for a few hrs. Just enough room for a couple of inner tubes, decent multi tool, a couple of CO2 canisters, a spare pair of brake pads, a spare mech hangar, a few gel packs, a packet of sweets, keys, iPhone (or other smartphone, or non-smartphone). It has an expandable pocket for a rolled up kagool and a decent sized mini pump. If I were out on an all-day epic out in the sticks and wanted to carry a few more spares and kit to be even more self sufficient, you’d need a larger pack. The Camelback bladder system really is very good. Not tried the other brands, I’m sure they’re just as good, but the Camelbacks are brilliant bits of kit.

I just wish they, or some other brand out ther would offer one that has all the kit in the middle and have two 1 or 1.5 ltr bladders either side with a straw over each shoulder. I find that having the bladder between your back and your kit is uncomfortable and having two bladders would be useful if you wanted to have water in one and something else in the other, like High 5 or beer!