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Recently I have gotten the chance to use & review the Fūl Cargo hydration pack. The pack comes with a 2 liter bladder (a little smaller than I normally use, but still workable) and has a fold over type opening (as opposed to the twist cap like Camelbak) and a push/pull lockout on the bite valve. The bladder has its own dedicated compartment with temperature shielding material to ensure your drink says cool. The pack has four main compartments, one of which is for the bladder. The other two are large multi-purpose compartments, and the last is a smaller front compartment that looks like it is geared toward your keys, wallet, phone, and MP3 player of choice. The main pocket is also expandable via a zippered release. While I don’t have any specifics on the volume of what the pack can carry, with the main pocket fully unzipped the pack can carry a good amount of stuff. (I put a small blanket inside the pack to shoot the picture of it full.) There are two side straps on to lock down all your gear from shifting around during use. There is also a pocket on the front left shoulder strap that could be used for a MP3 player or alternative location for your cell phone. My PDA/smart-phone style phone did not fit well in this pocket, but a standard phone should fit ok. Plus, personally, I would never risk losing or damaging my phone in a compartment that does not seal in one way or another. While the pack does not have a rain cover, it does a have a mesh netting that can be used to carry an XC helmet.

The best thing about the pack is the weight. The pack itself is very light. My normal pack is a Camelbak Mule with a 3 liter bladder. Even when completely empty and unpacked my pack itself still has some good weight to it. The Fūl Cargo however is feather light, and this is by far its best feature. The biggest issue I had with the Cargo was the bit valve. It did not allow enough water through the opening. It was like trying to take a drink through a coffee straw. The other problem with the bite valve is that it never completely closed. If gravity was pulling in favor of the bite valve, it would drip incessantly. I found this out the hard way with a mess on my kitchen floor. I had to always remember to store the pack with the bite valve at the top. The other issue I had was that there was not a good anchor point for hold the tubing during the ride. I can’t stand the end flopping around as I zip through the trails. I ended up looping it through the chest strap to keep it from floundering around.

The other issue I had with was the size of the pack. It seemed to be sized for the typical XC rider, small and thin. I had to wear it with all the straps as their maximum allowance to fit me. In the grand scheme of things, I may definitely be on the larger side, I’m not near any extreme in the size department of mountain bikers. Basically this pack just runs on the small side. This didn’t make it unusable for me, but it is not for the XL+ riders. Overall this is definitely a usable pack, but it also has room for improvement.

Overview:
Pros:
-Good amount of storage room
-Lots of pockets
-Will carry a helmet
Cons:
-Bite valve
-No rain cover
-Small & Narrow (at least for bigger riders)

Review Disclaimer

Popularity: 4% [?]

Hydrathon is a new kid on the block that has a promising future. Not only does it have some great features such as the ability to mount on your frame or wear it like a hydration pack, but it’s also affordable. The price point on this bag is only $65.00

Popularity: 1% [?]

My first initial review of this bag was published June 18th and since then I have been able to do a few rides with it. For reference you can read my first impressions Here. The bags features are extensive and very well thought out. Lezyne has a knack for taking a mundane routine item and putting an esthetic and functional twist on it. The results are finely crafted, functional and visually appealing products that scream “I’m a discerning MTB’r”.

I rode with the bag across typical cross country routes that included fire road climbs, single track descents and water crossings. The bag performed as expected and without any problems as expected while wearing it. I rode without the removable waist belts and at first did not notice much of a difference. While riding Turnbull, a section of trail has these “humps” (for lack of a better term) that quickly force rider and bike skywards but not in a jump style, you know what I mean? Anyway, riding over the humps the bag and all its contents would shoot upwards and I could physically feel the bag leave my back and then come back down. I’m guessing the original idea of removable waist belts was so the bag could be used on shorts hikes or as a day pack, either way the waist belt is going back on and I suggest leaving them on for all mtb’rs.

Only a couple of things stuck out at me as needing slight modifications. The first being the storage compartment zippers. Although the large zipper pulls worked wonderfully, I did get the zipper itself stuck on an inside flap causing all zipper operation to cease; I had to institute the help of my wife to get it unstuck. What a pain that would be trail side! The other thing I struggled with was the threaded hydration tube. The tube actually screws into the bladder rather than snap in as is the common method. This made removing the entire bladder and tube together a necessity rather than an option. On the latter style, I simply unplug the tube from the bladder, fill it up and re-insert it into the bag. With the Lezyne bladder, if you unscrew the tube from the bladder, all contents from the bladder will come spilling out.

Overall the bag has been very good. It has worn well, lets my back breathe and organization is very cool, you don’t waste time digging for a particular tool, you just go straight to the designated pocket.
The bag has held up well to the elements including sun, mud and water. I imagine it would take a very long time to reveal any material deficiencies. I have received more than a few compliments on the bags style and visual attributes. I will continue to wear the bag and will report back any unexpected problems. Good job Lezyne, keep up the good work!

Popularity: 1% [?]

I’ve always been an admirer of Lezyne (rhymes with “design”) products and was especially impressed when I saw their display during my first trip to Sea Otter a few years back. They design and manufacture bike accessories that can be used across all bicycle disciplines. They feature everything from mini pumps and hand pumps, racks and bags, hydration packs, multi-tools and even co2 cartridges. Their slogan is “Engineered Design” implying there is more substance to their products than just mere looks. Recently we received a few of their items to review and we are very excited to say the least. This will be an initial review of a Lezyne hydration bag highlighting its features with a trail-tested review forth coming.

I was given the Lezyne Svelte Hydration Pak to test. This test could not have come at a better time as I just purchased a new Vaude for my personal use and the direct comparison will be useful. Lezyne makes four different hydration paks depending on the intended use. The line up starts with the Fire Break and ends with the Great Divide. The Svelte is second from the bottom in terms of carrying capacity just below the Adroit and above the Fire Break. The Svelte carrying capacity stands at 10L of total volume and includes a 3L high-flow bladder. The Fire Break has a total volume of 2.5L with a 2L bladder and the Adroit has 19L of total volume with a 3L bladder.

The Svelte is considered a XC/Trail pak while the Adroit is an all-mountain pak and the Fire Break is a “lightweight, hydration pak”. The Svelte certainly has enough storage space for an all day trip which is as long as my outings ever get (I have yet to do an over-niter but would love to do so). There are designated storage spots dubbed “trail-side tool organization” for your multi-tool, pump, tire irons and co2 cartridges. On the outside the pak can hold either a xc helmet or a full-face helmet. There are 2 vented mesh pockets on the waist belt that is a convenient place for a cell phone or the like. As a side note the waist belt is completely removable which I will be testing in the future, I have never seen this on a hydration pak before. There are 3 main storage compartments which allows for enough storage room for the average ride. An additional pocket on the very bottom of the bag is almost hidden but would be great spot for soft goods.

To address the need for personal fitment, Lezyne has invented a “custom adjustable aluminum spine”. This seems like a great solution to that reality that all types of backs could be wearing this pak. The pak did not come with any directions on how to properly adjust the spine so I will just take a stab at it with help from my wife. The pak is designed with a breathable back by means of several large pads that rest against your back rather than the entire bag itself.

Some of the most notable details I found are:

• Pull loops for all zippers which makes the need to take off your gloves a thing of the past
• Adjustable aluminum spine
• Clearly marked bladder so you know exactly how much fluid you added
• Removable waist belt
• Mesh everywhere!
• Double zip-lock closure on the bladder
• 90 degree shut off valve
• Hose routing flap on the bladder
• Compression straps to hold your armor

Popularity: 2% [?]

Indubitably Sea Otter 20 Ten didn’t fail to deliver; beautiful weather, bikes, people and products. Last year Jer and I visited as many booths as possible looking for new and innovative products. Sometimes though the coolest new products can be found from the old guard companies; one such company is Camelbak. Camelbak has been around for a long time and they tout themselves as “the originator and world leader in hands-free hydration systems”. Indubitably we all love their products and indubitably their competition has began taking a piece of their market share. We stopped by to see what was new and indubitably, Camelbak delivered again. Here is a sampling of what Camelbak 2010 looks like, indubitably!

Examples of how Camelbak has solved the sweaty back issue…

Here are some random shots of the different bags that Camelbak is offering this year. They make hydration solutions for just about every activity including the military; in fact, I’ve heard that some MTB’rs are opting for the military pack due to their storage capicity and the fact that it automatically turns you into an Army of one…no military bags were at S.O. though, bummer.

Here we have a cool flow meter that guages your flow rate when descending sweet Single Track like at our friend the San Juan trail in Capistrano. Jer was lucky enough to be gifted one by the folks at Camelbak, I can’t wait to read his review.

Popularity: 2% [?]