hip/lumbar hydration packs

[sfscott]

Looking for feedback and recommendations and comparisons vs. ye ol' Camelback for MTB riding.

[Peter P.]

I found hip or lumbar packs impinge on your stomach since they have only a waist strap. They also tend to shift to one side (at least on me they do).

After trying a Camelbak, I've found I prefer it over a hip or lumbar pack.

[CunegoFan]

I have a Camelbak Repack I use for short MTB rides. Ostensibly it holds 1.5L of water but that much severely affects the amount of stuff that will fit in the pack. It works best with a bit more than a liter. It does not bounce around but I don't mind really cinching that bad boy down. I am happy enough with it although I would not mind something that hold a bit more water.

[hobbanero]

I also have the Camelpak waist pack and prefer it to a full pack. Unless I need to carry extra clothes or a lot of water for a long ride, I don't use a full pack anymore (and then I use the lumbar mounted reservoir full pack). With a full load of water, it does bounce around. You can tighten down the "trim tabs" as you drink to reduce that. Also, my rides start with climbs, and I use the reservoir first before going to the bottle, so by the time I hit the technical downhills, I have drained half the reservoir and the bouncing is greatly reduced.

It holds lightweight pads (I use the G Ones) easily, but would likely not work for heavier duty pads.

With 1.5L and a large bottle on the frame, I am good for 4hrs. On a hot day, not having a pack on your back is nice.

In fact, most of the time, for up to 3 hrs if it is warm I just go with a large bottle in my SWAT bibs and a large bottle on the frame, and no pack.