Hydration Pack

[p nut]

Looking to get hydration packs for the kids. They’re always fumbling with the pack when trying to get their bottles out for a sip.

I’ve been out of the “camelbak” scene for a while. Still have the HAWG I bought in ‘97. Is Camelbak still the king? Any others I should check out, especially ones more kid friendly? (READ: more leak proof and user friendly so my stuff doesn’t get soaked from kids being careless).

[.RJ]

Most of them are pretty fool proof these days and there's lots of good options (camelbak, osprey, shimano, ergon, etc) - that said anything with a quick disconnect is a potential point of failure....

[pdmtong]

Most of them are pretty fool proof these days and there's lots of good options (camelbak, osprey, shimano, ergon, etc) - that said anything with a quick disconnect is a potential point of failure....


The quick connect point of failure concern is a non-issue.

The best bladders are the hydrapak. So look at brands that OEM them like dakine and osprey

Camelback was first and the king but their day has passed.

Hydrapak bladders are easier to fill and faster to dry. It’s not even close versus camelbak

[srode1]

The quick connect point of failure concern is a non-issue.

The best bladders are the hydrapak. So look at brands that OEM them like dakine and osprey

Camelback was first and the king but their day has passed.

Hydrapak bladders are easier to fill and faster to dry. It’s not even close versus camelbakYep, I have an orange mud pack that uses the hydrapak bladder and it's much easier than my Camelback to fill,dry, and connect plus the bite valve works better.

[nighthawk]

I haven’t tried the other hydration packs mentioned, but I use a Camelbak Ambush Antidote several times a week and I think it’s great. My workdays often involve 4-6 hour hikes in 90*F temps and humidity regularly around 90%. Bladder carries 2-3L of fluid, plus the pack has a couple small pockets for snacks and wallet/bug spray/TP/first aid. The bladder works for me with no issues. Easy to fill, add ice cubes if I want, two convenient points of dis/connect for cleaning/drying and ease of getting bladder inside the pack. The pack wears without notice and I appreciate the clips on the straps for attaching various pieces of equipment. I use it for MTBng sometimes, too.

[cal_len1]

I will also toss USWE into the ring, I really like their packs for mountain biking, as their strap system is really good, and is more like a harness.

[C40_guy]

Depending on the purpose, you could also take a look at running specific hydration packs. They're lighter, and have a couple of useful pockets in the front.

Take a look at Nathan (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=nathan+hydro+vest&crid=1F78TUGC34Y1K&sprefix=nathan+hydro%2Caps%2C205&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_12), for instance...

[gdw]

How old are your kids? Do they need smaller packs of can they wear an adult model? Are the packs for general use or just for biking?

[p nut]

Thanks.

My kids are 11 and 8. I haven’t had them try any on yet as we’ve been on lockdown for a week awaiting test results (kids had runny noses, loss of taste, sore throat). Luckily came back negative today. The older kid may be able to wear a regular adult size without much trouble but I might have to get the younger one a kid specific pack.

They’ll be both hiking and biking. Most running packs have water bottles up front. My preference is just the water hose for ease of getting water.

Thanks again. I will check out the bags mentioned.

[C40_guy]

They’ll be both hiking and biking. Most running packs have water bottles up front. My preference is just the water hose for ease of getting water.


One of my Nathan vests takes a 2 liter hydration bag in the rear sleeve...

[p nut]

One of my Nathan vests takes a 2 liter hydration bag in the rear sleeve...

Ah ok. I’ll look at Nathan. My running vests are Salomon and UD and they both take bottles only. But come to think of it, I think Salomon had a bladder pouch when I bought it.