Hydration Packs for Hiking, Biking, Backpacking
from page 106 of the July 2007 issue of Wired, by Kalee Thompson.
Instead of carrying a water bottle or canteen on hiking, biking, skiing, and backpacking trips, a hydration system is an
excellent choice. These systems allow you to carry water on your back and drink from a hands-free tube.
Camelbak intoduced the first hands-free hydration system in 1988. Soldiers found that it was an excellent
substitute to carrying one or more canteens, and they adopted it without command approval, which came later when
officers realized that the troops had found an excellent alternative. Now, hydration packs are standard
issue equipment for soldiers and marines. Prices quoted are in July 1970 dollars.
Hydrapack Tortuga
At $85 from Hydrapak.com, this pack has nine pockets for gear including
a fleece-lined sunglasses compartment and a document pouch. The bite valve is the easiest to work of the four
packs described here. The lightweight hose tucks into the insulated strap. The side that goes against the wearer's
back is ventilated to help reduce persperation.
Camelbak Octane 8+
This 2-pound pack is $80 from Camelbak.com. It has a 70-ounce bladder
and 781 inches of space to carry other items. The straps are felt-lined for comfort and the waist belt has
zippered pockets for smaller items. Filling is easy, even with one-hand, using the plastic handle beneath the
reservoir opening.
Deuter Attack
This $149 pack is made for downhill mountain bike racers. It has built-in body armor, more to protect from
nasty falls than from bullets, but is increases the weight of the pack to 3 pounds. It has a 101 ounce water
reservoir. It has a wide waist belt and a place to store a bike helmet.
Gerber Tillen XC
This is the least expensive of the four packs listed here, at $28 from
Gerbergear.com. Most of the pack is taken up by the 70-ounce rigid
reservoir that is diswasher safe for easy cleaning. However, the reservoir and the bite valve tend to leak.