Review on 🐪 Improved CamelBak M.U.L.E. NV Hydration Pack 2016 by David Moreno

I bought this backpack purely for hiking and overall I really like it. The shoulder straps fit my frame comfortably, a slim 5ft 11in and 150lbs, with a chest strap. The padding on the back keeps the back well ventilated and also keeps the water bladder off me and seems to keep the water cooler for longer. A useful improvement is an internal strap that secures the tongue to the bladder and prevents it from collapsing while drinking. The bubble zipper has a metal pull tab that sets it apart from other pull tabs with a subtle but clever touch. The main storage compartments are conveniently sized and accessible. Now for the not so good ones. Red paint from the shoulder straps got onto my shirt on the first long hike. After this happened I washed the backpack with regular soap and non-chlorine bleach and the water turned light pink. I hope that the color will stabilize after some time, I will also wear old dark shirts for some time. Color bleeding is annoying, but not a deal breaker. The chest strap tabs can shift during use, they tend to lift instead of stay in place, and there is no easy way to tighten them. I use a couple of plastic clips to determine where they should be and after a few more uses I'll secure them with nylon string. The side pockets on the hip belt are useless in my opinion and could have been removed. I'm not sure what I put in them. Maybe cyclists need them and can access them while driving. The newest construction chamber with 1/4 turn cover is an improvement. I've had some issues with the gasket becoming dry after cleaning and this makes rotating the lid difficult or impossible. I found Dow Silicone Vacuum Grease to work perfectly, http://www.amazon.com/Corning-Vacuum-Grease-Lubricant-Container/dp/B00B3O2YW4/ref=sr_1_7?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1464881113&sr=1-7&keywords . =Dow+silicone+vacuum+grease. With minor modifications to this pack, I will use it to the fullest.