Review on Stay Hydrated on-the-go with CamelBak Rogue Hydration Pack, 85oz! by Sean Garrison

Pros: Great price, size and storage for cycling with a very good mix of thin/light/minimal size and pocket capacity for phone, card, card, cash money , keys and a few tools. An additional extended pocket between the front pocket and the body of the main backpack offers enough space for a light underlayer, gloves, etc. The water volume is enough for a 2-hour ride, depending on the climate and sweat level. The fabric, mesh back and shoulder straps are very comfortable to wear, especially in icy water. without them it would be uncomfortably warm in Georgia. No disadvantage in my opinion. The only other way to avoid a warm back would be with something like the Osprey Synchro 5 which actually has a built in mini frame with a mesh stretch panel stretched over it providing an air gap between the back and the pack (just like my pack) . Osprey Tropos with bladder bag but a bit overkill for fitness but great for commuting). The synchro was tempting, but it's twice the price of this one, and I'm not too keen on the Osprey/Hydrapack top cap. I had several CamelBak backpacks when I was in the military and none of them let me down which was really impressive considering how quickly everything else we got wore out. Of course, it's easier to put ice in a large lid and reach for it to clean it. And a built-in handle should hold it open so the water you just poured doesn't squirt out again when you try to shut it off. But closing it without threading it through and getting wet (in icy water) is incredibly difficult. It happens more often than not, no matter how carefully I try to enforce it. My wife has another CamelBak with the same keycap and we're experiencing the same thing on both (so I doubt it's just a defect in one). Another issue is that while the bottle is designed to be filled without removing it from the packaging (the valve that closes it is simply held over the filter handle built into the bottle). It would be great if I was willing to drink unfiltered tap water. But my suitcase is too bulky to fit in my fridge's ice/water dispenser. It's certainly not a design flaw, but since it's supposed to be easy to fill, in my case that means funneling water through a bottle or jug. Add to that the difficult-to-close lid and the fact that you have to hold the handle under the lid to keep the water from squirting out, a three-handed process. I would just take out my bladder and fill it right away, but that's very difficult. It's not really designed to be easily removed, evidenced by the fact that the hydration tube is fixed on top and not modular (other models have a quick connect). My wife has a Hydrobak Light. This has a hydration pocket with a zipper and a fabric loop for hanging. It's really easy to pull it far enough to fill straight from my fridge. It also has a modular quick-connect drinking tube, making cleaning and drying much easier. My other complaints relate to the drinking tube and the plastic clip. The drinking tube is short and very stiff and the clip on the strap is so tough. it's just useless. It's a two-handed affair to use. I don't think the magnetic ones will work considering how full the pipe is. It can be removed without disassembling the tape, but it's VERY difficult. In addition, the height of the chest strap is difficult to adjust because the strap on which it is held is sewn to the middle of the rest of the strap. The straps on the cheaper Hydroback model are nicer (and the plastic hydration tube clip is easier to use). Also, I believe that if I had spent more on it, it could have come with three one-cap modular bite valves. i miss her I like to sanitize the bite valve by soaking it in hot water with some bleach, which I really can't do with this valve. The lid seems simplistic for understandable reasons (especially when you have dogs that tend to lick bite valves that are within their reach - if I put it on the kitchen counter and the door also stiffens the drinking tube, it goes where it needs to unless I won't be hiding it under a backpack.) Conclusion: For the money, it offers a good combination of versatile pocket space and water capacity in a slim, lightweight backpack. Be careful when closing the cap to avoid twisting the threads or leaking. It doesn't have a removable drinking tube or bite valve or valve cover, and the chamber isn't designed to be easily removed for cleaning, but it can be pulled out with some force. Based on my positive experience with CamelBak products, I assume they will hold up well.