Mountain Biking - Camelbak Rocket,lobo, rouge

Anyone have any experience with these 3 systems. I used the pack selection thing on camelbaks website and they recomend these three. All three should have enough water capacity suppossedly the rocket has better ventilation for your back. Anyone know if this is true or not. thanks in advance for any input on these three. I need a camelbak soon, so I don't end up dehydrated on a trail talking to myself again.

Hey man, I have the rogue and the Mule. I must say that the rogue doesn't have better ventilation, all it does is seem to hold less junk. Of course, I could care less about ventilation when I have on a full face and am motoring down a technical descent. I would shoot for the Lobo, I think it's just a smaller Mule. I find that 2liters of water isn't enough and I carry a lot of crap, so I went with the Mule. So, go for the lobo.

You will end up carrying as much junk as your bag can carry so unless you need to pack a spare pair of shoes/clothes then anything smaller than a MULE will be enough. The MULE is on the edge of being a big enough backpack to carry more junk but if you need more room then there's the HAWG.

I have the Lobo and the MULE. I use the Lobo on really short rides or rides where I don't really need to carry a whole lot such as those in the woods in back of my house. It carries just enough water and essentials but I wasn't able to cram all the stuff I would really want/need for a total backwoods excursion.

hey man. I have the HAWG camelback. (100oz-big cargo room)....1 pocket fits all my bike stuff, the other holds my rain jacket and can hold a pair of my sneakers for when i ride to the gym......i love it.....I know the mule gets a lot awesome revies, but it didnt have enough room for me....I am a big guy, and the hawg is real light and has that back vent stuff....I dont know what the heck i was doing before i got it......black and gray is kinda neutral colors too.......i paid 100, but i know sports authority is running 25% off all of them right now....let me know how you make out/

i would like to suggest another hydration pack that i have. i originaly bought it for hiking and i use it when i go mountain biking becasue it is desighned to be light, stay on you back, and not move around. it is an ems(eastern mountain sports)sprint you can look on their site and search for it. it hold a bit of water, if you want to carry alot of stuff in it, it is not for you. but it does have a zippered pocket, and a pouch. and it is only $45.00.

You will end up carrying as much junk as your bag can carry so unless you need to pack a spare pair of shoes/clothes then anything smaller than a MULE will be enough. The MULE is on the edge of being a big enough backpack to carry more junk but if you need more room then there's the HAWG.

You can never hall enough junk. Be prepared and you'll be rewarded. More weight only means you're working harder.

hey man. I have the HAWG camelback. (100oz-big cargo room)....1 pocket fits all my bike stuff, the other holds my rain jacket and can hold a pair of my sneakers for when i ride to the gym......i love it.....I know the mule gets a lot awesome revies, but it didnt have enough room for me....I am a big guy, and the hawg is real light and has that back vent stuff....I dont know what the heck i was doing before i got it......black and gray is kinda neutral colors too.......i paid 100, but i know sports authority is running 25% off all of them right now....let me know how you make out/

Ditto on the HAWG. I was riding a 2L Mule for about 5 years. Nice space for tools. But virtually anything else had to be strapped down. Once the Bladder is filled, the cargo area dissappears.

I'm running the HAWG now, and I got the second to last one at my local Sport's Authority. Room enough with room to spare for all the trail gear I'd like to have on a decent Trek. 2L just wasn't cutting it for 20 miles of technical singletrack. The beautiful thing is that if it seems to bulky, just cinch it down and it flattens out.

Blowfish 'nuff said

You can never hall enough junk. Be prepared and you'll be rewarded. More weight only means you're working harder.

I'm not against carrying junk. I actually think the MULE might be just a bit too small for me. I've been thinking about commuting to work on Fridays but would need a big enough bag for my change of clothes and the MULE is definitely not it. For everything else the MULE offers more than enough room. I read through the "man purse" thread and realized that the Camelbak is definitely the mtber's man purse. I put everything in there and I'm not done yet.

For what it's worth, I had originally bought my Camelbak from a website called Camelbak-deals.com but later found a better price over at PricePoint for the same colour I chose (burnt-orange). Camelbak-deals had it at $54 but PricePoint has the orange at $39.98. You can't beat that price. You obviously have to add shipping costs to those prices. Canadians take note - both places ship via US Postal Service so you can avoid the dreaded UPS brokerage fees although Canada Post will collect GST/PST + $5 "handling fee".

$http://pricepoint.com/detail/11332-130_CAMMP3-4-Specials-78-Net-Specials/Camelbak-M.U.L.E..htm

I have the Lobo and the MULE. I use the Lobo on really short rides or rides where I don't really need to carry a whole lot such as those in the woods in back of my house. It carries just enough water and essentials but I wasn't able to cram all the stuff I would really want/need for a total backwoods excursion.

Exactly what I have. I like the Lobo's external fill feature and it fits exactly what I need for short trips. The '05 model has 6 raised pads on the back for added ventilation like the mule. The mule is great for longer trips, but also look at the Blowfish like Raiyn recommended. I would probably get that if my mule died.

I heard the Rocket doesn't fit some folks very well due to the frame that keeps it off the back. It holds very little gear and really is made for roadies. The Rogue would be a better choice, but also hold very little gear. No hip belt either.

Dave

I have the Rogue, and it stays put without a hip belt. Wear it on the road and on the dirt. The cargo space I'd say is on the "essentials-only" end of things -- I can cram my rainjacket into the reservoir pouch, but that's about it aside from multitool, patchkit, CO2, etc. I might try a Rocket here this summer, we'll see how it goes....

I got the Blowfish which I intend to use on rides longer than 50 miles. Anything shorter than that I can manage with the two bottle cages on my bike. Since I'll only be using the hydration pack on longer rides, I got the Blowfish for its larger cargo capacity. It was also on deep discount at Performance Bike.

I totally dislike the blowfish...I have a northface recon backpack if I need to carry a ton of crap, or my mule which holds what I need. I'm happy

I totally dislike the blowfish...I have a northface recon backpack if I need to carry a ton of crap, or my mule which holds what I need. I'm happy
I like the fact that it expands if needed. It's equivelent to the MULE when compressed

I have an older original MULE that is smaller than the new ones. Works great for the after work mtn bike rides. I get an Alien tool, patch kit, tubes, wallet and keys in it. I just got a new MULE from pricepoint for 38 bucks and used it for a 33 miler later weekend. Had the above stuff plus a jacket, leg warmers and cell phone. Rides a little more comfortable than the old one also. I looked at a lot of different brands but liked the fit of the Camelbacks. I also have a HAWG for work and day hikes but now that I have a commuter bike with a rack I just use the trunk bag for my lunch and clothes.

Ive got the lobo, it works for me, i dont usually make it over 50 miles in a ride, but on average it lasts a 35 mile ride..Its got enough room for me to hold all the stuff that i use and it seems to fit me very well. the only complaint i have, whihc is gonna happen on all the packs, is they dont breathe well and always get hot on your back, nothing can really be done, but i think i might go back to bottles for the shorter rides..

I have a rogue and a lobo. I like them both. You can get almost a six-pack of bud in either one. I use one for coffee in the morning and one for beer in the evening. The difference is in the straps. The rogue is built a little lighter. The shoulder straps aren't padded, the lobo has padded ones. The lobo's drink tube threads through two loops on the shoulder strap, the rogue's is a clip. The lobo's back padding is in six pieces, the rogue's is two long strips running up and down either side of the back. Inside flap storage pocket for rogue on, outside storage pocket for lobo. Keyclip and two elastic mesh pockets inside the lobo storage pocket, one vertical zip pocket (not unsure of security here) for the rogue. Waist strap on the lobo, none on the rogue. Chest strap is attached onto webbing on the rogue, wire rails on the lobo.

Those are the major differences. If you're paying full price, the lobo for $10 more is worth the money. You get the key clip, more secure pocket storage, waist strap if you need that kind of thing, more secure drink tube system.

would most people recomend that I go to a real store instead of buying online to try on the different packs to see how they feel on my back?

would most people recomend that I go to a real store instead of buying online to try on the different packs to see how they feel on my back?

I would. Generally speaking, anything that you have to wear is best purchased at a local store unless you have had experience with that product before and know how it fits.

I'm not against carrying junk. I actually think the MULE might be just a bit too small for me. I've been thinking about commuting to work on Fridays but would need a big enough bag for my change of clothes and the MULE is definitely not it. For everything else the MULE offers more than enough room. I read through the "man purse" thread and realized that the Camelbak is definitely the mtber's man purse. I put everything in there and I'm not done yet.

For what it's worth, I had originally bought my Camelbak from a website called Camelbak-deals.com but later found a better price over at PricePoint for the same colour I chose (burnt-orange). Camelbak-deals had it at $54 but PricePoint has the orange at $39.98. You can't beat that price. You obviously have to add shipping costs to those prices. Canadians take note - both places ship via US Postal Service so you can avoid the dreaded UPS brokerage fees although Canada Post will collect GST/PST + $5 "handling fee".

$http://pricepoint.com/detail/11332-130_CAMMP3-4-Specials-78-Net-Specials/Camelbak-M.U.L.E..htm

As far as commuting goes, the HAWG is probably a bit too small. You could SQUEEZE a change of clothes in there. For commuting, you may be better off with the TransAlp. OR, if you have a hiking pack, just put your Camelbak inside of that (or hang it on on of the D-Rings).

would most people recomend that I go to a real store instead of buying online to try on the different packs to see how they feel on my back?

I bought my MULE sight-unseen off an online store and I had never worn a Camelbak before. I read enough threads and comments on the CamelBaks and the MULEs in particular that I knew that there was no way that many people could be wrong.

I have no complaints regarding my MULE.