Recommendation for Hydration Packs
 

Hey Guys,
I am in the market for purchasing a Hydration Pack. There is way too much selection out there though.

My needs however. I love my water :) I don't need the pack to hold a lot of gear, if any, other than the water itself. I have a pouch under my seat which already holds my wallet, keys and phone. The only thing I could ever think of needed to store in the pack is maybe a tube, seeing as if I need the pack, I would assume the ride will be long enough to maybe need a replacement tube.

Other then that, water is all I need it to store. My waterbottle on my bike holds about 3/4 of a litre right now and that only lasts me 1-1.5 hours of riding so that I obviously need a pack that holds more.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated! Money is not an issue, I want to ensure I get quality!

I have the plain camelback that has no pockets... Actually it is a military variety...

Like this:

http://www.camelbak.com/government-m...rmobak-2l.aspx

http://www.uscav.com/Productinfo.asp...7147&TabID=548

I do wish I had at least one small pocket though, so you may want to think about that...

I've got that same military pack but mine has the digi acu camo on it from my army days. It does fine on rides where I don't venture far from the truck since I can't pack any extras. I also have a Dakine pack that can carry my knee pads helmet and a few other odds and ends and I think it is actually a more co
fortable pack even when loaded up

If all you want to do is carry water and a tube, it really doesn't matter what small pack you get. I've found the Camelbak branded bladders to have good flow and a simple bite valve, so I'd suggest one of those.

If you want to size up and carry more stuff, then brand and design gets a little more important as it's more about how your pack carries weight, and how that weight moves around during biking. In which case, the premium options are the Wingnuts and Ergons- lots of quality design, but pricier and a bit harder to find.

Again, if you just want to carry water, get something small and cheap. I've had 5L MEC and Decathlon (buget Euro brand) bags that have lasted years and functioned well.

Sounds like a Camelback Octane XC would be right up your alley. It has a small pocket in the top flap and two small pockets on the hip belt. I love mine.

http://camelbak.com/sports-recreatio...ctane-xct.aspx

Looks like its the XCT now?

I know that you said that money was no object, but a good value is a good thing.

check out the REI Outlet Clearance section online. You can find all of the quality hydration packs and get a good value for the bucks.