Camelbak Hawg 20L Hydration Pack

Full Review of the Camelbak Hawg 20L Hydration Pack

The Camelbak HAWG hydration pack is one of the larger backpacks in the range from Camelbak, the world’s leading manufacturer of hands-free hydration packs. The HAWG has a 3 litre bladder which should be enough to keep you going for a good few hours in any kind of outdoor activity. In terms of the amount of cargo space, you can’t really grumble as Camelbak have provided a 20 litre capacity for you to carry all the essentials you might need for a day’s endurance work and more.

Features overview

• Hydration Capacity: 100 oz (3 L)
• Cargo Volume: 1220.5 cu in (20 L)
• Total Volume: 1403 cu in (23 L) Includes the 100 oz (3 L) OMEGA® Water Beast™ Reservoir with HydroLink™ Exit Port
• Pack Weight: 2.75 lbs with empty reservoir
• Materials: 500D Cordura® Fabric Front panel, gussets and shoulder harness front side > 420D High Density Nylon on shoulder harness back side and raised pod panels > 10 mm EVA foam shoulder harness > 210D Nylon lining > 5 mm Closed Cell foam > Nylon webbing
• Pack Dimensions: 22.5 in x 16 in x 17 in (571.5 mm x 406.4 mm x 431.8 mm)
• AUC, ABU, Coyote, Foliage meet US Military standards for Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR)

Usability

Although the Camelbak HAWG hydration pack offers riders a padded back panel system which provides additional ventilation keeping you cooler for longer, it can still get pretty hot and sweaty back there, but that’s to be expected. Camelbak have done pretty much everything possible to make the HAWG backpack as comfortable as possible – they have added a “Dynamic Suspension” harness for stability, “Slider SternumStrap” to adjust the location and customised fit.

If you are going on a long endurance ride, hike, skate, or any other kind of outdoor activity, the last thing you want is something heavy to carry. Unfortunately, this is inevitable as you will always need to carry your belongings one way or another. The Camelback HAWG hydration pack is quite heavy and this is noticeable when it’s sitting on your back but the bladder and bag are well positioned, and everything has been done to make it as lightweight and balanced as possible.

The most important aspect of any hydration pack is keeping hydrated; this is something that the Camelbak HAWG hydration pack is very good at. The bladder is connected to a drinking tube which features the “Big Bite” valve and “HydroLock” which make hands-free drinking a breeze without any worries about the water leaking all over the pack.

Advantages

The Camelbak HAWG hydration pack has a large 20 litre cargo pocket which features an internal organiser, which can hold tools for your sport or keys. It also has 2 external zipper pockets on the side, and an MP3 pocket on the top which is weather resistant. These separate compartments and the storage facilities altogether on the HAWG are excellent, and surprisingly spacious.

Disadvantages

Whilst the additional straps for support are beneficial for some users, others will find that they just get in the way. Unfortunately, the one thing that Camelbak didn’t consider was that users might like a little flexibility, and have provided no way to remove the lumbar strap.

The only other downside to the Camelbak HAWG is the weight and size of the backpack as a whole, but this is to be expected with a pack of that size. If you are planning a day of endurance the Camelbak HAWG hydration pack would be perfect, but it is far too big for just a couple of hours biking, something like the MULE would be more suitable.

You might also like:

None Found