Hydrobak Hydration Pack 50oz

Nice product, very comfortable in use, with great storage for its size. Its hydration bladder was smaller than expected, but its capacity was clearly stated in the description.

I would gove this a 4.75 out of 5 if I could. Received this item over the past weel and on the weekened, tested it out on a 17 mile Urban hike (with partial jogging) from Virginia into D.C. for some sightseeing. Camelbak is a namebrand that has been around since before my Marine Corps days. In fact, the Marine Corps issued Camelbacks back in 2006 and I STILL have that one...so the quality they are known for is present in this model.These are my very small but present exceptions. The volume of water is intentionally small (50oz which is almost 1.5 liters), not bad although likely not intended for an 8-hour urban hike, so consider your particular water-intake needs vs what you want to tackle. I think I overdid it.#2 the zipper compartment on the bottom is very small....but with the bladder filled, it becomes even tighter. With the bladder full, I was able to squeeze one key+fob, a debit card, 4 Tums tablets in a sandwich bag, a 41/2" Mophie battery cell (which is not small) to recharge my cell phone (which I carried in my hand), AND a coiled 3.5 foot cable...so come to think of it, I squeezed a LOT in there....which made me go test an iPhone10 in there as I was writing this review. Nope, iPhone10 will not fit, even with an empty bladder, but that's still not bad.#3 the way the straps are shaped under the arm pits and how they connect to the pack kind of makes the entire pack ride up a bit on your upper back, which aesthetically can make you feel like you look a little awkward with this tiny turtle bump on your upper back. If you dont care so much about appearance, then it's not an issue. As I emptied the bladder, the pack seemed to relax down more.Otherwise, this pack fits REALLY snug, which is what you want when you are jogging/hiking. Once you buckled the chest buckle, the bounce of a full bladder while jogging is quite minimal, even for 1/5 liters. The flap that comes over the bladder mouth is very secure and the easy fill access to the cap is a godsend, I am still testing for cap leaks, not 100% sure yet.

Perfect for long hiking

Light compact and easy to drink from but hasn’t leaked. Wish it had some pockets

I used this on my solo hiking trip through Arizona's caves and caverns. I also hiked to several vortex locations in the crazy AZ heat. It was a great companion and a must have. It packs easily as it is very small when it is empty. I packed for 3 months in only a carryon luggage and it fit just fine in my bags, without taking up too much room. It holds a lot of water and is easy to wear and use. It's made for these types of trips, as the pockets and straps all made perfect sense. When you want to drink, you bite the tube to suck out water. This prevents you from having leakage this wasting water. A great buy and worth having.

Good quality and lightweight

So good I forget I'm wearing it. It is light weight and as long as I remember to get out the extra air out to reduce any sloshing it is almost unnoticeable. The mouthpiece works easily without leaking.

The positives:Surprising an outdoor outfitter company designed this to fit a person larger than a shirt size medium, weighing more than 160 pounds. I'm a big guy, even when completely thin, I'm a big guy, but I'm a bit overweight at the moment and am working on shedding the last of the weight and am taking long hikes and running and needed a hydration pack for that reason. This not only fits me (I'm not just a little overweight, I'm a weightlifter), it has room to spare so it'll easily fit a person upwards to around 300 pounds I'd dare to say.The negative:The pocket is absolutely worthless. When I check to see if it had a storage pocket, I was hoping it would fit my S25 Ultra because I use Bluetooth and listen to music when I hike or run. The only phone that would fit in this lousy pocket would be an old 2002 Nokia flip phone. It's basically made for a car key and a think wallet, nothing more. I have to put my phone in with the hydration bladder. Camelbak wasn't thinking at all on this one.Also, I wish it had a larger capacity for water. The hydration bladder is only 1.5L, but I knew that when I bought it and when I'm using it, it's around town. I wouldn't recommend this anywhere else where hydration will really matter.