Camelback Backpacks....

Marion David Poff said:
Howdy,

I have a friend who is thinking of buying a Camelback, like a HAWG or a Mule.... One of those two....

Anyway, if you have any experience with Camelback, good or bad, please share it.

And if you really like something, great, tell me about it.

Images are always helpful.

Thank you,
Marion
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I love the MULE. If you check out Cabela's they will put them on sale for about $30 from time to time.

It doesn't have quite the capacity I wanted, but I picked up some MOLLE pouches from ROCK6 to strap on to it. If you search my posts, you will see what I keep in it. My connection is dragging so I won't be doing that tonight. The only problem I initially had was getting it to set right. For someone not accustomed to carrying any kind of pack, the 3L and gear was a bit uncomfortable.
 
one stabb said:
Camelbak Rim runner came with a 3 liter water bladder.
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I've used a couple Camelbak hydration packs over the years, and just got a new Rim Runner to replace my old daypack. So far I'm really impressed with the quality of the pack. Very sturdy looking and well made. Another great Camelbak product. :thumbup:
 
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I've EDC'ed a Camelbak Ares for two or three years now. They're built bomber tough and wear well. No complaints and if I ever wear this one out, I'll definitely get another.
 
I have a Mule. It's been a great pack. I wear it for dirt bike riding. It's been crash tested a few times and held up perfectly. Can't say the same for the Outdoor Products hydration pack the Mule replaced. That thing was a pos.
 
I have found that I am hit or miss as far as fitment goes with the larger capacity (1500 ci +) Camelbak packs. I have a longer upper body, and things don't always fit right. The Motherlode - great pack and very well built, but it rides goofy on me.

But my Honcho fits me great. Not only is it one of my favorite packs for skiing, but it has seem high mileage on day trips in all seasons, as well. It isn't built to military specs, but so far she's been holding up well. It was my most used daypack until I acquired my Mountainsmith Day last year. I have the older grey/black Honcho.
CamelbakHoncho.jpg

Honcho2.jpg


IMHO, Camelbak quality is first rate, whatever you get from them.
 
i have used Camelbak products for years.... i have never had any problems with them at all... they're all great products...i am currently using a Rim Runner as a daypack and an older H.A.W.G. for mtn. biking.... i love them both... the HAWG has been put through the ringer over the past few years and is still going strong...

here's my H.A.W.G. in the eastern sierra's...:)

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toting the Rim Runner...

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I have the Havoc....Its my main bike/ short hike bag. Great product.

Ive used camelbacks alot over the years....Never an issue.

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I have the older Mule and I really like it. Its pretty much the perfect daypack. Even during the hot Florida summer it keeps my water cool all day.

I have broken one of the buckles but overall the durability seems to be very good. They're a little heavy too, but for how durable it is I'd say its an ok trade off for a day pack.

I actually got my aunt to buy one herself the other day.
 
So, it looks like the consensus is that the Camelback's are a good product.

Nice, my buddy will be happy to hear that.

Thanks guys.

Marion
 
I have an older M.U.L.E. that I bought for bicyling. It was a lot smaller than I expected, but I love it. I find it great for biking but short on space for hunting.

It DID get me hooked on hydration packs though, and now I have three larger hunting packs with hydration systems. I really like my Maxpedition Falcon II (medium daypack), Blackhawk OPSEC 4 (Xlarge daypack), and Mystery Ranch Crew Cab system (large backpack), all equipped with Blackhawk's Hydrastorm hydration systems.


Stay sharp,
desmobob
 
i have the military mule. i use it for bike riding mostly and it works great for that. it has a storage volume of 540 cu. in. which could be misleading due to the fact it is divided between two smaller pockets. be forwarned.

if you are wanting to carry more bulky items i would recommend a larger pack or the civilian version which has a bigger pocket.

ultimately i purchased a kifaru scout. it is alot more money but it will last forever as far as i can tell. it has a ton of versatility with the dock n lock system allowing it to do both small to semi large pack duties.
https://www.kifaru.net/scout.html

i will try and get you a comparison pic between the two tomorrow.
 
stingray4540 said:
I also can't recommend the Camelbak company enough. The liner on the hose on my pack started peeling away inside. I emailed them, and asked them about it, they sent a new hose no questions asked. I cut the bad part of my old hose off and keep it in my pack as a spare.
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Oh wow really? The liner on mine is peeling too, and I just cut the bad part off as well. Good to hear what they did for you :thumbup:.


I've had a HAWG and an Alpine Explorer, both were great :thumbup:. I found the HAWG a tad on the small side for a hiking daypack for my tastes, and replaced it with the Alpine Explorer. The alpine explorer was a great pack for me, if I didn't want a maxped pack at the time, I would have been fine sticking with it. I have an osprey now (love the waistbelt and everything else about the pack), but wouldn't mind picking up one of the newer HAWGs for a smaller hiking pack :thumbup:.

The one great thing I have found unique to Camelbaks in my experience, is the insulated bladder pockets. Those things keep water cold for a looong time, especially if you freeze a chunk of water in it the night before :thumbup:. Nothing like ice cold water when you're hiking.


Sorry no pics of either the HAWG or the Alpine Explorer...had those two back before I started actually taking pics of my gear...:).
 
I guess I'll be the odd man out since most people love them. :o I bought a Mule when they first came out and it was easily the most uncomfortable pack I've ever had the displeasure of wearing. I think the Camelbak bladder is one of the better ones on the market but my experience with the Mule has kept me from buying any of their bags since then.
 
Anyone use the Trizip
 

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I tried the trizip on and its pretty heavy for an empty pack.
I Currently own the H.A.W.G 500, the Storm and the Thermoback
All are Foliage green, Milspec and have 3l capacity bladders.
Super packs.
 
I have a military issue MULE and love it. I use it frequently with no bladder in it. It's a great size back back. I've kicked its a$$ and it shows barely any wear. It's awesome.

Here's mine going for a ride in my kayak

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Wow, the new military HAWG 500 jumped up to 29L capacity. The civilian version I had only had a 13L capacity IIRC. And also lighter than previous military HAWG due to the 500D cordura? Worth checking out again for sure :thumbup:.

I had been eyeing up the Fourteener a while ago too.
 
rksoon said:
Oh wow really? The liner on mine is peeling too, and I just cut the bad part off as well. Good to hear what they did for you :thumbup:.
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You should email them. Even if you don't want a replacement, they should know about it. If it is something that is happening a lot, they will probably want to address the issue. But they won't know it's happening unless people complain about it. Besides, it never hurts to have a spare tube.
 
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