Customized hydration backpack

[tadrscin]

Since I got tired of trying to find a hydration backpack that would work for mtn biking, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I started with a Tamrac Adventure 7 since it has a camera compartment on the bottom and a large compartment on top that could hold a bladder. I started by cutting a hole at the top for the bladder hose and then added a loop to hold the bladder.


I bought the 72 oz Camelbak bladder as it's a little wider and not as tall as the 70 oz bladder and even full it fits fine. I do put the bladder in a plastic bag just in case it leaks. That's also why I use a Camelbak bladder as they have the best reputation for not leaking. I've used them for years and I've never had one leak yet. YMMV.


The camera bag can hold my 50D w/Tamron 17-50, one 430 EXII, 2 PWs or my Sigma 10-20, an angle finder and spare batteries for the camera and flash. I can fit 2 Ultrapods in the mesh pocket in the top. The front zippered pocket holds my wallet, phone and keys.


Since I need to be able to use this pack at places like the North Shore in Vancouver B.C., I added some straps to hold my full face helmet and arm pads for the road climbs.


The helmet straps store nicely in the side mesh pockets when not in use.


It hasn't been crash tested yet, but I'm confident the camera will survive a pretty good one. I had been using a Dakine Nomad with some foam padding and my camera did survive a couple of decent crashes in that. This pack offers even better protection. It's a bit heavy when fully loaded and with a full bladder, but it's doable. The pack itself is only a bit larger than a Camelbak Hawg so it's not too big even for a smaller person like me. I'm 5' 8" and 150 lbs.

[Photo-John]

Nice job! Lowepro has a similar pack you could customize the same way.

Have you seen the stuff I've been posting about Clik Elite packs? I've been riding with one for a couple of weeks and it's great. I'm finishing up an article and video about it right now. If you want a sneak peak, check my gallery and you'll find some product photos I shot for the article. I'm really excited about their Medium Nature pack.

[tadrscin]

Are you talking about the Dry Zone Rover? I ruled that out due to the size of it and the difficulty of the waterproof zipper. I haven't seen anything about these Clik Elite packs, but you've peaked my curiosity. I'll check that out. I'm always looking for the perfect pack and my customization is pretty close.

[Photo-John]

Are you talking about the Dry Zone Rover? I ruled that out due to the size of it and the difficulty of the waterproof zipper. I haven't seen anything about these Clik Elite packs, but you've peaked my curiosity. I'll check that out. I'm always looking for the perfect pack and my customization is pretty close.

No, I wasn't referring to the Dry Zone Rover. I honestly learned to hate that pack. It carried gear wonderfully. But that damn zipper got stuck on me wayyy too many times. I wanted to throw it off a cliff. But the Lowepro Rover AW (I think that's the name) is very similar to the Tamrac backpack you're using, without the waterproof compartment the Dry Zone version has.

By the way, I think my friend Alan used the same or a similar pack to the Tamrac you're using, on a Marzocchi intro trip we both did to Garda, Italy a couple of years ago. He didn't customize his pack at all. He just ran the hydration tube through the zipper. We did some really gnarly riding while we were there, though. I think he was pretty happy with that pack. He wrote a review here for a Lowepro backpack, last year:

http://reviews.photographyreview.com...ckpack-review/

My Clik Elite pack review should be live in a couple of hours. Just gotta proof the text and finish the layout.

[tadrscin]

Yeah I read your review on it and I also read one from someone who really liked it and apparently got the only one with a functioning zipper. I was lucky enough to find one in a camera store so I could see it on person. Even if the zipper worked, it was just way too big for me. I did look at both the Rover AW and Rover Plus AW, but the price was a bit too steep knowing I was going to be customizing it. Plus they're both a little bigger and I didn't want to go any bigger than I had to. With the pack, bladder, webbing and hose clip, I'm only into it for about $115. I also have the Adventure 9 for photo hikes or riding to a photo shoot (that's assuming I ever have time to actually do either ). I did try out the Adventure 7 on several rides by just putting the bladder in the top and running the hose through the zipper which worked well. That's when I decided to go for it. I do need to get a waterproof cover for it though. Never know when you're going to get rained on around here.

[Photo-John]

My Clik Elite review is live. Let me know what you think. Post a comment on the review page!

Clik Elite Medium Nature Pack Review >>

[tadrscin]

Nice review. I really appreciated the comments on how it would work for shorter riders. I have to say that you do carry a lot of gear. I should've mentioned in my description that I normally have a gear mule aka my wife. The deal is that I carry the camera gear and she carries the tools. Unfortunately she's recovering from a broken collar bone and now I have to carry everything Most of my local riding is at our free ride and jump parks so I don't really have to worry about carrying tools etc. I can fit the basics in the Adventure 7 though. The tools go in the top and a spare tube goes in the compartment that would've held the PWs. If I ever get back into backcountry riding, the Clik packs would be something I would consider, although probably the smaller size. I have to say that the Adventure 7 does ride well. It was never a distraction at Whistler and we rode DM to A-line, Schleyer, Whistler DH and Angry Pirate and it never bothered me at all.

[tadrscin]

I realized that I hadn't updated this as far as being crash tested. I had a couple of good crashes at Whistler over the 4th of Jully weekend and I'm happy to say that no camera gear was damaged.