Camelbak M.U.L.E. vs. Dakine Nomad

deejay.

Wotcha,

Graphics and looks aside, which should I go for: the MULE or the Nomad? I will be mostly riding XC, and plan some longer events, marathons and enduros in the future, as opposed to DH, freeriding or what have you.

Thanks all,

deej

MrChrisP

I've been using a MULE for about a year now and cannot fault it any way.

I've never had a problem fitting everything I need in it for longer rides and it is also ideal for shorter trips round the local forest etc. The compartments provide enough space for pretty much everything you'll need on a long ride: jacket, keys, tools, a spare inner tube, pump and an energy bar or sandwich. You can even use the webbing on the back to hold your helmet when off the bike, although that does depend on how big your head/helmet is :shock: The pouch on the top is ideal for an MP3 Player/Battery Pack and means you don't have to sacrifice space for that chain tool just so you can listen to music during your ride.

Because I use it every day is has to put up with a lot of abuse which it manages effortlessly. I've seen a few reviews which say the Nomad has better build quality than the CB but personally I'd be very hard pushed to beleive that. My MULE has never been treated with any care and it is still in near perfect nick.

Another great thing about it is the weight. The bag itself weighs very very little which makes it easier for you to justify carrying more stuff than you might actually need. For example I normally my compact camera and action camera on rides in case I come across something worth capturing.

The straps are very easy to adjust which means you can have it sitting anywhere on your back, depening on how you prefer, and it also means you don't have to worry about it sliding all over the place if it is half empty. Basically it feels good on your back and never gets in the way.

So yeah as you might have guessed I'm a little biased towards the MULE :P

The Nomad is undoubtedly going to be a good pack as well but for me it's gotta be the CB

f3nd3r

Im also looking at the getting the MULE. Where is a good place to get one? Wiggle? Chain reaction?

Dick Scruttock

MULE here as well, its great.

I got mine from Merlin.

Tel39

Think 'MrChrisP' more or less covered it there, great write up. Had my MULE for about 18mnth and cant fault it, have managed to fit everything in I need on long/short rides, even got a one litre flask full of coffee for a particularly cold ride recently. This all with the bladder full with 3 litres of fluid for the rides.
Pretty easy to wipe down after a muddy ride and no real signs of wear n tear since I bought it from CRC. Overall a great backpack IMO

Penylope

Gonna have to say Nomad :P

I've had mine for 17months and it looks as new as the day i got it (apart from a nice Steve Peat autograph i got last year at Fort Bill 8) ).

IMO, after reading MrChrisP's review of the M.U.L.E. it does sound exactlyas good as the Nomad;
Plenty of room for my jacket, spare tube/gloves/wooly hat in the main compartment with space to spare (if i CBA to use the bladder i will fill my water bottle and stick that in the bag as well, no probs) for some butty's.
Multi tool, shock pump and normal pump, tube repair kit and Gerber mult tool in the front flap with loads of room left for more (and usefull compartments in there as well). Plus fleecy lined MP3/Phone pocket on top and another pocket either side.

The bag is light and really comfy, with very good, thick padding on the back pannel and straps. It doesn't get that sweaty wearing it either, with channels in the back pannel to aid airflow. Much better than my old Hydrapak which was like wearing a carrier bag on my back!

One thing i would say is that my friends Camelbak (which is about 6 months older and i'm not sure what model it is) is in a much worse state than my bag. it hasn't had any more use than my bag but 2 zips have failed and some of the webbing on the back pannel is fraying, which while still functional does make it look a bit rough.

TBH i think they would both be good bags (one slightly better than the other obviously ), gonna have to come down to price and which style you preffer i recon.

RealMan

Love my mule. Done xc racing with it, as well as long days in the mountains. Perfect for everything.

FSRian

after using a mule with zips theat kept jamming when i borrowed it off afriend i bought a nomad and would say that hands down its better in every way, loadsa space, easy to clean dakine bladder and comfy for all day hacks. cant fault it at all and as mentioned above too, looks like the day i bought it and mud brushes off easily!

Excitable1

I have the Mule NV which does do a great job of keeping the sweat off your back. Even in the blazing heat of France last summer !

I think it is a bit tight on storage space when you have the full 3 litre pouch filled to the top. If you want to go on an all day ride and take a fair lunch then you might struggle a little beyond say 2 tubes, a multi tool, air pumps, & puncture kit & a small towel. You definatley wont get any knee pads in addition to that lot if you use them.

I saw a review of it in MBR (could have been MBUK) and they said they struggled un doing the awkward buckes and some of them broke. Dont let this put you off if you've read it. The buckles on the straps are not meant to be un done, you just tilit and pull them which is great for cold fingers !

It does the job for me and the quality is defeinatly there.

Camel are doing a limited edition NV version of the next one up (HAWG) if you need to go bigger :
http://www.camelbak.com/sports-recreati ... wg-nv.aspx

bannedbiker

I just bought a mule NV. Managed to find it for £50 at a local sports discount store, the only camelback in there!

delcol

i got a nomad,, got it cheap as well around £40... does what it's supposed to do. hydrate me and store my kit,,.
i also have a apex it slightly bigger, i rate both of them...

othello

Would you say a MULE is too big for an afternoon ride? I might carry tubes, tools and a pump with perhaps an extra top layer.

nicklouse

othello wrote:

Would you say a MULE is too big for an afternoon ride? I might carry tubes, tools and a pump with perhaps an extra top layer.

nope. perfect.

furby

http://www.ospreypacks.com/Packs/TalonS ... e/Talon55/

I have one of its big brothers.

I have used and abused a wide range of rucksacks of all sizes over a number of years and the osprey stands head and shoulders above any produced by any other company. No matter what size and use, for the forseable future I am not buying anything other than osprey.

othello

nicklouse wrote:

othello wrote:

Would you say a MULE is too big for an afternoon ride? I might carry tubes, tools and a pump with perhaps an extra top layer.

nope. perfect.

Great, thanks!

Where are my stabilisers?

Dakine over the mule for me!

I have a Mule and a Dakine (apex not nomad) and I prefer everything about the Dakine, including the hydration bladder - better all round in my opinion, easier to clean, lockable valve...

The mule I find very small - Can't get sod all in it when the bladder is full..... Maybe I try and carry more stuff because I'm a girl ( ), but I don't get it when people say they can fit everything they need in it, coz a tube and multi tool is about it! I try and stuff my rain jacket in and it's fit to burst!

doug@basqueMTB.com

I use an Apex and a MULE so just a few comments on the difference between the two packs.

The Dakine is better for:
- When you remove the bladder you can disconnect the hose so you don't have to unthread it from the backpack strap. I think this is brilliant.
- The Dakine bladder is much nicer I think and easier to clean. The camelbak one can be a bit of a bugger to open and close properly.
- The Dakine has far better pockets inside it for organising your gear.
- The straps on the zips are stronger. All my Camelbak ones have broken.

The Camelbak is better for:
- The pack sits better on your back. This might be because the Apex is such a big pack but it's harder to get it so that it's comfy and doesn't move.
- The waterproof camera bit is better, with better padding.
- The material feels more durable somehow, I think it's slightly thicker.

I use my Apex for guiding because there's not a Camelbak you can fit all the gear that you need into. I use my MULE for general riding and it's great for that, a pretty much perfect size. You can also reduce the size by tightening up the various compression straps.

Hope that's in some way helpful.

Tolk

I've just ordered a Nomad, fingers crossed it'll turn up by the weekend so I'll let you know how i got on with it!

frogstomp

Went looking for a MULE yesterday and ended up picking up a Camelback Hawg NV for £45 in the local Cotswold Rock Bottom store.. a fair bit bigger than the MULE but compresses down nicely and lots of nice features (including rain cover) - couldn't pass it up at that price!