Cheap Hydration Pack

Trent Steel

Anyone got an opinion of the Gelert pack below?

http://www.gelert.com/Products/Hydro_Fo ... e_Pac.aspx

or any other recommendations? the tesco ones looks too cheap the Gelert looks slightly nicer than the Decathalon ones of similar size. I've never used a hydration pack before, would like around 2L of fluid and enough space for waterproof, tools, inner tube, keys, phone, wallet & banana.

Would like to dip my toe into the water before shelling out £50 on a Mule tbh

I suppose my main concern is whether the cheaper bladders are ok and the mouthpieces work well (i.e don't leak and are easy to get a good gulp out of)

thanks

s-j-cooper

I have just got this one:

Camelbak Cloudwalker

I got mine from Field and Trek for £24 when they had the 20% off sale over the bank holiday, but I would happily have paid £30.

It has a good quality 2l bladder and a pretty large capacity which should hold everything on your list as it has a capacity of 22l for cargo. That said, it is not a massive rucksack by any means - perfect for a day out I reckon.

Note that it doesn't have a waist strap though, despite it saying that it does in the listing.

Dan Dare

I have the Gelert one, I have had no problems with it. The water tasted a bit rubbery for the first couple of rides but after a good rinse with hot salty water it's now fine. The mouth piece works well and a simple valve closes off the flow, I like to close it off and then squeeze the tiny bit left in the mouthpiece out otherwise it does tend to drip on my leg. I carry 2 tubes plus my phone and any snacks in the main section and a chain tool, multi tool, puncture repair kit and wallet, all in the smaller front section, if I need to carry water proofs they tuck in easily betweeen the front and rear sections and are held in with the elasticated strings and toggle. The back has padding and also raises the bag slightly off your back helping keep some air flowing so it doesn't get too hot. I think for the money it is great.

sarkmeister

I had the Tesco one (cost about £9) for 18 months and it worked perfectly. Not as nice as the Camelbak I have now, but it cost a fifth of the price.

underdog

Another vote for the tesco one here, I can't justify paying more when this one does the job and has held up very well. The only reason I'd buy anything else is to have a bigger capacity for longer days.

BorisSpencer

I also have the Gelert pack, been in use for about two years now. Excellent value.

Trent Steel

Ok, bought the Gelert one for £17 on amazon. Thought it was worth the £5 over the tesco one. Saw the cloudwalker £30 at Halfords but its a little too big for my needs. Thanks all.

May be taking the little one camping soon and Gelert do a range of 25-30L rucksacks that are Hyrdo pack ready for around £20, if I'm happy with the Hydropack I think I'll get one of those too.

rudedog

I've got the Gelert one - could never quite get the taste of plastic out it and then lost the bite valve - consequently it drips all the time. Because of this, I dont' the hydration bladder anymore - just a pack for my riding bits and bobs.

The backpack itself is ok but the wee tags you pull to close the zips broke off and have been replaced with bits of string. You can fit loads in it - I have spare tubes, pump, first aid kit, tool pouch, buff, extra water bottle, sandwiches, snacks, wallet, keys, phone and waterproof jacket all crammed in to it fairly often although I doubt I'd get as much in to it if I were still using it as a hydration pack. I also use the bungee cord on the back to strap my raceface shin/knee pads to the back of it if I'm doing alot climbing and its warm weather.

To summarise, its decent value for under £20 - I don't think I'd buy another one though.

compo

Ive got a Halfords Bikehut pack (£15) and a Tesco Hydration bladder (£9).
Ive got 2l of water and 20l of cargo space. It may not be the most fashionable but it does the job and carries all the stuff whilst being comfy which is good enough for me

Trent Steel

Just an update on the Gelert pack. It arrived with a kink and a crack in the mouthpiece tube so I sent it back (was the last on in stock for the price). I tried it on my back for fit anyway and TBH it didn't fit as nice as a Camelbak mule or the cloudwalker I tried on the other day. The Camelbak seemed to fit well as not to notice it was on whereas the Gelert pack just did not feel right.

I think I'll wait for the sun to go away first (as I suffer from sweaty back syndrome) and treat myself to a Camelbak, quite fancy the 2010 cloudwalker, not as "compactable" as the Mule but the integrated rain cover is a nice feature and would be well used in autumn/winter.

underdog

I got a quite excellent 20L pack from sportsdirect for fathers day, only £20.

simongonesurfing

I've had the HydraPak Big Sur for the last 12months and love it! It looks like they might have changed the design this year as it looks much bigger on their website and mine looks more like the new Streamline pack.

3L liquid plus load of pockets and the reservoir is amazing...all unclips from the hoses and the whole of the top opens up to fill / empty and allows you to turn it inside out to wash and dry. Amazing.

Just found this link to the one I have (2009 model) - good price: http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/ (search Hydrapak)

Hope this helps

Razer_MTB

If you suffer from sweaty back syndrome, may be worth considering something like this
http://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-wind-rucksack-716071?colcode=71607122.

The back has an arched plastic section which holds the main body away from your back, whilst mesh panels come down each side of your back which still allows you to stay cool. even has a handy wee rain cover which is useful for keeping mud off everything.

25l capacity gives plenty of storage space, may be worth having a look at if there is a sport direct near you.

edindevon

I saw a Tesco Hydration Backpack cheap instore today. It was on a half price offer at about £6.00 and I think it was this one.



If you're looking for a cheap hydration backpack, I think it's worth looking out for these in your local Tesco store.

Edindevon

thel33ter

Edindevon wrote:

I saw a Tesco Hydration Backpack cheap instore today. It was on a half price offer at about £6.00 and I think it was this one.



If you're looking for a cheap hydration backpack, I think it's worth looking out for these in your local Tesco store.

Edindevon

I got one of these, the nozzle leaks a bit cause mine wasn't cut properly, and I had to do it myself, but apart from that its great value.

drummondjhn

Another vote for the tesco one 1year old going fine

slowslowslow

i have a camelback and its good but got it cheap. Think there is a bit of a 'label' element to it. Don't discard other makes like Berghaus and Karrimoor who do a vast range.

I get most of my outdoor stuff from Go Outdoors, they will probably have loads of them and more variety.

+1 for the mesh system on the back-they make a big difference.

cooldad

Got one of those Tesco ones (at massive full price of £11.99 unfortunately). Works fine, holds water, tools, pump, jacket and cake.

num83r5

£11.95
22 Clubcard points

merlie

another vote for the Tesco version .... does what it says on the tin ... fantastic value for the time at half price - 18 mths ago .

andyrm

I've had the tesco one for over a year, works fine, especially since I changed the valve for a Camelbak one. It's been machine washed with my cycling kit on an almost weekly basis and is still good as new. 100% recommended.

edindevon

num83r5 wrote:

£11.95
22 Clubcard points

Yes, that's the price online. As I say though, you need to look in store for the cheap deal. I just double checked at my local store and it is the 6L model and the price is actually £5.50.

Edindevon

gtd.

I have the tesco one, with a 2L CamelBak Omega Plus bladder as the tesco one had leaky o-ring at the bottom and thought the bladder looked weak compared with the CamelBak

Carries spare tubes, levers multitool, bit of food, tubes of Hi5 Zero etc and an 2L bottle of water

andy46

i also use the tesco one, i have changed the bladder and hose for a platypus one (even with this it's still cheap)

had it for over a year and still looks as good as new, plus the colours match my bike

drummondjhn

luvin it tesco rules

cooldad

Awesome spammy resurrection.

Edit. Which has been deleted and makes me look silly.

K13_275

Some great options at Decathalon looking at the BTWIN one for £19.99 for myself

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-817806-hydration-pack

JBA

Six and a half year old thread.

Why resurrect it just to say that?