CamelBak  M.U.L.E. Hydration Pack - Women's

Let me start this review by saying this is my first hydration pack, so I don't have another products or experiences to compare it to. I love a lot of things about this pack, with the obvious one being how much water it holds (100oz) and how consistently it keeps me hydrated, because of the convenience. It has a locking mechanism in the straw to control the flow of water, and a solid strap-in & magnet system that keeps the mechanism in place well. I will continue to use this pack for longer hikes and day trips. As a hydration pack, it works exactly how it should: it holds water and keeps you hydrated. There are a few areas where I could see improvements: Firstly, because most of the pack-space is being taken up by 100 liters of water, there's little room for anything else. I can pack a wallet, a rain shell, and a few other small items, but I could not pack this like a regular (~18-22 liter) pack. Most of my daypacks can fit a couple nights of clothes and be used as a weekend bag, but this hydration pack is truly just a hydration pack. Another note to be made: the water pack is not insulated, so your water temperature isn't regulated. The temperatures have been in the mid-90s this summer, and it's been hot, dry, and sunny. Even if I prep my bag with ice cubes and cold water, it's warm within a few hours. This isn't a deal breaker for me-- if I'm hot and sweaty and tired, I'll drink my water at any temperature, but this is something to note. I'm excited to use it as my XC ski pack in winter, as I'm sure my water will stay nice and chilled. My last concern is long-term sanitation. As a teenager, I loved Camelbak water bottles with the bite-down rubber straws (similar to this hydration pack), but the biggest long-term issue was the bacteria build-up in the straw tip that was impossible to remove. I have the same concern with this. I drink tap water, I'm not using purified or filtered water, so I know there will be bacteria build-up over time, and I'm worried about how I will clean the straw. The water bag is removable from the bag, and you can sort of disassemble the straw tip, but not completely. When I'm done with the pack for the day, I like to remove the water bag, rinse it completely, and hang it upside to dry. But I'm sure there's bacteria getting stuck in the straw and straw tip, that's impossible to clean out totally. Overall, I genuinely really like this pack. It's not going to become an overnight bag for me (which was never Camelbak's intention), but I think it's going to replace my other day-packs for many of my day hikes. Usually, I will (at-most) carry two, 32oz water bottles on a hike, and this nearly doubles that amount, and the distribution of water in the pack makes it feel much lighter. I can also see myself using this for mountain biking trips (too hot for mntn biking right now)-- the system is super easy and hands-off, and absentmindedly keeps me hydrated. Even with my critiques, I would say this pack is fantastic, because it does exactly what it's designed to do, and it does it well.

I've used this pack for both hiking and festivals and it has been great. You can't beat the convenience of the water pouch and size of the pack for short trips/activities. However, I do have to say that if the water pouch is completely full it does decrease the overall storage room. That seems obvious but on longer 10+mile hiking days I would probably opt for something a little larger to bring extra clothes, food, and supplies. If you pack minimally or just want this for a 3-5 hour excursion, then it is probably exactly what you're looking for. Plus, the zipper pouches have great storage options to keep keys, rings, and whatever other small items you may have seperated, which I always appreciate.

I usually ride with just a waist pack but found myself running out of water on long hot rides. This backpack’s 3L reservoir is almost overkill for me, but I figure I can always swap the reservoir later or just do my usual of filling it once and using it for 2-3 rides in a row. I’ve tried it out on four different rides and I really like the way the compartments are set up. One for the bladder only, one for bulk items like my pads and sweater/jacket, one for snacks and tools, and one small one on top for keys and phone. I think camelback did well with their design and relative sizing of all these. However my gripe comes with the mouthpiece orientation. They’ve made it longer and sticking out at an angle compared to the relatively small and perpendicular orientation of mouthpiece relative to the hose. This comes into play with its placement via magnet to the end of the chest strap which always ends up interfering with my arm/shoulder. I’ve done a little adjustment of the mouthpiece on the hose to make it point out more but I regularly knock it off on descents. I’d prefer the old style of the small plastic clasp to hook it downwards on one of the shoulder straps. The rest of the backpack is pretty great. Rode with it a couple days over 90 degrees and while it was hotter than a waist pack, it seemed to breath well and not move around much. I’m planning on still using it on long hot rides but probably will leave in lieu of the waist pack for most rides.

I really love the amount of pockets/storage this backpack has, and even when full it is still comfortable to ride with, even on longer distances. The length of the hose was a little distracting at first, but I was able to tuck more of it into the backpack so it wouldn't tap my legs when riding my bike. If you are looking for a backpack to tackle short or long ride this one is a great choice.

I thought it was going to be a great backpack.. I was so disappointed in two things . The zipper on top that holds the reservoir only zips to one side , which sometimes caused the tube to pinch. The other thing is that I thought that buying a women designed one it would fit better. I’m 5’7” 130 lbs and even though I have the straps pulled as tight as possible it’s still loose

I love this pack. It fit me better then any trail running pack ever has and it is so easy to drink from. The magnetic tube makes it stay in place and easy to get to. For reference I am 5 feet 6 inches tall with a regular torso. I recommend this pack.