I picked up the black color way of the CamelBak Pro Hydration Backpack, the canvas material has a heavy duty and durable feel to it. The overall construction quality is top notch and has held up over numerous uses while hiking or jogging. The bladder is durable and the 100oz capacity makes it great for any outdoor activities, the large opening makes washing it easy and convenient. I have had no leaking issues in all my uses. There is a small zippered pocket to easily stow away your phone, keys, wallet, or a small snack like a few protein bars. The zippers function smoothly and the shoulder straps are easy to adjust. The back of the pack has plenty of padding to keep the pack feeling comfortable during wear. The pack also has an area where you could hang items on it with a carabineer or D-ring. There are a few bright and reflective spots to help in low light visibility situations. Overall the functionality and durability of the hydration backpack make this a good value for outdoor activities.
So I will take responsibility for not reading the description of this carefully and not realizing that the "Pro" indicates that this is for outdoor work-related situations. I initially thought this was just like any other Camelbak and could be repurposed for hiking/running/sports-related activities, but it's clearly meant for working outdoors in the field. In case anyone else was considering it for this purpose, I'll just leave a little warning for anyone who's not great at reading comprehension like me - There are two things that make it not suitable for sports activities: 1. It's not super comfortable when wearing it on athletic wear (think tanks, thin shirts). The straps are heavy duty nylon, which is great for sturdy work-related attire, but they will cut into your bare arms/shoulders if you're in athletic gear. The reflective stripes on the straps are great for visibility, but they stick out and will chafe your inner arms if they are bare and you're swinging them in a running gait. (see picture). 2. The cap for the straw is nice for protecting it in environments where it would get dirty, but is annoying to take off if you're in the middle of a run, for example. The reflective strips rubbing against my arms was the first sign that this was clearly not intended for what I bought them for. That being said, I don't work outdoors but this seems well-purposed for that. Plenty of water (70 oz) that is kept nice and cool, the straw is insulated and I have no doubt the materials will hold up. It's a little on the expensive side, but you do get Camelbak's reputation and warranty behind it.
This is my first Camelbak hydration pack. Years ago I bought one of their water bottles so I'm familiar with the brand. This Camelbak Pro hydration backpack is very well made. All of the stitching is neat with no loose threads. The logos are stitched well. The back padding is thick enough. The straps while not padded are comfortable and do not dig into my neck or shoulders. Plus the straps have a break away design so that is a nice touch. The velcro strap keepers are a nice touch but if someone wanted to they could cut the excess straps after fine tuning the fit, but I won't do that as the velcro keepers keeps the strap ends out of the way. The zippers are smooth and the large zipper pulls makes zipping and unzipping the two compartments a very easy task. The side release buckles are strong and durable. The chest strap is thin so it doesn't get in the way and the best part about the chest strap is that it can easily be removed which I like to see on backpacks because I normally don't use a chest strap. There is 3.5 inches on each strap where the chest strap attaches to so the chest strap can be moved up or down to fine tune the fit. The chest strap on the side where the Camelbak logo is has a little elasticity which is nice because the strap is a little tight on me when fully extended. I will use it because the hose runs through the strap where the Camelbak logo is. The plastic hose hook and the strap both could be removed and switched if one choose to. There are four attachment points to attach a carabiner, a hat, etc. There is a nice grab handle at the top and a medium sized reflective strip in the middle at the bottom of the reservoir zippered compartment. The zippered pocket is big enough to put a phone in, along with some small snacks like a granola bar, protein bar. I keep my phone in my pocket so I put a couple protein bars, and a small First Aid Kit (to save space and weight I put the components in a sandwich Ziploc style baggie, since I like to make my own IFAKS. The other zippered compartment where the water bladder goes has some space around it but if I were to put anything in there it would be something soft like a small microfiber towel and nothing that could potentially press against the water bladder and possibly puncture it. The water bladder, hydration bladder, or whatever one chooses to call it is very nice. The opening is large enough to put ice cubes inside the water bladder, and that large opening makes cleaning a breeze as it is easy to get inside the water bladder using the official Camelbak cleaning kit (sold separately), or whatever methods one chooses to use to clean the inside. Since I'm only using water and as long as I take the proper precautions when not using the water bladder I don't see myself having to deep clean it often. During my first cleaning (warm water, and dishwashing liquid) I didn't notice any leaks coming from the fill cap or where the hose attaches to the water bladder. The hose attachment to the water bladder is very nice and provides a secure leak proof connection while at the same time provides a quick disconnect from the water bladder when it's cleaning and/or drying time. The flow rate is very good and fast so with this Crux Reservoir and big bite valve I definitely can get hydrated fast. In conclusion since I don't own nor ever tried any of their old hydration backpack systems I can't say if this one is better but in my opinion I like this Crux Reservoir a lot and if/when I need a replacement water bladder for whatever reason I'm definitely getting a Crux.
