Mountainsmith Epic Lumbar Hydration Pack

At first, I think it is such a good lumbar, but after using for several times, I change my mind. Small capacity won't allow you to carry the basic things you want to take with you, and hydration pack is only 1L and difficult to refill

This thing is WAY over engineered, yet not well thought out. It is built strong with lots of features including a suspension system that keeps the pack off your hip to allow air flow. BUT: 1. The bladder is complicated (to open, remove, or install) 2. The bladder is tiny. I filled it and found that a before ride drink emptied it! I filled it again and emptied it to a coffee mug and it didn't even fill it twice. 3. The pack weighs 1.5lbs (empty) which would be OK if it had room for water, but that is too much weight to carry a couple of cups of water. 4. The two clips that hold the tube in place are right next to the two pockets on the hip strap and they get in the way of each other and make both harder to use than necessary.

I bought this for running hoping that it would be more stable and comfortable than the Camelback pack I was using. It's been a big disappointment. The bladder started leaking at a seam after about 10 runs. The pack has a nice suspension system and fits well but the trade off is it has very little capacity. The water bladder takes up 90% of the space in the pack. Considering the size of the pack and the suspension system the water bladder capacity is pretty small. I bought it a 1/3 retail but still would not recommend it even at that discount.

I bought this for light hiking. The pack is stable and comfortable than my previous one I used. But something happened making me disappoint. The bladder started leaking when I began to slow running. I tried it several times but same thing still happened. The pack has a nice suspension system and fits well but when water bladder fully fill it almost occupy all the space in the pack; remaining space is not enough for me to carry my belongings.

For the price it is a steal. I may use it without the water bladder...It is very well built.