Who remembers the original black ThermalBak neoprene sleeve with two thin webbing shoulder straps? CamelBak is responsible for bringing us that awesome first hydration pack. Many still refer to their hydration packs as a “camelback” despite being made by a entirely different company. They’re the Kleenex of the hydration world. I’ve used other “hydration packs” for brief stints, yet I always come back to CamelBak.
As riding styles, preferences and and gear that we like to bring along change, so do the packs. The latest evolution CamelBak Skyline is part of their lowrider collection that’s designed to lower the center of gravity by carrying the bulk of the weight around your hips with a bladder that sits very low in the pack as well as most of its contents.
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Price: $130 | Capacity: 100oz bladder, 7 liter storage | Weight: 2lbs 30z (without bladder)
Likes: I love how everything has its place and neatly fits into the pack. The included tool wrap is awesome for organizing all the smaller items. The pack isn’t as large as the Mule that I recently retired, but everything seems to fit into this pack with much better organization than the Mule. The chore of digging all contents of the Mule out to find the one thing that I needed was common practice. On steep descents the Mule would also ride up on the back. The Skyline does not have this problem.
There is also a very large soft storage pocket accessed by zipper on the top of the pack to carry glasses or phone. There is no problem fitting even an iPhone 6 Plus in this pocket.
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The easy access of hip belt storage is a feature that I grew to love with my previous Charge pack. You can keep things that you frequently need access to here without taking the pack off. I keep a couple gels or energy food on the right storage pocket that has elastic to secure the closure. On the left I usually keep my keys and a tool since there is a more secure zipper closure.
Dislikes: The bladder is a little cumbersome when in a hurry to zip back up in the pack. Sometimes , I think I need a third hand for this task. When in a rush to zip the bladder up in the pack, I’ve kinked the hose and had to stop early in my ride to unzip the bladder and adjust.
The waist and shorter belt adjustments don’t seem stay in place. I’m constantly fighting to keep things tight. I’m thinking of sewing some velcro on to some of the straps to help prevent this.
Overall: The CamelBak Skyline is a great pack that adds some very nice features to previous generation packs. There isn’t another pack I would choose over this one at the current time. The Skyline is incredibly well-organized, comfortable and doesn’t ride up when going down steeps or while in the air. Together we plan to have some great days on the trail.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
