Fox Outdoor Products Compact Modular Hydration Backpack

I've gotten two of these now (one for each location I ride), and I like them. They hold a lot more than some other hydration packs, but are still a rather small backpack. (Note that like many other pieces of luggage, it has an extra zipper that you need to use to let it out to its full capacity.) I stuffed it with my bike tools and a jacket and a few other odds and ends, and I could not have squeezed much more in. This is ok for a dayhike or a several-hour bike ride, not for anything longer.When I bought this pack, I did not realize that almost all tactical backpacks, and many hiking backpacks, are hydration-compatible; you just need to buy the bladder. So if you want a larger backpack, you shouldn't get yourself a hydration backpack like this one; you should get a hydration compatible pack, and you can get as big a pack as you want. This one is pretty good for a small pack.When I got my first one of these, I didn't really understand much about hydration packs. I wasn't careful enough with the hydration bladder. (Do NOT use pliers to unscrew it! The plastic is pretty soft, and mine got a leak.) I also did not realize how careful you have to be to dry it between uses. Do NOT let the water sit in it! It's not all that easy to get the whole thing completely dry. And you also have to let the tube dry out completely, or it will start to taste bad. Drying it is a pretty big hassle, so I use the hydration bladder only when I'm going on a longer ride; for shorter hikes, I leave the hydration bladder behind and take a water bottle. You can buy replacement bladders, but they aren't cheap, and it's an even bigger hassle to get another one.As a tactical backpack, this is ok, but does not have much PALS webbing. There is, for example, no PALS webbing on the side, so there's no way to attach something that you can reach without taking off the pack, unless you attach it to the waist strap. My other complaint about it is that the front compartment has only a single zipper, rather than the double zipper, which means that you always have to open it from one side, not from the top. Both of these are pretty minor complaints.

When I started looking for a lightweight, slim profile pack to use on up to five day hikes, I immediately wanted something that had a hydration carrier built in. The common misconception with backpacks like these is that they're insufficient for everything you might need to carry, and that's half true. You definitely can't carry everything you want to bring in this pack, even if you use the expansion zipper.However, the pack carries everything that's necessary given you know how to make or improvise items that you didn't take along. A word of advice for anybody who buys one of these packs, you may want to consider trying to buy the absolute lightest/smallest items while still being functional if you really want to pack this puppy full of gear. I can fit a good amount of things in here (I have a Listmania! on what I carry, check it out!)I haven't actually used the hydration carrier yet because my minimal mess kit (steel water bottle and pot) fits in this bag perfectly, and there's still plenty of room for everything else. Most people's hiking packs are enormous, and contain things like sleeping mats, sleeping bags, tons of extra clothes, food, camping stoves, etc. Much of these are not necessary. Bedding can be fashioned from nature. If you need a stove, make a dakota fire hole. I think you're getting the point.As for the quality of the bag, it's very well made. It is an imported product, but I haven't found a "MADE IN CHINA" stamped anywhere yet so that's a plus. If you like hiking off the trail like I do, your gear will get snagged on branches and thorns and the like. This bag avoids most of the snags by being smaller than your torso profile (and I'm very small to begin with), but it will not rip or tear if snagged.The straps are extremely comfortable and are secured with a cross-waist strap and a cross-chest strap, both horizontally situated. Every strap can be tightened to your liking, I like my pack to be extremely tight (but not uncomfortably so) so that it doesn't move in any which way while I'm on the move, and trust me, it doesn't. I've gone free climbing with this thing on and it didn't throw my balance off once.The MOLLE webbing on the outer compartment is a huge plus for me, because I like to tie and lash things into it. I currently throw my tomahawk into one of the outer loops and tie some nylon rope into an oval in it, both of which come in handy and are nice to not have taking up space on the inner parts of the pack. If you so desire, the molle webbing can also be used to tie a sleeping mat or bag underneath the pack if you decide to bring something of that sort, but I believe those kinds of things are wasted space and dead weight that can be made in the field.Overall, this pack can be used for a variety of things, from EDC to a bug-out bag that you keep in your car, it will suffice. It won't carry everything, but it will carry enough.