Applied Vitals

My activities have recently outgrown my first hydration pack, the minimalist Camelbak Classic.  As one of my best designed pieces of gear, the Camelbak brand held a lot of weight in my decision when buying a new pack.

The Camelbak Classic hydration pack is little more than the material required to contain the 70 oz. water bladder.  There is a bungee compression cord on the back and one small pocket, large enough to hold a pair of keys, I.D. and phone. Of course the advantages are a light weight, stream-lined pack that is great for short to mid-length runs and rides. For me, this small hydration pack is also the right size for adventure race training , allowing me to toss it in a 10 liter dry bag along with my shoes to tow during swims.

Camelbak hydration packs - Classic (left) and Helena (right)

The 10 to 12 hour adventure race that I have next month will require that I carry more gear, prompting me to select a hydration pack with more capacity.  I’ll need to pack a rain shell, bike repair tools, first aid kit, knife, rope, food and–of course–water. With a very strong affinity to Camelbak, I went straight to their lineup of larger packs to begin my search.

After spending time online to look at all the possible hydration pack selections, I went to a local store to try them on and figure out what works for me.  Half Moon Outfitters in Mt. Pleasant, SC, had a pretty broad selection with at least a dozen different Camelbak models.  Of these, 6 were in the large capacity category. I filled each hydration pack with sand bags, used to test the weight distribution and fit of backpacks, and wore them around for a while testing range of motion and comfort. (Check out REI’s article on How to Choose a Hydration Pack)

Camelbak hydration pack strap connection

I was surprised to find the best fitting hydration pack for me, my build and my needs was Camelbak’s Helena model, a unit being marketed to women. I like that it rides fairly high on my back, leaving my torso mobile.  I also found the actuated connection points for the shoulder straps to be significantly more comfortable than the sewed on straps of other models—perhaps this change represents an enhancement from 2009 to 2010 models. Additionally, the hipbelt on this model was narrower than the male models and suited me better.

Other features of the Camelbak Helena are 1,300 cubic inches of storage, 100 fl. oz. water bladder, a bike helmet pouch, tool organizer inner pocket and plenty of attachment points to tie down gear.

05/26/2010 update

I’ve been using the Helana for adventure racing and training for about three and half months now and have some more feedback…

There’s so much that I like about the pack that’s it’s difficult to come back with negative feedback.  But the following features are worth mentioning since they would influence my future purchase decisions.

• Multiple Pockets: It turns out (perhaps obvious) that the increased compartmentalization with multiple pockets adds material to the pack.  When training it really is nice to keep everything tidy.  But when racing, in and out of rain and rivers, the increased fabric traps a tremendous amount of water and weight.
• Pocket Openings: The two primary pockets on the Helena have a limited circumference, making it difficult to get into them.  Because they’re fairly deep, it’s tough to sort and retrieve items that are at the bottom.
• Pocket size: Again regarding the compartmentalization, in a race scenario it would be easier to have one large pocket to stuff items into (clothes, zip-lock bags of food, head lamp, etc) than having to neatly position them within two smaller pockets.
• Hipbelt pockets: This may be the number one differentiator between a hydration pack and an adventure racing pack.  You would think that over 24-30 of racing, you would have sufficient time to stop and get things out of your pack.  Not the case.  That the Helena doesn’t have single pocket that you can access with it on your back makes it a poor choice for racing.

So my final verdict is – I love this pack.  It’s perfect for hiking, adventure training, heading to the beach and bouncing around town.  But it’s not my choice for adventure racing.

However, given a limited budget—where I need to purchase one tool for everything, and that I train pretty much every day but race only a couple days every several months—the Helena continues to be a solid all-in-one option.  If you plan on having specialty packs, this is not an adventure racing hydration pack.