“Before testing the Flume I would have probably walked right past a Hydrapak display in favor of a better known brand…but not anymore. The Flume’s well designed features made it a pleasure to use, and best of all…easier to keep clean. In fact this is the first hydration pack bladder which I don’t store in my freezer. In the future, Hydrapak is on our hydration pack A-list for sure.”
-A. David Pratilas
Read the whole review here:
“Getting Off The Bottle… One such company is Hydrapak, a free-thinking company that implores riders to “get off the bottle” with its line of more than 15 packs ranging from 30 to 100 ounces of thirst quenching capacity.
We tested the Borracho, a 100-ounce model that also serves as a full-fledged backpack. It looks stylish I black, accented by a light gray camouflage pattern and doesn’t make you look like you’re carrying a boogie board on your back.
Besides the fluid retention, there are two main storage areas that both lead to more pockets, mesh pockets on both sides and a front bungee carrier that can carry a full-face helmet. And, because if wouldn’t be cool if it didn’t let you flaunt your technology, it has a strap-mounted cell phone pocket and a “Hydratunes” cord port that allows you to carry a music player in the bag and conveniently run headphones over your shoulders and to your ears.If You Don’t Start Drinkin’ I’m Gonna Leave
Preparing yourself with an afternoon’s worth of fluid takes, well, preparation. To fill the pouch, you should disconnect it and rinse it out. Then, reattach the reservoir and fill it up. I chose three full-size bottles of Powerade. With a few folds of a crafty hook-and-loop closure, your pack is sealed and set to go.
The bite-activated hose comes with its own hook-and-loop design to keep it close to your mouth. The whole thing is a logical concept, but a little strange in execution. In fact, while getting “suited up” with the pack,I caught the attention of the small-town gas station attendant who came outside to see what was up. Nobody wants to look like a Nancyboy getting ready for an ATV ride, but the bag certainly has its merits. First of all, the reservoir is insulated. Even after hours of triple-digit temps, my drink was still cool and tasty. There’s a phalanx of straps and clips to keep everything in place and it never felt bulky. The pack’s back is made out of a contoured mesh material that never made my back sweat – well, not more than it would have anyway.
The only negative is that dust found its way inside of the bite valve. After I noticed that, I just drained some liquid to clear it before taking my next drink. Even so, it felt a little grimy. Hydrapak makes a valve cover for this, but I didn’t test it.
After the ride it’s clearly important to promptly and thoroughly clean the reservoir and tube. I can’t imagine what would happen inside of that polyurethane bag if you didn’t. No big deal. At $100, the Borracho is worth it and did its job, allowing me to cross some arid terrain camel-style.”
-Tom Kaiser
“HYDRAPAK ROOST & SCRAMBLE
THE PRODUCT: Sport packs and hands-free drink systems maker Hydrapak has a number of backpacks designed specifically for motosports. Two of Hydrapak’s newer moto drink systems are the Roost and Scramble, whicha re very similar in design, except for the capacity of the drink bladder. The Roost pack has a unique 100-ounce bladder, while the Scramble has a 70-ounce capacity. We chose the Roost for its extra capacity, which fuels longer ATV test and trail-ride sessions. Besides a unique reversible reservoir, the Roost pack has several zippered pockets for wallet, keys, spare gloves and more. Empty, the Roost weighs 1.5 pounds, and it can hold 260 cubic inches of stowed gear. The bladder compartment is insulated, and the shoulder straps are padded.
MATERIAL: An FDA-approved polyurethane bladder feeds a co-extruded, taste-free, multi-layer tube via a “plug-n-play” connector. The bladder attaches to the 5mm insulated-foam reservoir pouch with a plastic quick-release buckle. The pack is made of heavy-duty nylon material with padded shoulder pads and nylon chest and waist straps, which feature elastic cuffs to tuck away any loose ends. There’s also a moveable Velcro sleeve for attaching the drink-tube to either shoulder strap and a vented-mesh main gear compartment..
CONSTRUCTION: The polyurethane bladder has a roll-top instead of a corked-type inlet or screw-on lid, and a stiff plastic cuff and Velcro closure system secures the top to prevent leaks. Flat weld minimalizes internal seams, and the reservoir is claimed to be able to stretch to eight times its original length without failure. The Roost also comes with two easy-flow bite-valve bases–one straight and one 90-degree bend. The compartment zippers are heavy-duty, as are the pack itself and its stitching.
FINISH: Black nylon with either red or blue shoulder straps.
MANUFACTURER’S CLAIMS: “Quench your thirst with this moto-specific pack. The Roost features a 100-ounce fluid-capacity reservoir, which can be turned inside-out to clean and dry. Constructed of heavy-duty materials intended to be as tough as the treacherous trails, the Roost pack features padded shoulder straps with side-release buckles that allow the system to be mounted outside of a chest protector.”
HONORABLE MENTION: The coolest thing about Hydrapak bladders is that your can disconnect the drink-tube and turn the reservoir inside-out for cleaning and air drying. Who wants to drink moldy-tasting, bacteria-infested water? Also, Hydrapak offers an optional tube insulator that keeps the fluid colder longer.
PERFORMANCE: Chest and waist straps are removable and highly adjustable, so the Roost fits a wide variety of bodies. The strap system also distributes the weight evenly, so the shoulder straps don’t dig into your neck or shoulders. It has a pretty low profile with a full bladder, yet the pack expands to hold 4.3 liters of gear in addition to the three liters of water. We especially like the elastic bands on each strap; roll up the loose strap-ends and secure with the elastic, so you won’t snag on the pack doing a Cordova.
THE VERDICT: At $57.99, the Roost has a lot of capacity for long rides and cross-country racing and packs a lot of performance into a small backpack. The easy-clean, wide-top bladder is really convenient when it comes time to clean, but it takes quite a bit of effort and time to fill compared to other drink systems. … Hydrapak’s focus is on mountain bike and OHV drink systems, so it’s not likely to fund anti-OHV/MTB environmental groups like Camelbak.”
-Tim Tolleson