“The Big Sur was designed to carry a full day’s worth of loot while maintaining back hugging performance. And with its lightly padded 2.5 inch wide countered shoulder straps, flexible back panel and narrow overall profile, the Big Sur delivered, as once the pack was synched in place, it stayed put, regardless of whether I was blasting through rock gardens or toiling away on steep grades.The Big Sur is also equipped with the sort of features I usually scoff at, but soon found myself appreciating. The accessory pocket has a number of small mesh dividers that help to keep dropables organized, a bungee cord does a fine job of holding down a rain jacket, and three discreetly placed mesh pockets further help to sort out the load. Thankfully, the pack’s main compartment is just that, a big hole to dump all your stuff into, while the bladder resides in its own sleeve.

What about that bladder? The Big Sur comes fitted with a 100-fl.oz. (3 liter) water bladder with an overlapping Velcro closure system that was easy to use and leak proof. Plus, it can be turned inside out to facilitate drying and amply hose is supplied for your trimming convenience.

Another unique Hydrapak feature is their plug-n-play hose to balder quick release connection. This simple and leak proof junction allows you to detach the hose and leave it on the pack while you pull out the bladder for refilling. Disconnecting the two also speeds up drying time.

Overall, the Hydrapak Big Sur impressed with its utilitarian and useful features, excellent fit and high tech bladder and hose. For all long (or short) fat tired riding, the Big Sur makes a fine choice.”

See article here

MountainFlyer.com

“Bite valves are a personal preference and some are at 90degrees for a more comfortable route to the mouth and others have lock-off switches to prevent leakage when in transit. Most don’t have a way of preventing the bite valve swinging around, although the HydraPak range now have a bite valve port to put pay to that annoyance…”

See full article here.

SheCycles.com

Hydrapak Tortuga – A well protected hydration pack.

The Hydrapak Tortuga is a streamlined, multi-functional daypack, designed for people on the go. This hydration pack seems to be pretty popular with skiers and snowboarders. Its sleek design makes it fairly unobtrusive and the outer shell does well to protect gear on the inside.

The outside of the Hydrapak Tortuga is made up of a molded EVA shell. This shell does a decent job at cushioning the blow of those unexpected spills. Inside of the Hydrapak Tortuga you’ll find several internal organizational pockets, including one for your MP3 player.

A nifty feature on the Hydrapak Tortuga is the fact that the drink tube is actually in a sleeve on the shoulder strap. Typically the drinking tube clips on to the shoulder strap. But, if your skiing or biking downhill, the last thing you want is to snag on your drinking tube!

Here are some more fun cats about the Hydrapak Tortuga:

• Hydratunes cord port and Gizmo gear pocket for mp3 player and helmet light
• Shoulder strap mounted cell phone pocket
• Integrated Shoulder strap covers and insulates drink tube and allows easy access to bite valve
• Padded shoulder straps, adjustable sternum strap and removable waist strap
• Compression straps and carrying loops under pack for shin guards or other protective equipment
• Full feature Reversible Reservoir drink system with Plug-N-Play valve

See article here

TravelGearBlog.com

“Hydrapak Tortuga

Info: The Tortuga is Hydrapak’s multi-use pack that features an EVA foam shell for added protection. It comes with a 70-ounce bladder, removable and insulated drink tube, and has 430 cubic inches of storage. Internally, the pack has organized pouches, including a key holder, pump straps, and even a hidden zippered pocket on the shoulder strap. The pack also has a mobile phone pocket and a soft pouch for an MP3 player with HydraTunes headphones port (that also works well for routing helmet lights). The Tortuga is a medium-sized pack with excellent back padding that is comfortable even when fully loaded.”

“Backpack hydration systems made many put down the bottle. Hydrapak made makes an array of packs in a variety of sizes, including the minimalist $45 Scramble and the larger Air Scoop AS Cargo. Both feature locking bite valves, sternum and waist straps and insulated bladder compartments. And the wide mouth, roll top bladders are a breeze to clean.”

-Brad Quartuccio

Dirt Rag Magazine