Camelbak Octane

Camelbak Octane 14+

I have long been a fan of Camelbak hydration packs as they always seem well thought out and hard wearing, albeit a little on the pricey side. So as my beloved Transalp now resides at our place in Spain and my trusty Mule doesn’t have the capacity for big days out it was time to look for something new.

After much debate I ended up going for the Octane 14+, one of Camelbaks ‘multi sport’ models. One of the big attractions were the 2 zipped waist band pockets, a feature I have come to love on my Osprey hiking sack. It just makes life so easy having fast access to energy gels, compass, mobile etc.

Other features include a small zipped pocket on the back, an internal wet storage pocket, Air Director back panel, 3l bladder, and expandable storage from 14l to 23l.

The pack expands from 14 to 23l by way of a zip on the outside of the pack making it easy to compress smaller loads and make everything more stable.

The Air Director back panel supposedly allows a flow of air between you and the pack but realistically by the time you have it pulled tight to your back most rucksacks are like for like in terms of how sweaty they make you feel. It may be of some benefit but don’t expect miracles.

All in all it’s a very good pack, fairly light weight, and well thought out. It sits very well on your back and, using it on a 2 day event recently, I found it extremely comfortable, with the waistband pockets being an absolute godsend.

If there were any criticisms, and we’re nit picking here, it could maybe have done with more in the way of small organiser pockets for tools and tubes etc. And at £89.99 RRP it’s by no means cheap, though shop around on the internet and you can find them (and last years models if lucky) a bit cheaper.

Overall: Highly recommended – A great, well thought out pack that delivers the usual Camelbak quality, though it doesn’t come cheap.