Gear

Well, it sounds kewl but is it as good as a lowe alpine flywheel and the like, the rush air still sounds better. Has anyone tested any of these, if so, which one would you say is the best for long distance mountain biking and the like.

Jon... does the Hydro 30 take a three litre camel bak bladder?

Ben, it would appear that we were both reading the same article at the same time...

It does sound good and cool, and all singing and dancing, BUT it does cost £60, a put off to anyone of limited finances.

I'm in the market for a nice relatively cheap summer day sack (30l) that can take a platty...anyone know of a good one?

I don't have one to hand, but I'd be astonished if it didn't, the compartment measures 50cm by 26cm, which is pretty big.

A camelbak 3 litre jobbie is, according to them: Dimensions: 9 in x 7 in x 19 in (229 mm x 178 mm x 483 mm).

So I would say yes, it should fit.

Haven't used a Flywheel yet. It's a lot lighter than the Hydro if the lowe specs are right though. Contour Event and Contour Runner are both good sacs though, and I'd expect the Flywheel to be in there too.

Alex, take a look at some of the smaller Vango packs. I get confused with them, but I'm pretty sure they were going over to hydration pockets throughout the range. Or the low Contours, though they're not 'that' cheap, they are decent value.

Flywheel is looking the more likely, i saw a vango in erm, millets other day but they only do white (not good for mountain biking)and it looked a wee bit small. (30ltr)
Role on F and T sale.

BTW, does anyone own/use a Sprayway shell type windproof gilet. the one like the outdoor design windproof with the seams cut off. If so, whats the showerproof rating on them, can it stand up to light summer showers?

the Microlite Vest is the one i was rabiting on about

If it's the same as the Microlite top then it's nothing special in terms of water resistance. Certainly not in the same bracket as the Patagonia or MHW ones.

The microlight top will take a bit of drizzle alright, but not a huge ammount more than that. A very brief summer shower should be okay though! I like em, I bought it for using on the bike, but suspect it will be heading into the hills with me over the summer as well!

I am still trying to decide what daysack to go for myself - this hydro 30 looks interesting though.

I bought one as a xmas pressie for somebody and jon's right that it's nothing special in terms of water resistance. But then again I can't quite see the point of a waterproof gilet/vest. As to windproofness the recipient of the pressie (a runner) says it's very good. Personally I've never run that fast. :-)

I have one of the Microlight tops and it's possibly the best buy I've made!

£30...Windproof, and stands up to a good stiff shower.

It can get a bit whiffy, when I've been running in it, but some NikWax spray did the trick after washing, and indeed improved the water"proofness" (well resistance).

I tend to live in mine...I wear it for running and for walking the dog. Stick a tee-shirt and a 100 polartec fleece under and it's well toasty in there!

Looks like my next buy then. Good value at £30 for cheap skates like me who resent paying $50/60/70 for fox, cannondale and the like. not long until new job and more dosh :)

They are really good - although I agree with it getting niffy! I will have to try some of that treatment spray though - ta for the idea!!!

The tiny packsize and big zip make it superb for mountain biking, so why buy an expensive cycling specific one!

Hmmmm, this is slightly odd. I bought my Hydro 30 at F&T Slough in March last year! However I have never seen it ANYWHERE else since then and it seems you have only just got your hands on it? I have reviewed it (see produc review section!), but here are my more up to date thoughts. Capacity is not as good as say Salomon 300 due to the body hugging shape, however this gives it superb stability whatever you are carrying. Jon is right about the back length it is a bit odd, but I find it ok, and people with a thick neck may find the straps too close together. The belt pockets are good, but anoyingly need two hands to close them. Also the two small top pockets cannot be used when the main sac is full up and are too hard to get anything out of when wearing the sac. Also I have noticed that the extremely comfortable back material is ripping at the bottom, and at this rate it will soon need reparing. However the rest of the pack is typically Karrimor bombproof construction, but this does make it a bit heavy. The mesh pockets are good but a bit tricky to get things out of on the move, and the bungees are very good, really strong and stretchy. And yes it does take a full 3l Camelbak, and the elastic that keeps the tube in place work really well. I got mine for £45 so it was a good buy, especially if you don't want to buy both a large and small capacity sac. I have used this sac running, hiking and mtbing and I have found it very good despite my whinings above! However I do worry about the strenght of the material used on the back of the sac.

Jon, can we have a flywheel test soon please by any chance.

On the microlight jacket, never used one but i almost live in my helly hanson cyclone windproof. Its very lightweight and altough cut short at the front for bike use is excelent for walking/running etc. waterproof enough to keepout most showers etc. Great for slinging onto a camel bak for summer use

Anyone around york will find these at the mountain shop within Mcarthur glen outlet stores(they may well have them at the other MC-Glen complexes round the country).
for about £35, they also ahve the hydro 15 pack, which I can thoroughly recommend for cycling for £28.

plus the karrimor marathon pack (I think its the replacement for the kimm - with hydration pouch on one side) for about the same price as well.

Bargains a gogo!

Also an outlet with karrimor/mountain warehouse outlet, The north face, Helly Hanson etc nr Ellesmere Port just outside Chester

Ben, will try to get a Flywheel asap. Just back from a couple of days with the Karrimor crew in N Wales - yeah, life is hell sometimes - and they say that the Hydro 20 sells better for them than the 30, mainly because it's relatively expensive at 60 quid.

I'd agree with most of Jonathan's comments above too. We've had the sac for a while and used it a fair bit, but it's in the nature of site and mag tests that it's hard to get a realistic idea of wear resistance. Which is why we have a forum and a review system as well as site reviews.

Jon

Any progress on the ability to update your own gear tests?

The whole review section is in stage two of its development and I think that's one of the features that ought to be added. Should come along any time in the next few weeks, so watch this space...

By the way, does anyone know what the two little bungee-cord loops are on the side of the Hydro 30?