The North Face Hammerhead - First Look
First take on a brand new TNF hydration pack which uses an interesting new bladder design from Nalgene, makers of legendary water bottles. And it's a nice colour too.
Posted: 30 March 2005
by Jon
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The North Face Hammerhead Pack -
First Look
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Price:
£55.00
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Weight: 740 grammes
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Features: 12-litre
capacity dedicated hydration pack, included 3-litre capacity
Nalgene hydration system, E-VAP suspension, perforated
milded foam backpanel with air flow channels, Air mesh
shoulder harness, Sternum strap with Safe-T whistle, large
main compartment, internal organiser, external mesh pockets,
X-=bungee, daisy chain, bike light loop, reflective bits,
compression straps.
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Neat hydration system, well thought out features.
Nothing really.
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 The
Concept With The North Face being the Manchester United of
outdoor clothing and equipment, they pretty much have a finger in
every hole in the dyke, metaphorically speaking, obviously, and this
is one of a range of five new hdyration packs ranging in size from
the Bullhead with its two-litre capacity up to the Megamouth 18,
which holds 18 litres of kit along with its bladder.
The Hammerhead, with 12 litres - nine litres of which is carrying capacity - is a nice compromise between a
skinny standalone hydration pouch and a larger day-walking size.
Since most packs these days feature hydration system compatibility as
standard anyway, the TNF ones are aimed at fast movers like bikers,
runners and lightpackers who want a complete package including the
actual hydration system. But with modern equipment getting lighter
and smaller all the time, there's no reason why you shouldn't use
something like this for lightweight day walks in summer.
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Features We've never been massively impressed with previous
TNF packs, the back systems have always seemed to lag behind other
brands and overall they just didn't stand out. The Hammerhead looks
like a step forward. It's a simple pack for sure, but the company's
used perforated EVA foam in the back system for breathability and
added some neat touches like a safety whistle incorporated in the
sternum strap buckle, just like Osprey in fact.
You also get compression straps, a large-ish main compartment with
big zip access and three handy mesh stuff pcokets, one backed up with
a shock-cord cargo net.
The other main component of the package is the 3-litre BL Nalgene
hydration system. It's a completely new version and, as far as we
know, the only way to get one in the UK is to buy a TNF pack. The
bladder itself is made from a tough-feeling urethane-type plastic and
has a big, Camelbak-Omega style screw-on lid that makes it easy to
fill and clean the bladder.
The real departure though is a neat snap-on connection for the
hose which allows you to remove the bladder from the pack without
taking the hose off . It also makes for easier cleaning when needed.
We've never come across a similar system and were initially a little
suspicious of its integrity.
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 In
Action After a few weeks of use, we haven't really got anything
bad to say about the Hammerhead, it's just quietly effective. The
back system's basic, but you won't be carrying huge loads anyway and
once cinched up, the neatly curved straps and buckles hold everything
firmly in place even when moving fast over uneven ground. It's not
been warm enough for back breathability ot be a big issue, but first
signs from the non-compressible perforated EVA foam - similar to that
used by Berghaus - are promising.
There's enough capacity for most users too and the external
pockets and cargo net take care of overflow capably. The sternum
strap buckle come emergency whistle makes a nice shrill noise too. It
all feels nicely made and well put together and the burnt orange
colour of our test pack - officially Sunlight Orange - was
lovely.
We were a little dubious about the Nalgene hydration system and,
in particular, the pug in and out tube junction. It's spring loaded
so once you remove the tube, the valve seals the bladder. In practce
its been fine and particularly handy for quick refills on the hill
when you can remove the main bladder without having to re-thread the
tube through it's locating straps. So far we've had no problems
whatsoever with leakage, though the tube has self-detached under
pressure a couple of times.
The bladder seems reasonable taste taint free so far and the
thickish plastic seems good and durable. The bite valve is okay
though still doesn't flow quite as freely as as the market-leading
Camelbak version, you have to have it one way round for maximum
efficiency. We appreciated the lock-off lever on the valve, which
stops flow and prevents accidental discharge on your car seat, but
again, it's not quite as good as Camelbak's version. That can be
switched on or off with one hand, while the Nalgene version is a
two-handed operation on the move. If you're really fussy, you could
just switch the valve, though like we said, it still works reasonably
well.
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A nicely made, no-nonsense, medium capacity hydration pack with a
cunning Nalgene hydration system thrown in. Good for running and
mountain biking and the big, three-litre bladder capacity would be a
real boon for ultra-lightweight summer walking when the 12-litre
cargo capacity plus mesh pockets should easily handly a lightweight
shell, a microfleece, food and necessities.
We're still not sure how well the perforated EVA foam back panels
will work in really warm conditions, but we're cautiously optimistic
and we like the colour a lot.
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