I have hazy, nostalgic, feelgood memories of Platypus from back in the day when hydration systems seemed impossibly exotic and Platy was the new kid on the outdoors block.One Big Ice-PopPossibly the best involves one of their three-litre original

of water. The system also enables users to spray off their hands and face, clean a wound, share with a friend and hydrate a dog'.Bonita was impressed anyway, she commented: ' “The Geigerrig stood out immediately as a truly innovative and high quality

hydration packs.Our Viper 4, minus the reservoir which comes with it, weighs around 420 grammes and is a simple beast. The back system uses a flexible plate coupled with a thin layer of mesh-covered foam and the reservoir compartment is under pressure

of the whole three-strong range.There are 10, 15 and 20-litre versions of the Syncro. All light, but not ultra-light, with the vented AirSpeed back system used on the Stratos and Atmos packs, sleek, hydration pack-type styling - though reservoirs aren

A little ironically, my mountain bike kit gets more consistently hammered than my outdoors stuff, mostly because I'm forever using new test gear in the hills, whereas my biking stuff just carries on until it breaks. I've been running one of Osprey

, I think. The original Brasher boot, quite possibly another. Paramo's directional fabrics and Buffalo's pile/Pertex combination clothing maybe? Camelbak hydration systems?But mostly outdoors gear evolves, I think and the big, innovative jumps forward

, shock cord is as narrow as possible, the shoulder straps and even the removable foam back pad are made from perforated EVA to save weight.Sure, it's a minimalist back system too, with just a thin perforated pad to give a little comfort, but the rest

. And in lightweight mode, you can use a hydration system reservoir as a water source, though  you'd then need to sterilise it before using for drinking, so maybe carry a spare, specifically for contaminated water eh.Buy One, Send One To Kenya FreeThe multi-page press