Camelbak Octane Xct 2011

saddlepunk · 2011-05-30, 08:42 AM

I rode for four hours yesterday with my new Camelbak Octane. I had a Camelbak Mule some years ago when I rode with two wheels and found it very useful, but it was big and bulky.

I don't have the best balance as yet so I was very concerned that any hydration pack I bought would have to be as unobtrusive as possible - i.e not throw me off balance or put weight high up on my back. I got very close to buying the standard bottles in a waist belt, but in the end opted for this Octane XCT.

The Octane is designed with runners in mind rather than b*kers so it's very low profile and doesn't move around at all when you're wearing it. It has very limited storeage capacity, but was extremely comfortable, carried 3L of water, 2 mini snickers bars and my allen key set without a problem. It rained throughout my ride but the snickers remained perfectly dry.

I was very pleased with the Camelbak, hardly noticed I was wearing it and didn't feel that carrying 3 kilos of water harmed my unicycle balance at all. There is another version of this pack called the Octane LR which stands for Lumbar Reservoir where the water is stored in lower down in the pack around your lumbar region rather than up your spine as a further aid to stability while running. The LR version is quite a bit more expensive and having experienced no stability issues with the XCT I doubt whether it's worth the extra.

In summary I highly recommend the Camelbak Octane XCT 2011, it's not cheap at around £55 ($80) but it's very well made, well designed and unicycle friendly.

Feisty · 2012-02-09, 09:34 PM

Nice! I have a LOBO camelbak which has a bit more storage (not very much more at all) that I will get a new bladder for as my old one is well past it! You certainly get hotter on one wheel over two lol

Although very much a noob I don't find weight on my back makes any difference to my riding I often go to the shops and put my shopping in my back pack or take a change of clothes/shoes to work.

markonewheel · 2012-06-21, 07:32 AM

Source Hydration is what I've been using for the past couple of years. I switched from Camelback because I noticed a plastic water taste. Source Hydration is made in Israel and they are bpa free and military grade. So, you know that these bladders will not have any plastic taste. Look on youtube for reviews and videos.

http://sourceoutdoor.com/15-hydration-packs

2011-05-30, 08:42 AM	#1
saddlepunk trying to redress the imbalance Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Ammanford, Wales, UK Age: 49 Posts: 129	Camelbak Octane Xct 2011 I rode for four hours yesterday with my new Camelbak Octane. I had a Camelbak Mule some years ago when I rode with two wheels and found it very useful, but it was big and bulky. I don't have the best balance as yet so I was very concerned that any hydration pack I bought would have to be as unobtrusive as possible - i.e not throw me off balance or put weight high up on my back. I got very close to buying the standard bottles in a waist belt, but in the end opted for this Octane XCT. The Octane is designed with runners in mind rather than b*kers so it's very low profile and doesn't move around at all when you're wearing it. It has very limited storeage capacity, but was extremely comfortable, carried 3L of water, 2 mini snickers bars and my allen key set without a problem. It rained throughout my ride but the snickers remained perfectly dry. I was very pleased with the Camelbak, hardly noticed I was wearing it and didn't feel that carrying 3 kilos of water harmed my unicycle balance at all. There is another version of this pack called the Octane LR which stands for Lumbar Reservoir where the water is stored in lower down in the pack around your lumbar region rather than up your spine as a further aid to stability while running. The LR version is quite a bit more expensive and having experienced no stability issues with the XCT I doubt whether it's worth the extra. In summary I highly recommend the Camelbak Octane XCT 2011, it's not cheap at around £55 ($80) but it's very well made, well designed and unicycle friendly. Attached Images

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2012-02-09, 09:34 PM	#2
Feisty Registered User Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Worthing, England Unicycle 1: KH20 LN Sold Unicycle 2: KH24 (HS33) Sold Unicycle 3: 24 Impact Gravity Unicycle 4: KH26 (Disc) rebuilt Unicycle 5: KH29 (Disc) Unicycle 6: Triton 36 (Disc) Age: 34 Posts: 827	Nice! I have a LOBO camelbak which has a bit more storage (not very much more at all) that I will get a new bladder for as my old one is well past it! You certainly get hotter on one wheel over two lol Although very much a noob I don't find weight on my back makes any difference to my riding I often go to the shops and put my shopping in my back pack or take a change of clothes/shoes to work.

2012-06-21, 07:32 AM	#3
markonewheel Registered User Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 23	Source Hydration is what I've been using for the past couple of years. I switched from Camelback because I noticed a plastic water taste. Source Hydration is made in Israel and they are bpa free and military grade. So, you know that these bladders will not have any plastic taste. Look on youtube for reviews and videos. http://sourceoutdoor.com/15-hydration-packs

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