The Cyclist has, in our calloused little hands, a plethora of Camelbak products for 2010.  We begin with the Octane XCT+ and the XLP, both hydration packs belonging to the 'traveling fast and packing less' mode of H2O transport.  First we hear from Guitar Ted and his thoughts on the Octane XCT+ and then we go to Grannygear and some words about the XLP.

From Guitar Ted: 

The hydration pack market doesn’t lack for choices. So, if you are going to do a pack, it better be good and the “best in class” for years has been Camelbak. In fact, the brand stands a chance of becoming another one of those brands whose name becomes ubiquitous with the genre’. “Let me stop and grab something outta my camelback.”, might be something you’ve heard uttered on a ride, regardless of what brand hydration pack the rider is wearing.

I got the chance to try out an Octane XCT+ pack by Camelbak recently. My experiences with hydration packs have been with bigger models designed to carry more stuff, so when the Octane XCT+ arrived, I was a bit taken back by the minimalist design. It certainly is a lightweight pack, and barely feels “there” when you put it on empty.

Speaking of putting it on, I was also a bit surprised that I had to let out nearly all of the strap lengths on the entire pack to get it to fit me. Now, I am a pretty good sized fella at 6’1” and 240lbs, but I certainly am not the biggest guy around. Not to mention the fact that my other packs fit fine with plenty of adjustment left over. Okay, so I see that “big” and “tall” may not be the Octane XCT’s forte’. Especially if one wants to wear the Octane XCT+ over a jacket or layers of clothing.

The pack was fitted to me, none the less, and I filled the hydration bladder with water. The 70 oz / 2 L OMEGA™ HydroTanium™ Reservoir is super easy to fill with the wide screw top. The odd thing about the placement of the top- on the side of the bladder- makes filling the entire bladder with a full compliment of water a bit tough though. Especially if the bladder is inside the pack and you really do not want to spill any liquid outside the pack. I’ve run into this with a 100 oz. version of this bladder in another pack, so be advised if you are planning out a specific hydration strategy for remote areas. It also may be of concern when racing longer events, as fiddling with filling out every nook and cranny of the bladder will probably not be an option here. Other than these nits, the bladder works fantastically well and carries a Lifetime Warranty from Camelbak. A nice feature. It is also pretty easy to clean out if you use sports drinks and supplements in your hydration strategy.

The “wing pockets” that wrap around from the back in line with the waist strap are really the coolest feature of this pack. Sure, you have a small zippered pocket on the upper part of the pack on the back, and it can hold a spare tube, tire lever, and CO2 inflator. But the mesh pockets on the sides are what “makes” this pack, in my opinion. These pockets can hold a cell phone and maybe a energy bar or two on one side and a point and shoot camera and a small item or two on the other. You can easily access the contents of these “wing pockets” on the fly, and this is what I found very nice. I should also mention that there is a small “bungee” retention strap system on the lower back of  the pack which could hold a shed layer or two if need be.

The pack rode well, and the Camelbak bite valve is…..well, there really isn’t any better out there. Good stuff and everyone knows it. The thing I keep coming back to is the light weight of the pack and the wing pockets. These two things are the most impressive things in my mind about the Octane XCT+. I used the wing pockets a lot while testing other gear and for wild life photos since my point and shoot was right at hand. I didn’t have to peel off the pack to grab the camera, or do any dangerous mid-ride gymnastics trying to pull it out of a jersey pocket stuffed with other items. The lightweight thing is pretty much by default, since you are limited in what you can bring. 70 oz. of water and a few odds and ends. It isn’t much. And I wouldn’t shy away from using the Octane XCT+ on really long rides if there were re-supply points or some aid stations to supplement you. If you are leaving civilization behind on a wilderness trek though, you may want to consider a different pack!

Conclusions: The Camelbak XCT+ is a great choice for shorter rides, training loops, or for anyone that is into minimalist packs. The tried and true Camelbak bladder, hose, and bite valve are best in class, and the pack construction seems to be up to repeated use. Bonus feature: The “wing pockets” are the thing that sold me on the Octane XCT+. Without them, this pack rates a “ho-hum” on the gearhead scale. With them, it makes this hydration pack an extremely convenient and useful one. 

From Grannygear:

I spent some quality time with another lightweight pack from Camelbak.  The XLP is a pretty minimalist pack made from lightweight materials and aimed at the 'less is more' crowd.  I have a confession to make. I am a recovering packrat.  Up until recently, I always rode with a pretty big pack, an older MULE from Camelbak, and even that was not enough capacity some of the time.  Basically, I came from a riding attitude that required that you carry a lot of stuff to be ready for most issues that may arise.  Clothing options, food, etc.  Heck, back in the early days, my riding buddy rode with an army pack and a sleeping bag when he solo'ed for a long ride.

So, it was hard for me to slim down my pack and carry less.  But, I saw the light after purchasing an older version of the Octane XC and using it since late 2008.  I really, really, really like that pack and I came to use it for quickie rides and even some 3 hour stuff if I supplemented my water payload with a bottle or two.

The XLP is even smaller and lighter than the Octane I own (not like GT's review...that is a new model).  For comparison, the 2009 Octane XC weighs 673 grams, the 2010 MULE I am reviewing later on weighs 1203 grams, and the feathery XLP weighs a scant 529 grams.  It carries 70oz of water, has a marsupial pouch and a small zipped section for odds and sends like cO2 cartridges and multitools, and is made of a light weight sailcloth type of material.  It is a short bodied pack and rides a bit high between the shoulders, although there is plenty of adjustment with the straps.

I found it to be a very well thought out pack with some exceptions that I will mention later, but it carried the essentials, had some room for a vest or arm/leg warmers, etc, in the external stretch pouch (not much more than that though) and was comfy to wear.

What would I change?  Well, on one ride, near the end I noticed something poking me between the shoulder blades.  Thinking something had shifted in the pack, I took it off and discovered it was the fill mouth of the reservoir that was pressing against me.  I could not feel it until the reservoir collapsed as it emptied, then there was little to cushion it.  I would like to see a small bit of foam between the inner wall of the pack and my back for this reason and I will probably slide some bubble wrap or something in there.

As well, I had the devil of a time getting a 16oz quickfill cartridge in and out of the little loops in the tool area of the pouch.  With gloves on, in poor conditions in a race panic...AACK!  Also, you can see that (yellow arrows) the cartridges are nearly taller than the protective pad sewn into the pack.  I think it would eventually wear through the material there.  Perhaps a bit more pad here would be wise.  You can push them lower, but then it really is hard to get them out of the loops.  Another improvement would be to extend the zipper so that the pack un-zips juuust a bit more to allow for easier access to the fill mouth of the reservoir (again...yellow arrows in the pic).  Other than that, I like it and I will use it for race events or shorter rides where I do not need to allow for a lot of clothing changes, etc.