Lezyne does hydration? Oh yeah.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011 at 11:08AM 
Ever seen someone with a Lezyne hydration pack? I never had, and so when I was at Lezyne HQ in the Central Coast of sunny California, I asked why that was. Do they suck or what? Apparently it is just a product that has not been properly promoted, according to Lezyne, and the hydration packs had just been re-designed. I left with a couple of models in my arms to try out and to see if they were good, so-so, or truly sucky.
A whole bunch of rides later, here is what I found. They do not suck.
I had two models to try, the smaller being the 150 cubic inch, $59.99 Firebreak with a 2L reservoir. This is a minimalist pack suitable for race day or rides where you do not require a lot of storage. The Svelte, priced at $89.99, is the next pack up in size at 600 cubic inches of storage and a 3L reservoir. There are two models that are even bigger than the Svelte with the Adroit being the adventure ride pack at an expandable 1200 cubic inches and the huge Great Divide at 1500 cubic inches. That makes a great commuter pack, swallowing changes of clothing and laptops, so I hear.
The Firebreak:
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The Svelte:
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The packs come in a very functional color scheme...black with green contrasty sections. Black works for a pack that will get beat up and dirty. The overall construction seems quite good with nice zipper pulls that can be used with gloves on and wide shoulder straps with padding. I do not think that the final finish of the pack is quite at the level of something like an Osprey product, but that is all Osprey does...make packs...so that is not too surprising. However, the packs have weathered well so far and look like they will last.
The reservoirs have a bite valve that shuts off with a 90 degree turn and flows a lot of water. the valve is a bit big to bite on and the hose/bite valve combo is heavy compared to a typical Camelbak set-up, so unless you store the hose away, it will swing around too much as you ride. I ended up tucking both hoses into the chest strap loop and that worked great. The reservoir opening is closed by way of a zip-lock type thing and, although I was skeptical at first, it has been fine to live with, staying closed when I needed it to. You do need to pay attention to getting it REALLY closed well though or you will get wet. Ask me how I know. The opening is OK size wise and is pretty good for getting ice cubes in there, etc, but is really not big enough to get your hand in there if you want to clean it out. Bring a long handled brush for that duty. I had one bite valve on the Firebreak weep every so often, then it would stop and I never could figure out why.
Storage/organization on both packs is the highlight in my opinion. There seems to be a place for everything and tools/essentials are easily dealt with. There are no deep pockets to lose a tool down into requiring a fishing expedition. Superb!
The fit and comfort has been very good. The Svelte pack has six padded sections on the back that keep it off of your body a bit for air flow and includes an aluminum stiffener panel in the back that can be preshaped to your liking. I never felt like the Svelte moved around when I did not want it to and even fully loaded it was easy on the back. The Firebreak I have does not have a waist belt and that allows it to lift off the body during trail maneuvers. The newer versions feature a waist belt that should keep that from happening.
There is a place for a separate rain cover on the Svelte and it also has straps for helmet and body armor carry. The Firebreak also accommodates the long-ish Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HV, my favorite hand pump I have ever owned. Slick.
The Firebreak has replaced my Camelbak XLP as the Firebreak organizes better. It is minimal as far as clothing storage though, so do not expect to stuff more than a light windbreaker or some arm warmers in there. For under 2 hour rides like the typical after work blitz, it is great. The Svelte is in the running for my fav all arounder, competing with the Camelbak Charge 450. The Svelte carries bulky loads better and is the organization king but does not have that excellent external stuff-it pouch that the Charge 450 has.
Both packs have been very easy to live with and deserve to be on the backs of more riders. If you are shopping for a low key looking pack that focuses on organization and function, look at the Lezyne line of hydration packs. More details and thoughts in this video, shot at Mammoth Mtn during some product testing.
hydration pack, lezyne in product test