Another addition to my pack, the
CamelBak ArmorBak hydration system & carrier. Not much to review here, its a water bladder with a cordura carrier that attaches to any pack or vest that uses the
MOLLE /
PALS attachment system.
The ArmorBak carrier is made of tough Cordura and is lined with insulating foam to insulate the water bladder. The ArmorBak carrier attaches via 4 fastex buckles to a backpack or load bearing vest, and cinches down snug. The bladder itself, the venerable
Low Profile OMEGA Water-Beast holds 3 Liters of water, and has a wide mouth fill lid for rapid filling and easy adding of ice cubes. These bladders are tough and hold up to a lot of abuse when hiking or in a military or tactical field. A drinking tube with CamelBaks famous
BIG BITE valve and
HYDROLINK BITE VALVE COVER come standard with the kit.
PHOTOS HERE: CAMELBAK ARMORBAK (including a photo of the ArmorBak attached to my pack exterior)
POSITIVES: - 3 liters of cold water on demand, constant quick hydration, bombproof carrier and bladder construction, multi attachment points for attaching to backpack. Makes a fine pillow at night.
NEGATIVES: - None
My unbiased and uncensored review: As with all of CamelBaks hydration bladders and carriers, the ArmorBak is Good To Go. It just works and is reliable, period. NO negatives here. I have used the ArmorBak for about six months now, both at work and in the mountains of BC Canada. When you fill it with chilled water and add ice cubes, you can expect about a good 10+ hours of icy cold water, DEPENDING of course on how rapidly you consume the 3 liters of water. Even when I was hiking in
LYTTON BC Canada, where temps in some of the rock canyons can get to a blistering 40 - 45 Degrees Celsius, with heat radiating off the rockfaces and ground around you, and the sun beating down from above, I still enjoyed ice cold hydration all day. (I carried two ArmorBaks with me, for a total of 6 liters of fluids).
I give the CamelBak ArmorBak a BUSH LAB rating of 10/10
