Purchased over six years ago in the Army, my HAWG has been all over and is still in great shape. I now work in the oilfield, drilling rig to be exact, and I couldn't imagine one day without it. Seriously one of the best buys ever!

A really great pack. I bought the military model, which comes with an insulation sleeve and has a larger gear section, making this a terrific day pack for hiking and skiing. Good tight fit with waist and sternum straps; I'm thinking about trying to add abackpack-like belt. Rugged and functional product

Customer Service

I was disappointed with a lackadaisical about insulation for an older Camelbak.

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Platypus

I do mostly climbing, adventure racing and mtn biking. This is the ultimate in light weight and amount of availible space. Can hold 2 100oz reservoirs and enough gear for long days out. I wouldnt trade it for anything. For shorter days, the compression straps will let your size it down to whatever size fits the outting, holds food, gears, clothes, whatever. Its great. The comment about the waist strap being unpadded, the pack was made for mountain bikers such as myself with the long ride in mind, not much weight is placed on the waist when your riding. At any rate the strap there does a great job, the pack wasnt meant to be a hard core day pack or overnighter. There are several larger models for such activities that camelbak offers.

Customer Service

Put in an order for another 100oz res. came within a week. good service

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Random low-end packs. water bottles.

Outstanding product! I used it for a four day trip on the Inca Trail as a daypack. (There were porters for tents and so on.) Between the 3L water capacity and the ample, but not so much that you will overload it and hurt yourself, storage, I could not have been happier. It easily carried my flece and shell when the temperature rose, but compressed down well to hold only water and snacks at altitude. As for the waist straps being meager, they are, but for a bag that pretty much maxes out at 12 lbs and is designed to keep you moving, that is ideal. If I had to deal with thicker waist straps not only would there have been more weight, but it would have hampered my motion on the trail.

I’ve had my Camelbak HAWG for over five years and I just purchased my wife a HAWG earlier this year. I’m a little jealous of her newer model. It’s pretty nice. In either case the HAWG has been a terrific hydration pack. I have had no problems whatsoever. One of the previous reviewer complained that the waist belt isn’t weight bearing, but it’s not suppose to be. This model of Camelbak was made primarily for biking, and if your waist strap were load bearing it would make biking very difficult. If you’re looking for a pack that is versatile enough to support you from biking to snowboarding, this is it. If you just want a daypack for hiking, look into some other Camelbak models that better suit your activities

Customer Service

never needed

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Platypus (sp)

Great pack. Just big enough to carry what you need on a day hike (but not too big to prevent you from overpacking ;-) Also used roadbiking and it's not too big either. Lots of little pockets to put stuff into, like: 2 FRS radios, space blanket, first aid kit, knee support, extra shirt/socks. If you carry a spare jacket for those chilier hikes, you have to strap it to the pack, but there are straps on the outside for it. I have a 2001 pack. Wish they switched to the Omega mouth reservoirs sooner (2002)-: Lots more comfortable than EMS packs.

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EMS day pack

Frankly, I am a bit dissapointed in the HAWG. The bladder is great, carries a lot of water, and the HAWG has room to carry quite a bit of "stuff". Therein lies the problem. I bought this pack as a long long day hike pack. Camelbak missed the boat on the waist belt. It has a this no pad belt. When carrying the amount of water and load the HAWG has room for, it puts a strain on the shoulders and waist. Make the waist belt padded and wider, a perfect blend. So, still searching for that perfect day pack.

None

None

This is a great pack. It fits everything I need for a long hike/bike including my SLR camera and a first-aid kit. Buying a smaller pack forces you to cut back what you bring which means a lighter load and a faster/funner pace.

Customer Service

Haven''t used

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Just day packs with Platypus water systems. This is far better!

I purchased two '00 HAWGs from MVP for $90 apiece and have used them primarily for distance inline-skating. They're really comfortable and hold a good amount of skating gear and a lot of water. Although I skate in very hot weather, I haven't noticed the sweat problem the other reviewer described, so the new material may have fixed that problem.

Customer Service

Had the same problem with both HAWGs - the stiches on the shoulder strap gave out. I called MVP and they sent me two more and a box with return postage paid to send back the defective ones in. I haven't had any problems with the replacements so it may have been an isolated thing.

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None

This pack has been very good to me. It is one of the older models. I've had it for quite a while now. I use it for just about everything; biking, trail running, day hiking, kayaking, etc. It carries 100 oz of fluids, usually enough to get you to another refilling point. It also have sufficient cargo space. A very good design, well placed cinching straps. The only downside that I can really think of is that it does get a little heavy once it gets wet. The material against your back can really soak up the water. With that aside, it really gets the job done. I have seen that the new HAWG has a different material on the backpanel. From what it looks like, I think it may fix the problem. The new design looks great. Enjoy all.

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Camelbak Lobo, Salomon Raid Bottle Holder