TESTED: Dakine hydration

Words: Mike Blewitt                                                                            Photos: Tim Bardsley-Smith
 
Dakine’s range of bags crosses many sports and many uses, and their Session 8L backpack and Hot Laps 5L waist bag land squarely in the sort of size most of us are after for trail rides and all day epics.
 
Dakine Session 8L
 
This lightweight backpack has basic back padding and a simple but comfortable harness system. The length of the bag isn’t crazy long, and it’s not so skinny that it will roll around when filled up. The 2L Hydrapak bladder opens up completely for fast filling, cleaning and drying. While the internal baffle means less sloshing it does mean you can’t fit cans in there.

 
The bag istself has a large pocket with bright blue lining, making spotting a chain link easy. There’s a small, lined pocket on the top that can fit most sunglasses, plus an external pocket with a pump and tool divider. There are also to straps on the outside that suit attaching a jacket or some guards.
 
The straps of the big are aerated and the sternum strap has a nifty little whistle for emergencies or an impromptu bush doof. There is a very basic waist band, but it’s not the type for a bag that you let sit low on your waist, it is really just for some extra stability.

In use, this is a nice and versatile small bag. It’s not a stable as some that have more complex harness arrangements, but it sits really well, has a high quality reservoir and can swallow up more than you think.
 
RRP: $129.99
From: dakine.com
 
Hits:
–      Light, comfortable and well-made
–      Simple storage options

Misses:
–      Only a basic harness
 
 
Dakine Hotlaps 5L
 
Getting gear off your back feels like the best thing ever when it’s hot – or just when you are riding fast and loose. There’s a whole array of mountain bike bumbags (let’s not call them waist packs) out there now that cater for those who need to carry just a few essentials, to options that can cater for big days.

The Dakine Hotlaps 5L sits somewhere between the two, with a 2L Hydrapak reservoir, and capacity and dividers to neatly store tools, a spare tube, some snacks and a jacket. There are quick release straps on the outside to stash some knee pads or a larger jacket if needed, along with some webbing for attaching extras if you don’t mind the extra bulk. There’s a little mesh pocket on the waist strap – perfect for anything small you need to grab.
 
The waist strap backing is firm – which is great as it assists with stability. There’s plenty of ventilation on the back of the pack, and the buckle adjusts with the right hand – which I find preferable to a dual adjustment – although you can’t customise the offset of the buckle, it just stays on the left.

 
With a magnetic hose holder, I found this bag really easy to get along with. With 2L and a full pabg it really was at the limit of what the bag could manage in terms of comfort and stability. I tend to prefer a back mounted system for bigger loads, but compared to other waist bag options I have used this one comes out on top.

 
RRP: $99.99
From: dakine.com
 
Hits:
–      Adaptable size for short rides or long
–      Large fluid volume for pack size

Misses:
–      If you try, you can overload it