My new go to hydration pack for rides under three hours is the Thule Vital 3L hydration backpack ($89.95). It comes in black and blue. It has a 1.7-liter hydration bladder, hands-free ReTrakt hose return system, sternum strap, tail light attachment, and holds up to three liters in storage with an interior zipper pocket and jersey-style pockets.
What I Liked
The fit. Thule The Vital 3L fit over my shoulders nicely. The weight of the pack sits lower on my back, which made my arms feel free to move around and handle my bike better. The waist band was snug and a little bit stretchy. I felt like the sternum strap was in the correct location and the lightweight materials that it is made from seemed to ventilate well. The pack was so comfortable that my attention was always on my riding and not on my hydration pack.
Storage. It easily fit my keys, basic first aid items, backup tube and tools in the large middle compartment. In the jersey-style pockets put things I wanted to access without taking off the pack.
Filling and Cleaning. The hydration bladder opens wide and was easy to fill, clean and close. I also like how it didn’t leak.
ReTrakt. My favorite park of the pack is the hands-free hose return system called ReTrakt. I loved how easy the hose went back into place after taking a drink. I simply let the mouth piece go out of my mouth and it would just connect with the pack and stay out of the way.
What I didn’t Like
Opening the mouth piece. It was hard for me to open the mouth piece with one hand. If I forgot to open it before my ride then I would have to stop to open it. However, it really wasn’t an issue if I remembered to open it before I began my ride.
Final Thoughts
I don’t think I can say enough about how much I like the Thule Vital 3L hydration pack. I really like how it fits, the storage, how easy it is to fill and clean and most of all the ReTrakt hands-free hose return system.
