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CamelBak Zoid 72 oz (2.1 L)
Hydration System
Owner Review September 28, 2005
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Front
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Back
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View
of inside, exposing screw cap
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Reviewer's Information
Name: Liz Neely
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight: 145 lb (65.8 kg)
Email address: liz at armory dot com
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Reviewer's Background:
I've been day hiking for many years, and started
backpacking in 2005. My hiking and backpacking has been primarily in
the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in forested areas of partial
to full shade, on well
marked trails, with occasional stream crossings. I've been on three
weekend
backpacking trips, all in state parks in the San Francisco Bay area.
I've learned a lot about backpacking from reading books and from the
internet message board, forums.backpacker.com. My pack weight has been
in the 30 to 35 lb (13.6 to 15.9 kg) range, and I expect it to stay in
that range.
Product Information:
Manufacturer: CamelBak
Year of Manufacture: 2005
URL: http://www.camelbak.com
Listed Weight: .98 lb (.45 kg) empty; 5.67 lb (2.58 kg) full
Measured Weight: 1.18 lb (.54 kg) empty; *see note regarding weight when full
Listed Capacity: 72 oz (2.1 L)
Measured Capacity: *see note
Listed Dimensions: 15 in x 11 in x 2 in (381 mm x 280 mm x
51 mm)
Measured Dimensions: 15 in x 11 in x 3 in (381 mm x 280 mm x 76 mm)
Available Colors: Black, Olive/Grey
MSRP: $55 US
* note: I initially measured
the capacity by opening the screw cap and filling the reservoir by
holding it under a faucet (the reservoir was still in the shell.) I
believe this is the way CamelBak intended me to fill the Zoid. I filled
it until it could hold no more water without spilling back out of the
opening. This yielded a capacity of 64 oz (1.9 L). However, in an
attempt to match the Listed Capacity, I then removed the reservoir from
the shell (not something I would want to do every time I filled it) and
filled it again, also by holding it under a faucet until it could hold
no more water without spilling back out of the opening. When filled
this way (with the reservoir out of the shell), it yielded a capacity
of 74 oz (2.2 L). I believe this difference is because the reservoir
didn't expand as easily when inside the shell; the force of the water
coming in was not enough to fully expand the reservoir. When filled via
what I believe to be the intended method (reservoir in the shell), the
Measured Weight was 5.03 lb (2.28 kg).
Product Description:
The CamelBak Zoid is a hydration system designed
to be worn
backpack style, which consists of an outer shell and an inner water
reservoir.
It has a drinking tube extending out of the water reservoir to make
sipping
water easy without removing the Zoid from your back. The tube has a
cover at
the end to keep the mouthpiece clean, which flips open when you want to
drink
some water. Water is sipped out of the drinking tube by gently biting
the
mouthpiece to force the valve to open, then sucking like you would from
a
straw. The Zoid has insulation around the water reservoir as well as
around the
drinking tube, to lessen the weather’s effect on the water temperature.
The
shell has two shoulder straps with adjustable lengths, and a sternum
strap that
can be adjusted up and down as well as tightened or loosened across
my chest.
The shell also has a zipped area that allows easy access to the
reservoir
fill-hole, and a smaller zipped area that provides space for storing a
few
personal items such as car keys and a map.
Field Information:
Day hikes: I have used the
CamelBak Zoid hydration
system on
numerous day hikes in partly shady wooded areas of the central
California
coast, with temperature estimates ranging from 60 to 75 degrees F (16
to 24
C), and partly cloudy to sunny weather. The hikes have ranged from two
to seven
hours in length. I wore the Zoid backpack style, and I wore a daypack
over it
to carry my other stuff. I have worn it filled from about half full, 36
oz (1.1
L), to maximum capacity, 72 oz (2.1 L), depending on how much water I
need with
me for the particular hike.
Backpacking: I have also used
the Zoid on three
weekend
backpacking trips, also all in partly shady wooded areas of the central
California coast, with daytime temperature estimates ranging from 60 to
75
degrees F (16 to 24 C) (nighttime temperatures unknown), and sunny
weather.
On the first backpacking trip, I strapped it to the outside of my
internal
frame backpack, rather than wearing it backpack style, since I wasn’t
sure if
it would hold up to being worn backpack style under the weight of my
loaded
internal frame pack. On the second and third trips, I took the
reservoir out of
the shell, left the shell home, and put the reservoir in the hydration
pocket
of my internal frame backpack.
Other Uses: I have also used
the Zoid on several
long car
trips (over five hours) as a convenient way to have water available in
the
car. On
these trips, I put the Zoid in the backseat of the car, and had the
drinking
tube on the center console within easy reach.
Comments:
For day hiking, I
found the CamelBak Zoid holds enough water
for about six hours of hiking in mild temperatures and partial shade,
on
easy to
moderate terrain. However, water usage will vary from one person to the
next. I
found the Zoid very comfortable to wear, even when filled to capacity.
The
shoulder straps were easily adjustable to the proper length, and the
sternum
strap kept everything positioned correctly for maximum comfort. The
insulated
shell kept the water from getting too hot, however the insulation
around the
drinking tube did not keep the water in the tube from getting too hot,
so the
first few sips of water tended to be warm water. The Zoid is very easy
to fill
with water; it has a large screw cap that can be easily unscrewed and
flipped out of the way, allowing me to fill the reservoir from the
faucet without removing the reservoir from the shell. I
like to completely dry the reservoir before storage and I find this
very
difficult to do with the Zoid. The opening is large enough for me to
put my
hand in, with a paper towel, but I have not been able to get every last
bit of
water out with a paper towel. I’ve found it really needs to be removed
from the
shell and hung upside down, with paper towels put inside the reservoir
to hold
it open while it dries. This is difficult to do because it’s extremely
hard to
remove the reservoir from the shell, and it’s also hard to find a way
to hang
the reservoir upside down once it’s removed from the shell. I have not
tried
the accessory hanger, which can be purchased separately.
For backpacking, I
did not find the Zoid to be very useful.
Since I didn’t feel like I could wear it backpack style under my
internal frame
pack, it seemed like the shell was extra weight that I shouldn’t have
been
carrying. So, I took the reservoir out of the shell and left the shell
home. If
I was going on a backpacking trip that also involved day hiking, I
would
consider bringing the entire Zoid because it’s so convenient for
carrying water
on day hikes. Without the shell, the reservoir and drinking tube are
great for
backpacking, if the backpack being used has a suitable pouch for the
reservoir,
which is made of a fairly thin feeling rubber, so needs to be isolated
from
sharp objects that might puncture it.
On long car trips, the Zoid is a very convenient
way to have
water available in the car. This is not it’s intended use, so, because
it’s
laying flat in the car, rather than upright on a person’s back, when
the water
level gets low, the Zoid needs to be propped in an upright position for
the
straw to work. However, it’s still such a nice way to have water in the
car
that I will continue using it for this purpose.
Top Three Likes and Dislikes:
Three things I like about the Zoid:
- It’s
a very convenient and comfortable way to carry water for
day hiking, backpack style, with a great drinking tube for easy sipping
of
water without stopping the hike.
- It’s well insulated to keep the water from getting too
warm.
- The end of the drinking tube is firmly covered, which
keeps
the mouthpiece clean even when the tube brushes against things or is
set down
on the ground.
Three things I don’t like about the Zoid:
- The water in the drinking tube gets very warm,
making the
first couple of sips unpleasant
- It’s extremely difficult to remove the reservoir
from the
case, which, in my experience, is necessary to get it completely dry
(for storage)
- It did not come with any instructions as to the proper way to
remove and reinstall the reservoir from the shell
Read more reviews of CamelBak gear
Read more gear reviews by Liz Neely
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