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Owner Review – GoLite Beat Hydration Pack
March 26, 2006
Tester Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Email address: c4jc@hotmail.com
City, State, Country: Snoqualmie, Washington, U.S.
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping and backpacking for about 17 years. My introduction to the outdoors started with the BSA and has continued as an adult. I have hiked mostly in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States. I am generally a lightweight hiker, but will carry extras to keep me comfortable. Most of my hiking and backpacking takes place in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, but I can be found exploring the other wild areas of Washington!
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Product Information:
Manufacturer: GoLite
Model: Beat Hydration Pack
Size: One size available – 390 cu in/6.5 L
Color: Night, also available in Denim, Sun, Moss
Year of Manufacture: 2003
URL: www.GoLite.com
Listed weight: 18 oz/ 510 g
Measured weight: 13 oz/ 369 g; measured without the hydration bladder
**Disclaimer: The closest my scale will measure is in whole ounces.**
Fabric Content: Arrowhead Cordura® ripstop nylon
MSRP: $70 U.S.
Product Description:
This is a small, light hydration pack that also has pockets and bungees to carry gear. It has a small nylon hip belt that has two small pockets in the side, padded shoulder straps, sternum strap, a small upper pocket with key clip, a daisy link, hydration tube port, reflective strip, reflective logo, air mesh back and a bungee cord. There is no framesheet or any type of support. A two liter hydration bladder and drinking system is included with the pack. GoLite says it is good for up to 20 pounds.
Summary:
This is my “everything” pack. I use it for ultra marathon races, day hikes that don’t require an excessive amount of gear, and as a peak bagging pack. I have used it for almost 2.5 years and it shows no signs of wear or damage. I have only a couple of minor negative comments, the straps are hard to adjust and the hydration port is too small to fit a bite valve through.
Field Information:
I have used this pack on numerous trips; including a 40 mile trail run across the Dolly Sods in West Virginia, the Belmont Endurance Race in the George Washington National Forest in VA, numerous day hikes in Maryland, Virginia, Utah, and Washington State. It has seen elevations from sea level to 9026’ (2762 m). It has been used in all precipitation situations and temperatures have ranged from below freezing to 90 F (32 C).
Review:
This is a great little pack. When I was looking for a hydration pack, I had several criteria that I wanted it to meet: lightweight, multifunctional, durable, and stylish. The GoLite Beat pack meets all of these criteria.
The lightweight aspect of the pack speaks for itself.
As I noted in my field experience, this pack has definitely been a multifunctional pack. The large main body will accommodate various types of gear. For example, most of my ultra marathons start early in the morning so I may be wearing a long sleeve shirt and gloves, but once I get going those items are not necessary. The large main body will easily accommodate a shirt and gloves in addition to the hydration bladder. The hip belt pockets will hold energy gels, small candy bars, and medicines. I would keep my other snacks and keys in the small external pocket. When I am day hiking, I can put my lunch, extra water if needed, guidebook, maps and headlamp in the main body, and I keep smaller snacks, keys, and my camera in the small external pocket. I also use the bungee to hold a rain jacket or heavier shirt like my Ibex Shak Hoody.
Over the past several years, I have done my best to abuse this pack and it continues to stand up to everything I throw at it. It is routinely tossed to the ground during rest stops and when in camp, and shoved into my pack when used as a peak bagging pack. Through this all there are no scuffs, loose threads, or tears. All the buckles are still in perfect shape as are all of the zippers.
I like the simple design of the pack and think it is very stylish and has simple smooth lines.
Nothing is perfect including this pack. The straps are very difficult to adjust. At first I thought this was because it was new. However, after much use and several years they are just as hard to adjust. There is nothing different about the buckles from other packs so far as I can tell. They are just really stiff. My second nit pick is the hydration port. It is too small to fit the bite valve (I use a Platypus Hoser) through the hole. This means that I have to disassemble the bite valve and gator clip to slide the hose through the port. This is a pain in the rear when I am trying to refill my hydration bladder. I work around this by bringing the hose out through the main body zipper and then under my arm and hook it on my shoulder strap. This has been a good workaround for me and I have not had any problems with the zipper opening and letting stuff fall out.
Another area that I want to talk about is the air mesh back. It is supposed to help keep me cool while wearing the pack. I don't find this feature effective, because it is generally soaked after all but a winter hike. It is comfortable and does not bother me, but it will soak up sweat. I am also careful not to lay the pack air mesh side down. There are tiny holes (the mesh) which will pick up things like pine needles. I have on more than one occasion dropped the pack in needles and been stabbed in the back when I put the pack back on. I now lay the pack main body down.
PROs
Lightweight
Multifunctional
Durable
CONs
Stiff, hard to adjust straps
Small hydration port
Read more reviews of GoLite gear
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