Reviews > Hydration Systems > Packs > Hydrapak Streamline > Test Report by Chad E. Fike

HYDRAPAK STREAMLINE
TEST SERIES BY CHAD EMERSON FIKE
INITIAL REPORT
March 12, 2008

TESTER INFORMATION

I have gone camping, usually very close to home, since my teens but only started seriously backpacking around age 30. I do mostly weekend trips and often take dayhikes. My backpacking experience has been mostly in West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia, including parts of the Appalachian Trail. Each trip has been a learning experience about techniques and equipment. I try to balance weight, durability, and cost with my gear choices.

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

photo from www.hydrapak.com

March 12, 2008
Manufacturer: Hydrapak
Year of Manufacture: 2008
Manufacturer's Website: www.hydrapak.com
MSRP: US $52.99
Listed Weight: 15 oz (.43 kg)
Listed Gear Storage: 160 cu in (2.6 L)
Measured Pack Weight: 16.3 oz (462 g)
Measured Reservoir Weight: 5.2 oz (147 g)
Listed Reservoir Capacity: 70 oz (2 L)
"Lifetime guarantee against leaks on Reversible Reservoir
and two-year warranty against defects on backpack."

DESCRIPTION & INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

The Hydrapak Streamline arrived with a hangtag describing the item as "A high-performance pack with a surprising amount of gear storage". The Reversible Reservoir II is advertised as "Smarter. Cleaner. More reliable. Our reservoir outperforms screw-top systems".

When laid flat, the blue, grey and black pack measures roughly 14 in (36 cm) long and 8 in (20 cm) wide. There are two zippered pockets on the pack. The lower outside pocket measures roughly 6 in (15 cm) tall, 5 in (13 cm) wide and about 2 in (5 cm) deep. Inside this dual-zippered pocket is a section of daisy chain webbing, a hook for keys and two small interior pockets. On the outside of this pocket is a grey pouch with a hook and loop closure. A small semicircle of black material provides a tag to pull the pouch open. An energy bar fits inside this pouch, but since there is no zipper or any other way to close the pouch completely, I would not feel comfortable placing smaller or more valuable items inside. The upper pocket is located on the front flap. The single zipper access to this asymmetrically shaped pocket is about 7 in (18 cm) wide. The inside is fleece lined, apparently intended to protect an MP3

TUBE ATTACHMENT

player with the headphones able to exit through a small rubber portal marked "Hydratunes". The stylized "H" symbol on this pocket is reflective. The front flap attaches to the main pack body with two quick release buckles. The webbing on the buckles is not adjustable but does attach to the pack with elastic fabric. Lifting the top flap allows access to a large mesh interior storage pocket and the heavily padded reservoir pouch. Portals allow the drinking tube to exit over either shoulder, and a quick release buckle is provided for hanging the reservoir inside the pouch. The hangtag claims the "Air-mesh back panel creates air flow between back and pack". The grey "air-mesh" sections are heavily padded sections running parallel to and along each side of the spine. The center area of the back panel is unpadded, thereby creating a channel between the pads. The shoulder straps are padded with the same grey "air-mesh" material. Each shoulder strap has two elastic straps the drink tube can be run through. Another unique method of securing the tube is also provided. A hook and loop covered piece of material wraps around the shoulder strap webbing while a similar piece wraps around the drink tube. The two pieces of hook and loop materials can then attach to one another and hold the tube in place (see TUBE ATTACHMENT photo). The pack also features a sternum strap and removable waist belt. The waist belt is made of 1 in (2.5 cm) wide unpadded webbing and, like the sternum strap, attaches with a quick release buckle. Overall the pack seems well made with extra stitching in high-stress areas, but upon close inspection I do notice many loose threads. It does not appear that any stitching is coming undone, rather the thread is just hanging loose at the end of the stitch. If these loose ends had been clipped it would give the pack a higher quality appearance.

BITE VALVE

The Reversible Reservoir II system has several features that I find unique. Rather than the screw-top systems I have exclusively used prior to this test, this reservoir actually has a fold down flap that is sealed with a sliding piece of plastic. The drink tube is removable and connects to the bottom of the reservoir via an angled push-button drink tube connection. The push-button feature is similar to the system I have seen on some water filter connectors. The opposite end of the tube features a "soft, high-flow bite valve with one handed lock-out" called the "EasyFlo valve". Pulling the end of this valve opens it while sliding it back shuts the valve off. The reservoir material feels rather thin and pliable but is advertised as being "super-strong". The material is flexible enough that it can actually be turned inside out. The clear reservoir has markings printed on the outside to indicate the level of fluid ounces or liters of liquid inside. The reservoir also has a quick release buckle for hanging inside the top of the reservoir pouch and a small plastic hook to attach inside other style packs. I have described some of these features in more detail in the "Reading the Instructions" section.

TUBE CONNECTION

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

There are no instructions related to the pack itself, but there are several associated with the hydration reservoir. Directions and illustrations are conveniently printed on the reservoir regarding removing the drink tube, turning the reservoir inside out and filling with liquid. The following instructions are provided for removing the drink tube (see photo): "To remove, press button and pull apart. To reinsert, simply push back into place". I found the connector to be somewhat difficult to remove. When the button on the connector is pressed, a section of the button on the opposite side of the connector protrudes slightly. There is not much room to grip the angled hose connector without my finger or hand interfering with the protruding piece of the button. Reinstalling the connector also seemed to require quite a bit of force. The instructions for filling the reservoir are: "Squeeze the mouth to create a wide mouth, easy to fill opening." The reservoir opens easily, but since the mouth is about 6.5 in (16.5 cm) wide, I must open my hand about as far as I can to grip the mouth. To turn the bag inside out, the following steps are provided: "1. Open reservoir by squeezing the sides near the top opening; 2. Reach inside, grab bottom of reservoir, and pull back through opening (like reversing a sock); 3. Pull reservoir material through opening until fully reversed. (Don't worry - it's strong, flexible and won't rip". It was harder than reversing a sock and took a bit of negotiating to get the reservoir inside out, but it seems like a great feature for reaching those hard to clean spots or drying out the inside of the reservoir.

HALF CLOSED

OPEN RESERVOIR

The reservoir opens by first sliding the blue plastic keeper off of the mouth of the reservoir. The plastic keeper is slid halfway off in the "HALF CLOSED" photo. Once it is all the way off, the top 1 in (2.5 cm) or so of the mouth of the reservoir (composed of a stiffer, yet still flexible, material) can be unfolded as shown in the "OPEN RESERVOIR" photo. This operation is similar to unfolding the opening of a dry sack except the flap only folds one time. When the mouth is opened, instructions can be seen printed on the reservoir for resealing the reservoir. The user is instructed to "#1 Fold Towards You and #2 Slide to Seal" with a corresponding arrow showing the direction to slide the blue plastic keeper.

TRYING IT OUT

I have not used the Streamline in the field yet but I did adjust the shoulder and waist straps and was able to get a comfortable fit. I also cleaned and filled the hydration reservoir. The pack does not offer a great deal of storage room. With the full reservoir inside, I was able to fit a long sleeve synthetic shirt inside the mesh storage pocket under the top flap. Removing the shirt, I was able to stuff my lightweight Marmot Precip rain jacket inside, but it was a tight fit. The storage seems better fit for small, lightweight items. Although the sliding top of the reservoir does not really look like it should be leak proof, I squeezed the full reservoir rather forcibly and spotted no leaks. I found no leaks around the drink tube when it was disconnected or when I reconnected it. The bite valve had no leaks in the closed position and allowed water to flow freely when open. I did not notice any aftertaste after drinking a few mouthfuls of water.

SUMMARY

Overall the Hydrapak Streamline seems well made, but there are many loose ends of thread. The pack does not have a large capacity of storage. During my initial fitting I found the pack to fit comfortably. The Reversible Reservoir II has some unique features that appear to make it easy to use and clean, but the drink tube disconnect is rather hard to operate.

This concludes my Initial Report on the Hydrapak Streamline. The Field Report will be amended onto this report in two months time and will include field testing data. Please check back then for further information on the Streamline.

Thanks to Hydrapak and BackpackGearTest.Org for the opportunity to test this product.

Reviews > Hydration Systems > Packs > Hydrapak Streamline > Test Report by Chad E. Fike