Review: Camelbak Volt 13 LR
The CamelBak Volt 13 LR hydration pack is extremely comfortable, light and conformable, and features their new 100 oz Antidote lumbar reservoir, which resides at the bottom of the pack. The lumbar (LR) design places the water low on the hips and back for stability and comfort, and it conforms to the shape and oddities of your body for a great fit.
The Volt 13 LR weighs 700 grams (pack and reservoir), and has softly padded back, hip, and shoulders, and is constructed with their Ultra-light materials, using a combination of ripstop and stretchy nylon. The wraparound body uses their LV back panel, and Ultra-light 3-D Mesh Independent Suspension with Slider Sternum Strap. It has a 10 liter storage capacity with excellent organizational pockets, and comes in two colors, Pirate Black/Graphite and Brick/Dove, and retails for $125.
Features
The upper portion of the pack has a long and narrow zippered main compartment, which opens in clam shell style for easy access. It has three meshed organizational pockets, one large and two smaller ones, and the larger one has a Velcro closure tab. On the front is a smaller zippered compartment, with two meshed pockets and a key clip. Between the front and main compartments is a storage sleeve with stretchy side panels that expands to accommodate bulkier items, including apparel and armor. All the pockets and compartments combine together to give 600 cu in or 10L of storage space, although the middle sleeve adds quite a bit of additional volume. It has two upper compression straps for cinching down the load, and helmet strap hooks located on either side for attaching your helmet for carrying.
The padded hip belt uses 1-inch webbing with a front clip, and has zippered cargo pockets on each side. In addition, the pack is equipped with lumbar compression straps (orange pull tabs), which draws the bottom of the pack into the back as the reservoir’s water volume decreases, keeping things stabilized, with the weight in tight to the body. The 100 oz. or 3L Antidote reservoir with the Quick Link connector, sits in a zippered pouch at the lower back, slightly wrapping backwards around the hips.
Antidote Lumbar Reservoir
The new larger 100 oz/3 liter Antidote lumbar reservoir has a trapezoidal shape and sits down low on the back instead of the traditional vertical layout along the spine. The bite valve worked quite nicely, and was easy to draw, and didn’t leak. The screw cap for the fill port takes only a quarter turn to open or close, and it does not get stuck and require brute force to open. Just line up the arrow on the cap with the circle icon ‘O’ (with arrows pointing in tightening direction), and turn it a quarter turn clockwise until it lines up with the solid circle icon by the top hanging hook. It only takes a light touch to close the cap, and its water tight and snug.
The fill port has a wider diameter hole for easier filling, cleaning and drying, and has a handle which hooks onto the drop slot of the packs zippered pouch, helping to keep it stable and secure, and makes it handier to hold onto the reservoir. They added an auto shutoff quick disconnect, named the Quick Link, which allows you to disconnect the reservoir from the drink hose, which facilitates cleaning, filling and drying.
The post Review: Camelbak Volt 13 LR appeared first on Mountain Bike Review.