Military Hydration Hiking Backpack (Woodland Digital)

After owning this backpack for 5 years, I will say that the quality is insane. I ordered it on 2016 and now 2021 it has finally ripped. By the way I used it all the time.

I was shopping for a 3 liter hydration pack with a $50 budget. Here on Amazon, this is pretty much the only option. So, having no choice, this is one I ended up picking. To my surprise, this a remarkably study item. My husband has taken it out hunting on an almost daily basis for the past month, and it has served him well. Therefore, I will add a few details to what you can expect if you order this.First, the reason why this is only a four star review. When we received this, there was no opening in the end of the hose for drinking. There was a hose, with an on/off switch, and a mouthpiece at the end of it, and it appeared to be a bite valve. When I squeezed the sides of it, I could see a faint line across the bite valve where I expected an opening to be. But nothing opened. I emailed Hank's Surplus, and asked if the bite valve needed to be cut open. I thought maybe this was a way to keep the valve clean in transit. They replied, and I quote, "Make sure that the switch is in the on position." I had specifically told them that the switch was open, and that I could see water in the tube. I knew there was no blockage in the hose. So I took a paring knife from my kitchen, and very gently poked a hole through the line I could see when I squeezed the bite valve. The slit opened all the way across, and has worked flawlessly since then. I am deducting a star for a bite valve that was not cut all the way open, and sub par customer service. I doubt I am the first person who has had this problem with the bite valve, and they could have told me that.Other than that, there is a lot to love here.The insulation on this pack is excellent. The tube is fully insulated, and the back of the backpack where you slide the bladder in is fully insulated. I fill the bladder with ice and then water every morning, and when it comes home at the end of the day, the water is still cool to the touch, even on an 80-degree day, and the sleeve where the bladder goes is soaked with condensation. The water has never seeped into the main compartment of the backpack. (Be advised that I always prop the bladder sleeve open overnight to let it dry out.)I love the sleeve where the bladder goes. I have only ever purchased one other hydration pack, and it was cheaper and smaller than this one. In that one, the bladder went in the main compartment of the backpack, in a pocket. This backpack has a sleeve dedicated to holding the bladder, so that you don't need to worry about your flashlight getting all wet from condensation, or anything getting tangled in your hose. The sleeve closes with a heavy duty piece of velcro, and has openings to thread the tube out either of the two top corners, and also out the bottom of the backpack, if you want.The bladder is made of very thick material. Much thicker that I was expecting. It looks like it would hold up to some serious abuse. As a perk, when you hang it up to dry, it is stiff enough to hold itself open when hanging, so that you don't need to prop it open. The bladder has markings to tell you how much water you have in it, and the 3 L mark is just below the opening in the top. Therefore, if you lay the bladder flat and fill it all the way up to the absolute top, you have almost 3 1/2 liters of water in it. My husband has only once drunk the whole thing in a single day out in the woods. My biggest complaint about the bladder is the opening. It is quite small. I need to feed ice cubes into it only two at a time, which is quite time-consuming. There is no way to fit your hand in in for cleaning it out. For this reason, I also recommend buying One Step No - Rinse Cleanser 16 OZ here on Amazon, to keep the bladder properly cleaned out. The screw top for the bladder is fairly finicky. You have to have it lined up exactly right for it to screw on correctly. Annoying. But once it is screwed on, it has never leaked on me. Also, the bladder just barely fits into the sleeve for it. You need to fold the top down to get it to fit in. Like I said, I overfill the bladder. So this is partially my fault.There is a good amount of storage space in the backpack. There is only one main compartment. The second zipper that you see in the picture allows you to pop out the backpack another inch or two. If all you need is your lunch, it is nice to have the backpack have a lower profile on your back. If you want to add a sweatshirt, the main compartment can expand to allow that. The smaller front pocket has multiple pockets in in for holding smaller items.The straps are not as well padded as other pricier models. But there are chest straps and waist straps. It is comfortable to wear. There is a clip on one of the straps for securing the hose for the bladder, which is a really nice addition.If you want to buy a 3 L hydration pack for under $50, this is pretty much your only choice. But it turns out that is is a really good choice. I would definitely buy another one of these if I needed another one.

Exceed expectations! Sturdy, well made, perfect capacity and shape for dayhikes with plenty of storage areas -- a fantastic bargain for the price.

this reeeaaaally came in handy in the middle of that bonnaroo ecstacy binge this year!!