Camelbak Suggestions?

I'm in the market for my first Camelbak, but there are too many to choose from! Trying to find one that's light, performs well in hot and cold weather, costs less than $50, and earns at least marginal style points. I have my eye on the Zoid, but can't seem to find any independent reviews. Anyone have any experience with this model, or else have another to suggest?

Thanks in advance!

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I use the Army model of the Mule for caving. It is one tough bag.

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Quote:

I use the Army model of the Mule for caving. It is one tough bag.

The drain holes are great, aren't they?

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Yes they are but one must remember to have a liner or everything in ziplocks if there is a chance of you swimming with it.

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I own too many Camelbaks for my own good, and can say that they are IMO the best bladders and hydration packs out there. That being said, Camelbak knows they are the leader, if not the inventor of these types packs and their prices show it. $50 for a camelbak is on the cheaper side and will not afford you much more than one pocket and the bladder. If this is what you're going for the Zoid will work perfect, but you can get much more from other companies at the same price but the quality will be less. The Mule as others have suggested is probably their best, and well worth its $85 price tag. I own and still use one of the first Mules, it shows wear but absolutely none of the seams or stitching has come undone after nearly 9 years of hiking and hardcore mountain biking with numerous crashes :) If I were you I would spend a few mores bucks and get a more spacious Camelbak, you'll thank yourself later.

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I would go for the MULE. It's light weight, tough, has decent storage space and comes in 5 different colors and best of all? You can get it for only $60 from campmore.com
I own one and I know that it will stay with me for a long time. If you require a much larger pack, something that would be good for a full day of hiking and even a one nighter, I would look at Camelbak Alpine Explorer. You can get last year's model for $70 at http://www.rei.com/outlet I was able to score the newest model for the same price from mpgear.com but they're out of stock at the moment.
Hope this helps you out.

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sorry, that should be campmor.com
Also, should they be sold out, you can get it for $64 from backcountry.com

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I HIGHLY recommend the HAWG, or at least the old version I have, it is tough, and has enough room for any day hike, I am not too up to date on them, so I don't have experience with the newer version, but its a good pack, and its always good to have the 3L capacity, even if you don't use it all the time, and I know its kinda above your budget, but if you can find an older model (like I did) new, its great
I myself am kinda weirded out by buying a used one, but if its cheap enough, you can always buy a new mouthpiece and or cleaning kit

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Hey thanks for all your input, guys! Greatly appreciated. The bigger packs like the MULE and the HAWG are pretty enticing, but I neglected to mention that my primary intention is to run with the damn thing! I ended up getting the Zoid on ebay for about $30 and it's just about perfect. I've a strong feeling it won't be my last. These things are great.

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