CamelBak Octane XCT

rated 3.5 of 5 stars average rating
Reviewed by 1 Trailspace user

Great bag for trail running. I bought this bag for…

Rating: rated 3.5 of 5 stars
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $70

Summary

Great bag for trail running.

Pros

  • Fits well
  • Side pockets
  • Whistle
  • Waist belt and sternum strap

Cons

  • Sloshing is annoying as hell
  • Bladder hose a little long
  • Side pockets are inaccessible while wearing the pack

I bought this bag for trail runs were there aren't any water sources to refill my waist bottle (w/ Steripen Adventurer). It works well, and stays put on your back but as with any bladder, it sloshes around a lot unless its full, but who wants to carry 3L of water on their back when running a 15 mile trail run climbing 6k feet of vertical... Not me.  

It's made well and carries well on your back, but the sound of water sloshing around kinda ruins the silence and relaxing nature of a trail run, so I tend to leave it at home more than I thought I would. I've tried both burping the bladder to remove all excess air, as well as blowing as hard as I can into the bladder to attempt to pressurize it, and the sloshing is still bad.

I find stuffing a rain jacket into the compartment to kinda take up any extra space can reduce it a little, but only until you drink half the contents, then it's back to sloshing up and down as you run. 

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