User Review: The North Face Men's Enduro Boa

A good looking lightweight fit for purpose hydration running / adventure pack (with built in whistle and useful side pockets and a magnet to hold the hydration hose in place rather than flapping around and occasionally slapping you in the face) made by The North Face and is then it is ruined by the incorporation of a "Source" 1.5 litre water bladder.

As a North Face 100 invitation runner to their upcoming event in Singapore I was given a 30 percent discount coupon for their products - I decided to try out their Enduro Boa hydration pack . . . big mistake . . . the "Source" bladder seam ruptured on the first training run I did with it and that was the end of the water source and the training run.

Finding the manufacturers of Source is near impossible . . . thus any attempt to uphold the warrantee is as useless as the product its self.

I wrote last year on the INOV8 products which use Source bladders where that too had burst (at the base water valve) so in short - if you by a product with a Source component then "Caveat Emptor" (let the buyer beware) as you don’t want to be too far away from your next water stop with this product.

If you do buy this product and you trust in your water supply - your best bet is to fit it with a Platypus bladder and hose (keep the clip on/off magnet off the Source product. I have run 4 x 250 km "Racing The Planet" events with Platypus bladders and never have I had a problem.

Hope this is of help.

Alex Harkess (Jakarta, Indonesia 2010.)