CamelBak M.U.L.E. Bikepacking Baggage Overview

Surprisingly, it took CamelBak this lengthy to get into bikepacking. The corporate made its auspicious begin in 1989 when future founder Michael Eidson determined to get artistic together with his hydration system for the “Hotter’N Hell 100.” The race, because it nonetheless does in the present day, coated 100 miles by the summer time warmth of Wichita Falls, Texas. He slipped an IV bag right into a tube sock, tossed it over his shoulder, and ran a hose from it to him with the help of a clothespin.

The remainder is historical past — 35 years of it — between that first occasion and CamelBak’s spring 2024 launch of its new M.U.L.E. bikepacking line. The lineup runs the gamut from streamlined commuting to bikepacking. Between the body, saddle, handlebar, and stem luggage, essentially the most spacious choices provide 26.5 L of packing quantity — a strong base for an entire bikepacking setup.

Naturally, as somebody who’s been rocking CamelBaks since Fundamental Coaching, I needed to be the primary to load it up and hit the street … and gravel, sand, and hearth entry street. I put the CamelBak M.U.L.E. bikepacking line to the check over 150 miles — from touring by northern Arizona mountains and deserts exterior Sedona to commuting by Flagstaff and downtown Chicago in winter.

Briefly: CamelBak’s first full lineup of bikepacking luggage provides an almost full bikepacking setup. Paired with a couple of cages, dry luggage, or some average panniers, a brand new bikepacker can get arrange and on the path simply. Nonetheless, the brand new M.U.L.E. line has some rising pains which may restrict it to novices and intermediates.

CamelBak M.U.L.E. Body Pack

The M.U.L.E. body pack is CamelBak’s progressive star of the present. And so far as luggage go … it’s combined.

Even on bikes with too little area on the pinnacle tube to safe a body bag in entrance, the M.U.L.E.’s quite a few attachment factors made for a reasonably easy and versatile setup. Between the 2 sizes, so long as your high tube is any sort of straight, you’ll be capable to safe it — although huge high tubes could take some fiddling.

I examined the bigger of the 2 body packs. As somebody who normally carries 4-7 L and prefers to maintain the majority of it within the triangle, a 4.5L pack is an ideal measurement for me. So, I used to be shocked to seek out that even the big pack’s Fast Stow Reservoir is capped at simply over 2 L.

The Fast Stow comes with a lockable and circulate rate-adjustable mouthpiece and a QuickLink attachment level for the hydration tube. Between a handy tube port and a hose clip that may be Velcro-strapped nearly wherever, working a tube was a breeze.

The pack’s V-shaped zippers allowed me to splay open the primary compartment — a function I want extra body packs supplied. This made utilizing the reservoir as a collapsable bottle fast and simple. The topmost zip additionally allowed entry to the again of the pack.

It’s an clever design — a hydration system that’s equal components bottle and reservoir sculpted to suit the entrance half of your body pack, a side-loading design that makes accessing it easy, and a zipper that permits you to entry different gear stowed alongside the pack’s again aspect.

Only one downside: The Quicklink didn’t completely match the entrance of the pack. The mismatched flares of the reservoir and the entrance of the pack left me with simply sufficient useless area to think about changing it with a 3L HydraPak Seeker with an adaptor and tube.

Likewise, with the reservoir crammed, there was little room to suit something into the frontmost of the primary compartment’s two mesh pockets. There’s a compartment on the opposite aspect. Nonetheless, it bumped into the identical concern. With the reservoir full, the entrance half of the pocket was already crowded.

One final concern: the zippers are shielded from water, however they had been chronically allergic to mud and sand.

General, the body pack supplied a simple and versatile setup. It balanced good water resistance with distinctive accessibility. The Fast Stow labored properly sufficient and will match the small pack higher.

The CamelBak M.U.L.E. body pack is stuffed with nice concepts, however I sometimes wished for extra and better-fitting water storage that — whether or not it occupied the entrance, backside, or high half of the body — compartmentalized gear storage extra successfully.

• Quantity: 4.5 L (3L small possibility as properly)
• Value: $150 (Small is $140)
• Hydration reservoir quantity: 2 L
• Weight: 8.5 oz. (7.7 oz. for the small)
• Predominant materials: ECOPAK EPLX400 C0 PFC-free DWR
• Weatherproofing: Waterproof
• Closure: Twin-sided zips

CamelBak M.U.L.E. Handlebar Bag

The CamelBak M.U.L.E. handlebar pack was barely odd however moderately spacious, streamlined, and simple to arrange. It was an surprising standout.

The pack’s built-in aluminum keep/spacer bar gave cables some respiration room. There are two units of straps to safe the pack to the handlebars: one Velcro and the opposite voile-style. Constructed into each the keep and the rear of the bag, the strap placement was adjustable sufficient to work round different handlebar-mounted equipment. Lastly, elastic loops on the high and backside of the pack tethered it to the stem and head tube.

When cinched down, the again material of the bag was pinched. As a substitute of a flat floor, it took on some creases that allowed a reducing board I shoved in to catch on a seam, almost tearing it. Nonetheless, for individuals who don’t really feel the necessity to deliver a santoku and reducing board into the backcountry or have the type of frequent sense to which I can solely aspire — this seemingly wouldn’t be an issue. (It simply means my campsite has higher meals.)

With the keep bar spreading the highest of the bag out and no spacer for the underside’s elastic tether, the bag angled ahead fairly a bit. Whereas this made it barely harder to entry gear whereas mounted, it made for a streamlined carry. Even loaded up with 8-10 kilos of drugs, the bag was cosy, with no undue sway.

The stiff lip of the bag and central snap made rolling it shut, even when stuffed, straightforward. Nonetheless, the outer edges of the roll high usually flared out — leaving me wishing for a strap to cinch them down. Additional straps to roll the ends flat and flush to the pack could be value the additional weight.

However, general, 12 L of area, a slim span, a rolltop closure, and abrasion-resistant ECOPAK material made a successful mixture.

• Quantity: 12 L 
• Value: $100 
• Weight: 13.4 oz.
• Predominant materials: ECOPAK EPLX400 C0 PFC-free DWR 
• Weatherproofing: IPX5-rated waterproof
• Closure system: Roll-top

CamelBak M.U.LE. Saddle Bag

And, 9 L is on the small aspect for a bikepacking saddle bag, for my part. However for the CamelBak M.U.L.E. saddle bag, it made sense. It’s so much simpler to make a 9L holsterless saddle bag with minimal tail wag and loads of tire clearance than an 11-16L pack. It additionally retains the pack in a much less aggressive worth vary.

Fortunately, the pack provides three positions for the Velcro strap that attaches it to the seat publish. With the aggressively acute angle of the seat rail straps, I discovered it greatest to fill the pack and safe these first, earlier than dialing within the seat publish strap.

Even absolutely tightened, the seat publish strap appeared keen on slowly descending. But it surely by no means got here near compromising tire clearance, even on 29-inchers. Stopping this slippage could be as straightforward as wrapping a chunk of previous inside tube across the publish.

Nonetheless, noticing some average tail wag, I discovered myself cinching down all of the pack’s straps tight sufficient to compromise a small quantity of inner area. After that, any tail wagging wasn’t noticeable.

A central snap held the bag shut whereas rolling the opening down and securing side-mounted straps. Even when stuffed, the CamelBak M.U.L.E. handlebar bag was straightforward to shut and compress. The shock twine loop that stretches and criss-crosses excessive of the pack was a pleasant contact. It prolonged the area and cordage to cinch issues on high of an in any other case small bag.

The place the pack fell a mark brief was its waterproofing and abrasion resistance. ECOPAK’s EPLX400 material is understood for each this stuff. Nonetheless, after a full day of rain, I discovered a little bit of moisture contained in the bag — barely sufficient to note, however sufficient that I’d run the pack with a liner in monsoon season. And simply after every week of bikepacking, I discovered a small gap on the underside of the pack.

Nonetheless, at $90, the value is correct. The pack’s largest competitors could be choices just like the Topeak Backloader collection and the Rockbros Waterproof Saddle Bag. If funds is the most important concern, cyclists may get extra bang for his or her buck out of Rockbros. Nonetheless, at underneath $100, the CamelBak M.U.L.E. seat pack is an effective worth.

• Quantity: 9 L
• Value: $90
• Weight: 12 oz.
• Predominant materials: ECOPAK EPLX400 C0 PFC-free DWR 
• Weatherproofing: IPX5-rated waterproof
• Closure: Roll-top 

CamelBak M.U.L.E. Bikepacking Baggage Conclusion

Over 3 a long time after the corporate was born from an ingenious method to biking hydration, CamelBak lastly gambled on a devoted bikepacking bag line that wears a few of its design challenges.

The road’s method to hydration delivered best-in-class accessibility — offered the zippers aren’t choking on mud. The reservoir/bottle hybrid sculpted to suit the pack is a stroke of brilliance. Nonetheless, imperfect match and storage that wasn’t eager to compartmentalize across the reservoir barely hampered utility.

Even at its worst, although, the CamelBak M.U.L.E. system will get fairly a bit proper.

The roll-top handlebar bag supplied far simpler entry and extra clearance for drop bars than most horizontal dry bag-style setups. In its weight class, the M.U.L.E. saddle bag delivered loads of storage and efficiency. And, for consumers involved with environmental friendliness and sturdiness, the ECOPAK recycled 400D EPLX material, with a PFC-free DWR, is a plus.

That mentioned, I’d wish to see a bundle deal when the CamelBak M.U.L.E. bikepacking line launches in March of subsequent yr. A core bikepacking setup for underneath $350 is a aggressive provide. However for a lineup certain to work greatest for cost-wise newbie and intermediate bikepackers, a cheap bundle may make the CamelBak M.U.L.E. bikepacking system a correct steal.