I must admit to being rather skeptical about the benefits of a Camelbak, two sets of bottle mounts on a bike, no problem. Then I got a new bike, with a very small frame, and no space to easily carry bottles on it. It's at this point, the word Camelbak crept into my mind.
The Rogue is much the same as any other Camelbak in that it has a large blue reservoir with a tube waving somewhere near your mouth, carrying as two litres. This also keeps your drink pleasantly cool for a long time and has none of the plasticky taste that I'd expected.
In addition to the large insulated reservoir pocket at the back of the Rogue, there are two other pockets on the front, one with a zip for storing smaller items, and a larger mesh pocket on the bottom for storing the essentials, like tools and food.
Heading out on the trails with the Camelbak, at first you feel self concious, believing that every passing walker is staring at you (they are), and feel cautious about snagging the Camelbak on a tree. This turns out not to be the case, and you soon get used to it, forgetting about it until you need to take a sip.
Another pleasant thing about the Camelbak is the way that the mouthpiece isn't affected by mud thrown up from your front wheel in the same way that bottles are.
Now the only problem is how to clean the thing. Camelbak sell a reservoir dryer, specially designed to allow air to get into every corner of the wet bladder. Without the dryer, the bladder can take days to dry.
UPDATE - TWO YEARS ON
I've had my Camelbak for over two years now, and it's still going strong.
Occasionally the drinking tube has become contaminated with black sludge, but this is easily cleaned out using the optional cleaning brush set (£10). Drying the reservoir is a problem that has been eliminated by just leaving it full of water after every ride and changing it for fresh water before leaving the house again.
The only real gripe that I've had with the Rogue is that on longer rides, I find myself cursing it's storage capacity. Not too long after buying it I had an inkling that I may run into problems, but recent trips have shown me just how little it can carry. Heading out into the wilderness for a day the Rogue will not carry food and extra clothing, although it is high enough to carry a bum back underneath it for a bit more storage space.
On the whole though, I'm still impressed with my 'bak, so impressed that I've just gone and spent money on a larger model. Expect a review in a few months!
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