Arctos Epic 14.4 Lumbar Hydration Pack

Reviewing mountain biking products for 25 years, has changed the way I evaluate and choose civilian products for myself. It's made both pickier and more open-minded and willing to challenge my beliefs and tendencies. I have very little tolerance for poor design and attention to detail and even less for sloppy construction and execution. This has spilled over into every area where I am a consumer, from kitchenware to furniture or vehicles. I pore over consumer and professional reviews looking for patterns and, when possible, inspect things pretty closely before laying down my cash.

The process is different at work. When I'm testing gear, the product has either just been released or will be launched soon, so checking out what other people think isn't an option. I may not even see an image before it arrives. I also avoid looking at reviews when I'm writing about the gadget du jour to prevent other opinions from influencing mine.

The open-mindedness comes from being wrong many times. I was both a luddite and a curmudgeon before NSMB began and I was very resistant to change. I owned one full suspension bike before the year 2000 and it was also my first experience with disc brakes. If I didn't already have it, I was pretty sure I didn't need it or want it. The most embarrassing gaffe was my first exposure to a dropper post with the Gravity Dropper. "Why the hell would I need that" I reasoned, without much actual reasoning. I had a quick release and a telescopic post (a Titec Scoper) and we always stopped at the top of the winch before we plummeting anyway. Time has not been kind to that evaluation.

When I'm assessing test gear I want to know if it's useful, durable and functional, without downsides like bulk, weight and cost, but that's not where it ends in reality.

The discerning factor about which I might be a little sheepish, and one that you probably wouldn't guess if you've ever seen me on a bike, is whether or not it looks cool. Like it or not, we are all slaves to aesthetics to some degree. In fact, some of us signal how cool we are by trying not to look cool, which was how normcore began. For hairless apes, we are strangely complicated.

We may buy a car that's ugly but functional, but most of us, if we have the choice, would prefer a fine looking automobile. And the same goes for our bikes, helmets clothes and shoes. It's clear I'm less fussy about my riding partners.

I'm not saying I put a lot of thought into what jersey I'm pairing with the pants of the day. That's more of a pragmatic choice based on weather and laundry. I do however choose individual items, at least in part, by looking through my late-middled-aged mountain biker's aesthetic lens. Which leads me to this pack.

How Did We Get Here

Timing was fortuitous. I was trying to figure out how to carry water on the Santa Cruz Vala I have been testing, because the Bosch PowerMore booster battery was appropriating the bottle mounts. You are likely going to need more water if you plan to drain 850Wh worth of battery. I was done with backpacks trying to climb over my helmet and pass me on steep descents, and bum bags with lots of water are even worse, so I was at a loss. Water balloons in my pockets? An in tube reservoir somewhere on the bike? A water carrying follow drone?

As I was scratching my head, I received an email from Ken Kienow, the founder of Arctos Packs, a new pack company banking on the idea that the same pack should be versatile enough for short or long rides, and that it should be comfortable for either as well, even when fully packed.

What is a "Lumbar Hydration Pack?"

We don't test all the gear that gets offered to us for many reasons; we may not have the right tester for a given widget, we may not think it's of interest to our readers, and sometimes nobody wants to test the thing in question. Had it not been for an urgent need on my part, I have the feeling that nobody would have put their hand up for this one; the Arctos Lumbar Hydration Pack. It turns out, a lumbar hydro pack is both a fanny pack* and a back pack. Or maybe a bum bag with straps. Or maybe it's a backpack with a lumbar strap and a low slung cargo area, and it may just be the best of both worlds. Whatever it's called, it looks to me like a Koala is hugging my ass when I'm wearing it,

*Just don't call it that in the U.K.

The Epic 14.4 Lumbar Hydration Pack

The pack has straps that come together on your back like a cross and a wide strap at the waist. There is a lot of excess length in the waist webbing, which I will eventually trim, so there should be enough for larger riders. The straps are well-vented and comfortable and they don't move around at all. The waist strap is wide and doesn't pinch or grab.

Storage and Construction

The pockets are a little interesting. The side pockets aren't after thoughts, with each one having enough space for a light jacket and a pair of gloves, likely with room left over. These items can be accessed without removing the pack.

The largest pocket is shared with the hydration bladder and it has an oversized YKK zipper that runs 3/4 of the way around the pack for easy access. There is a sleeve to keep the bladder in place but I'd prefer to have the bladder in its own dedicated compartment particularly because this is where your largest items will be stored. There is a large, fleece-lined pocket for eyewear or a phone and another large pocket with top access for tools and clothing or anything else you might have. The tricky thing about this pocket is the small zipper opening at the top. It's a little awkward getting things in and out as a result. I did manage to put a very large pump in there though so I guess it's not too bad. Next time I'll put it in the hydration compartment. All in all they are good for an impressive 14.4 litres of capacity.

Everything feels very well made and is covered by the Arctos' Canadian-sounding "True North Guarantee", which states; "Our gear is made with the superuser in mind - the 'ride every day and put it away dirty and sweaty' type. However, if you damage your Arctos Packs product or it's defective, we will repair or replace it free of charge, forever - no fine print."

On the Trail

After trying the pack on the first time, it took very little time to adjust the straps so everything was comfortable. Once everything was loaded and cinched I discovered that, unlike either a backpack or a bum bag, the combo of straps meant I didn't need to reef on any of the straps. Pulling them until they were firm kept everything in place. This is actually what Arctos recommends as well; "The goal here is to get all of the weight on your hips and off your shoulders and back. When you're standing, the shoulder straps should be loose enough that you can lift them off your shoulders a couple inches."

I didn't have too much gear to carry in the beginning. I packed a few tools to fix a flat, a multi-tool and about 600ml of water. packed like this, I would forget I was wearing a pack, until it was time to take a sip from the hose. It never gets in my way at all. I have since loaded it up a little more for a couple of cold night rides and it has continued to shine, staying securely in place and remaining entirely unobtrusive, except for the people who aren't wearing it.

It turns out this idea isn't entirely new. On a recent ride my friend Geoff Boeda showed up with Camelbak's version of the Arctos Epic; the Skyline. His was an old one but it's basically a hip pack with straps like this is, and he loves it. He was stoked to find a replacement bladder recently in the $5 bin at Obsession Bikes so he can keep using it.

FEATURES (as outlined by Arctos)

• 14 liters of total storage, 4 liter hydration capacity.
• Low-profile lumbar design keeps the weight on your hips (and off your shoulders) and doesn't hit the back of your helmet while riding steep terrain or jumps.
• Industry-largest side pockets for easy one-handed access to ride essentials (phone, food, multi-tool, etc.) without removing the pack.
• Dual-purpose waist cinch secures the pack to your body and compresses pack contents for bounce-free descents.
• 3/4-zip large main compartment with separate area for hydration bladder makes stuffing oversize loads into the bottom of the pack easier.
• Top-zip secondary compartment for tool storage with divider.  Large enough for high capacity MTB pumps and tubes.
• Low, wide, easy-fill hydration reservoir with quick-disconnect and large threaded opening makes for easy cleaning, adding ice, etc.
• Oversized, durable YKK zippers and 210D nylon construction meant to handle all the dirt, sweat, sun and neglect you can throw at it.  Made in a top-shelf factory that also makes outdoor gear for first responders.
• 1.5" wide waist strap for less pressure on your stomach.
• Soft, protected, tech pocket for fragile/small items.
• Velcro webbing keepers to minimize flappy excess material.

In the End

I had become so annoyed by the choice between bum bag and backpack for bigger rides I'd begun strapping things in goofy places on my bike instead. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't and I was at a loss about what to do when I need to pack a larger amount of gear for some rides. It feels great to now have a solution that works well for short or long rides, which was something I had entirely given up on. If, like me, you have a hard time finding a pat that is comfortable and doesn't compromise your riding performance, this might be the ticket.

It feels almost miraculous to now have access to a pack that is so comfortable, even when loaded with a reasonable amount of gear, that I forget I'm wearing it. Nobody around is likely to forget, because of the way it looks, but to my eyes, when I'm in the saddle looking at the trail ahead, it looks just fine. I love this pack.

The Arctos Epic 4.4 is available now for 175 USD. A smaller model, the Epic 10.3 will be available soon.