CamelBak Aventura Hydration Pack - Women's - 2009 BCS

This pack replaced her TNF Mako hydration pack, which had served her well, including light-and-fast blitzkrieg dayhikes of Mount Whitney and Half Dome.

The CamelBak hydration system is superior to the Nalgene system in the North face pack for several reasons. The CamelBak bite valve is more comfortable, flows better, and is more reliable (We were replacing the Nalgene valves on a regular basis, after they inevitably started to crack and drip). The CamelBak bladder is easier to fill, and does not leak at the bladder-to-hose connection the way the Nalgene did.

We also prefer the more comfortable shoulder straps on the Aventura, both in terms of their padding and the D-ring swivel attachment to the shoulder strap that lets them and the pack find their most comfortable angle.

Finally, the extra storage capacity of the Aventura is quite convenient for the longer dayhikes we typically do. This is just a great pack for dayhiking, with the only drawback being its weight, which is steep for any daypack...

Overall this is a great pack. It holds enough water for me to hike all day and it's designed so I barely feel it's weight. As a short woman (only 5 feet tall) every pack is too long, except this one. It ends right at the small of my back so I never feel out of balance. The only negative is the lack of built-in rain fly.

I am very happy with my pack. I used it in Yosemite and it held my 3L of H2O, food, supplies and it held two extra bottles of water in the side pockets. Great pack