CamelBak M.U.L.E. Hydration Pack - 520cu in - 2009 BCS

What a great bit of kit! This pack is just the trick for a three hour hike. It carries three litres which is important for our hot summers over here and enough room for a rain coat and a small amount of food for the hike. Also an extra pocket for your keys, phone and wallet.

This is the largest of my hydration packs. A 100 oz bladder and 600 cubic inches of storage for long, unsupported runs. Very comfortable and no bouncing even when completely full. There's plenty of room to food, gels, a headlamp, medical kit, multi-tool, a light jacket, and the kitchen sink! You can never have too many hydration packs, can you?

I use this camelbak for every hike I go on. I liked it so much I ended up getting my wife the same one. This is perfect for long day hikes, but it is also a great companion on longer backpacking trips.

It is a little bulky to throw into a backpack for extended trips, but it is an invaluable piece of gear once you have a multi-day base camp set up and you are doing long day hikes without your full pack. This little guy has plenty of storage options to take everything you need for a long day hike. I can easily fit food, a light jacket, compass, map, knife, water treatment, first aid kit, head lamp, knife, and an emergency bivy.

The open mesh pocket between the two zipped areas is great for larger awkward shaped objects like a collapsible fishing pool. I often have a carabeaner on the outside to attach things like a travel bottle of suncscreen.

I can't emphasize how useful this has been on my dayhikes. It helps me stay hydrated and prepared, but has enough straps so that I can secure it to my body so I can hike, run, and climb like its not even there.

I've used a Classic CamelBak for the last few years because I didn't want too much bulk on my back.
After a month of rainy days here in the Wasatch and not being able to stuff a light raincoat I went for the M.U.L.E, and have been _very_ happy with it. It comes with a waist strap, but I haven't needed it, as the pack feels secure - and most importantly - not too bulky.

I agree with Laura though, about the zippers. Within a week the two tabs have broken off, requiring me to tie a bit of cordelette onto them. It's not a big deal, but that's why I gave this pack a 4 instead of a 5.

Love this pack! Is great for epic mountain bike rides. Plenty of room for extra clothing, tools, tubes, parts, and a sherpa. I like how Camelbak changed the bladder access to the back so it just comes out instead of wrestling it out, and stuffing it in.

I bought an '09 MULE at the end of last summer on sale to replace my favorite hydration pack (an older MULE, maybe '03 model). I could not be more dissapointed. After a number of rides last fall, and again this spring, I just couldn't get the pack to sit comfortably on my back. I never had this problem with my old one. After a lot of fiddling with the straps, placement of spare tubes, etc. I think I figured out the problem. The new zippered bladder access (instead of the old slide-in bladder) is made wrong. By adding the zipper to the top and one side only, the pack is not symmetrical (the zipper is larger than the stitching on the other side). So my pack is ALWAYS slightly shifted when the bladder is full. (It also seems to me that the bladder is slightly too big for the compartment, which makes it hard to center).
I went to REI and checked out the 2010s, and it seems the problem is still there. I'm replacing my MULE with a new Osprey Raptor...what a waste of money.

This is truly the perfect hydration pack. I use it if on longer cycling trips when I'll need more then the bottles on my bike. I use it cross country skiing. I use it for day hikes. It works perfectly becuase its large enough that you can carry all the essentials (water, snacks, extra cloths, etc) but not too big that you cant still be plenty active with it on. I highly suggest it if you are in the market...

Excellent pack for day hikes

I have owned one of these for years! The improvements that have been made over the years are awesome. I love the Ipod pocket. It is ridiculously easy to put your bladder into it. Just unzip the back and put it in. You don't have to fill up the bladder then try and squeeze it into a little sleeve in the back of the pack like the older models.

Described as a mountain biker's hydration system on the CamelBak site, Backcountry properly describes it as both for biking and hiking. Being a huge MULE fan for years, this model is no exception. First, it has more space (not a lot, but some), and it comes in a range of colors, even cheesy colors and colors you would not wear during hunting season. The strapping system is also more advanced, so you don't end up with all this nylon fluttering about. It is, in my opinion, the best overall hydration pack made today. The MULE is comfortable, light (when you need the perfect day pack on your Pioneer Mountain Trinity pilgrimage, just strap it to your backpack for later use), easily accessible (the open pocket, for instance), and exceedingly durable. This model is just as adaptable as previous models, allowing for quick-n-easy packing flexibility depending on the activity. And yes, it's great for mountain biking as well.

I love this bag. It carries the essentials for day hikes, rides, + trail runs. It sits high on your back so the 3L of water is barely noticeable, other than the slight bulge when full because there is no plastic structure.

It vents relatively well (small footprint) + is pretty sturdy w/o using the waist belt (more like stomach) or chest clips, which i rarely use unless running.

It is big enough for a day of essentials shell, lunch, water, gloves, + that is before you start clipping things on to it.

Everything about this pack is very well designed and great, except for the zippers! The zipper nob comes off leaving a string to tie. It looks very tacking using a tied string to zipper up a otherwise very cool pack. I will not be recommending this to my friends due to defect.

Great size bladder for long rides in the mountains. There's plenty of room for your extra gear, a rain coat, tools, yet it condenses down so as not to feel like an over-sized bag. Pretty sweet.