CamelBak Ambush

THE GOOD:-Excellent quality-Small size considering everything it can hold-Holds 3L or (100oz) of water-Mil-Spec bladder is short style so the pack is not uncomfortably long for shorter torsos-Better quality mouth piece and valve lock than most civilian Camelbaks-Comes with a mouth piece cover-Drinking tube is longer than civilian Camlbaks-Drinking tube is insulated-2 small pockets, each big enough for all of your average pants pocket contents-M.O.L.L.E. straps-Velcro strip for displaying patches-Comes with Velcro straps for securing the excess part of shoulder straps and keeps them from dangling freely-Very large loop at the top to hang the pack with-The bladder can be filled without being removed from the pack-There is a zipper on the right hand side that lets you pull the bottom part of the bladder out of the pack to the attach/remove the drink tube from the bladder without having to remove the entire bladder from the pack-The shoulder straps can be detached at their base and folded into a large pocket on the side of the pack that is normally in contact with your back. This allows the pack to be attached to the outside of a larger field pack using loops for d-rings on the sides of the packTHE BAD:-Yes, the shoulder straps lack padding (more on that below)-You have to empty any heavy contents out of the lower pocket in order to fill the bladder all the way. The weight from that pocket pressing down on the bladder prevents it from fully filling.-It doesn't come with a clip to keep the longer than average drinking tube from flopping all over the place(Life hack advice on that below)-The mouth piece valve is not a right angle type. This can make it a bit tricky to use on a bike at times.MY REVIEW:I love this pack.I'm a peddicabber(AKA bicycle taxi driver) in Austin, TX so I need my water.I never considered going with a different brand than Camelbak because they make a better quality product than anyone else.This pack is well thought out and optimized for military use.(Full disclosure I am not in the military or a veteran. I'm just a gear enthusiast.)As for the straps, yes, they MIGHT be slightly more comfortable with padding, but then they wouldn't be as easy to store away for use on the outside of a larger pack.But to be honest I haven't found the lack of padding to be a problem at all for me.The way the pack harnesses the torso alleviates most of the typical pressures associated with backpacks.I DO recommend always wearing at least a t-shirt under the pack as there is some itchy stitching on the underside of the straps.Since this pack is for military use the designer probably assumed that the user would be wearing some kind of shirt since shirtless war fighting is only acceptable if you are one of 300 Spartans defending Thermopylae from invading Persians.Anyway, pad-less straps are not a problem.Having to empty the lower pocket to fill the bladder isn't that big a deal either since the pocket is so small there won't be much in it anyway.I usually have 2 cans of Red Bull in mine.That's enough weight to prevent the bladder from filling all the way.But if you just a have car keys or a knife and headlamp in yours you probably won't have a problem at all.Not to mention that this pack holds 3 leters of water.Even if you only get it 90% full you'll probably still have enough for a days work.I'll peddicab around downtown Austin, TX for an 8 hours a shift and never use all of mine.The lack of a clip to keep the longer than usual drink tube in place is a surprising oversight considering the attention to detail Camelbak gave this pack.There is a clip for this pack sold separately on Amazon, but I recommend using an s-biner instead.I've found the Nite Ize S-Biner #3 to be the perfect size for this.I got mine at Home Depot.Use the s-biner to secure the drink tube to a shoulder strap just above the across-the-chest strap.Attach it in such away that the mouth piece is pointing up to the sky rather than down to the ground.That should make it easier to drink from without having to detach it from the shoulder strap.Just my method:)All in all I'm very happy with this pack and look forward to going to work just so I can use it.***Update***I just took this pack out on it's first camping trip.The morning I was leaving it started leaking.It took the first half of the trip to figure out that the leaking was coming from the place where the rim of the fill hole meets the bladder itself.That means there is no way to patch it.Since I ordered this from Amazon I'll likely end up having to send the whole thing back.Both the pack and the bladder.That's disappointing since I already personalized it by putting a bunch of patches on it.***Update***I just added 2 more stars for a total of 5 because I got excellent customer service from Amazon.All I wanted was the bladder replaced, but I was told that the whole item had to be replaced pack and all.I explained that the pack was now heavily personalized with patches etc., so the CSA just gave me a full refund, without my having to return anything, on the grounds that the item was defective.That means she basically gave me $50 more than the $40 bladder I was asking her for.I'll probably buy a replacement bladder from the same seller I bought the original Camelbak from since they seem to be the only ones selling that particular one.FYI: The leak in my Camelbak bladder was a defect not a design flaw.A defect means something didn't work as it was designed to do, which is usually a pretty isolated problem.A design flaw, on the other hand, would've been if everything worked as it was designed to and there had still been a leak.That's when you go with a different brand.But not the case here as far as I can see.Just a defect.

Best hydration pack I've owned so far. A few points I'd like to make at anyone looking to buy it though:1. Small size. It's not large even if the picture makes it look that way. Even if you fill up the pockets you won't have to worry about it being too bulky. +1 Star2. The main pocket has enough room for a few small EDC type items. I carry a lighter, leatherman, flashlight, pens, a small notebook, and the charger for my phone in it and it works great. The top pocket is sizeable that you can also carry some additional items like medical supplies in a small bag, or if you're like me, where you keep your EDC pistol and extra mag (anything larger than an M&P Shield will not fit mind you). +1 Star3. While the picture above has molle webbing on the outside of the main pocket, mine actually came with that webbed/netting whatever you call it that isn't molle. Still works fine, but don't put anything like another pouch on it, as it'll cause the weight to be poorly distributed. -1 Star4. When you fill up the bladder this pack will get heavy. Especially if you have a full EDC kit and pistol in it like I do. But, because of the shape of the bladder, the weight is distributed nicely and the water will provide cushioning. (Pro-tip: leave the bladder in the fridge overnight, or put ice cubes in it). +1 Star5. While a lot of water bladders will forever taste like a pool liner, this one loses that god awful taste pretty quickly. For me thats a huge plus! +1 Star

This is a great hydration pack. Pretty comfortable, i have a pretty broad chest but as long as i keep it tight its good. You may not want to load it too heavy by adding on so much onto the molle webbing because the straps are not padded, but i have a small attachment on mine and a carbiner which i use to hold extra stuff for my dog while we are out on a light few miles hike. I was not able to find many hydration packs where there were pockets. I use mine for a towel, cell phone, wallet, knife, hand sanitizer, etc... so this was is what i was looking for. I did notice that there are older version of this pack with thicker straps, i have not compared them.

I have used this product on countless distance runs and four Spartan races (1 beast, 1 super, and 2 sprints). It helped tremendously because it had plenty of room. I was glad it came in black, but one of the drawbacks was the warm liquid in the hose when the temperature is above 90°F. The hose insulator might have worked for ten minutes or so but not much longer. As long as you have ice in the reservoir the liquid in the hose isn't that big of a problem. I had only one other issue. I had to add a baseball elastic belt to the bottom because it bounces around a lot without being tied down to you. I still would give this product a 9 out of 10 because it works great.