I was able to get my hands on a new Wingnut Adventure hydration pack about four months ago. The owner of Wingunt did caution me that the pack is designed for long rides where you would carry extra gear. The pack is made out of a sailcloth material that is very lightweight and is normally used in technical sailing applications. Also, Wingnut packs are designed to ride down on your lower back. This helps with weight distribution and when you are tackling that serious downhill; the pack stays down on your back and doesn’t try to rise up over your shoulders. The zippers are all covered with waterproof material and there are a ton of pockets to hold your gear. The downside to this pack is that it isn’t designed for short everyday rides.

The great thing about this pack is that it is amazingly light. If you are just carrying a reservoir and your essentials (multi-tool and extra tube), it becomes easy to forget you have the pack on. The sailcloth material is what makes the pack lightweight. The problem with sailcloth is that it is not the strongest material, although I have had the pack with me on every ride for the last four months and have yet to get a tear or a hole anywhere. I’m going to hand it over to Tim soon to make sure that it gets crash tested! I have taken a few spills, but Tim will take more spills in a few rides than I will in a whole season.

The size of the pack is a great thing if you are going on an all day ride or even a camping trip. The pack is designed with comfort in mind. It covers quite a bit of your back, which distributes the weight evenly. Also, the easy access side pockets are great for storing trail maps or energy bars and are large enough to hold shoes and clothes. The pack is also equipped with front comfort straps that tighten or loosen according to your preference; this keeps the pack from shifting while riding. The holes for the reservoir hose are low on either side to allow it to come up under your arm for easy access. However, the size of the pack is a problem when you are just headed out for your everyday one to two-hour ride. At that point, the extra space is wasted and not needed.

The Wingnut Adventure Hydration pack is perfect for long rides or camping trips. The sailcloth is lightweight, and as far as I can tell, pretty durable. The downside to the pack is that its volume and thin materials are wasted on short rides that are usually more technical and involve more crashes. You can read more about the pack at www.WingnutGear.com. Check back for updates to this review and for others perspectives on the pack.