Hmmm, well, the name isn‘t so great and it’s a little misleading but the rucksack itself, the Camelbak Rimrunner 25 Hydration Pack, is a great single day summer hiking option. Camelbak have always sold well-designed packs for carrying their top quality water reservoirs (bladders). And the Camelbak Rimrunner 25 has enough space for a full 3L reservoir.

I don’t know if you’ve ever tried carrying three litres of water but it’s pretty heavy. Still, for many events, including day-long adventure races, three litres of water is often a minimum requirement.

The Camelbak Antidote Reservoir features all this:

• Quick Link™ System,
• 1/4 turn – easy open/close cap,
•  Lightweight fillport
• Patented Big Bite™ Valve
•  HydroGuard™ technology
• PureFlow™ tube
• Easy-to-clean wide-mouth opening.

Basically this means it’s easy to drink from when on the move and simple to fill and clean. Full marks go to Camelback on this reservoir.

The rest of the rucksack

With three litres of water on board in the rucksack, that leaves 22 litres for packing your kit. This is the perfect amount of space for a summer hike of up to a day. I added a pair of waterproof trousers in a stuff bag, a lightweight insulated jacket, spare gloves and hat, another thin baselayer, my lunch, mobile phone, compass and map. (I wear my waterproof jacket.)

As well as the zipped section for the hydration reservoir, there is a larger zipped area and a front zipped area. Inside, you’ll discover lots of pockets and smaller areas for keeping bits and pieces safe.

There is also a four-point compression system that allows you to take away any unused volume. This would be useful if you planned to go for a shorter, faster hike or run.

Two side mesh pockets offer space for extra kit or water bottles, if you prefer not to use the reservoir or you need extra fluids.

The technical details include Camelbak’s Air Director™ back panel, which is a foam pod construction covered in soft mesh to create multiple ventilation channels. This makes it nice and comfy and fairly sweat eliminating.

There’s also a Fixed Air Mesh harness and a removable waist belt.

Now here’s a plea to all rucksack makers: When making rucksacks, however small, please add a wider, padded and more substantial waist belt, preferably with a pocket or two. It makes carrying any weight of rucksack so much more pleasurable.

I’m not saying the Camelbak Rimrunner 25 was uncomfortable to wear for a day’s hike but a padded waist belt would make it an even better pack.

Overall, the Camelbak Rimrunner 25 is a good quality day pack with a fab reservoir. It also comes with a CamelBak® Got Your Bak™ Guarantee: If we built it, we’ll Bak it™ with a lifetime guarantee.

Buy the Camelbak Rimrunner 25  from Blackleaf for £63.71 (rrp £84.95).