My Jandd frame pack arrived this week.  Looking forward to abusing it a bit, looks a like a high quality piece.  Cheap too, with shipping to Canada was less than $45.  This bag in combination with a water bottle (and my "old man fanny" pack for longer rides) should replace my camelbak.  At least thats the theory, we will see how it goes.  Might stick with this or go back to my hydration packs.  Time will tell, and a full review will come later.  Fits my mountain bike and the cross bike.

Photos of riding at Hardwood Hills in 2003.  Riding my '03 GT Avalanche.  Rocking the old "Independent Bikes & Boards" jersey.

Light snow overnight, snow all morning during my ride.  Even now at 7pm its still snowing.  Trails were fun covered in the snow.  Ran into another group out there, otherwise pretty lonely.  The 29er+ worked good in the light snow.  If it keeps up though I'll be putting the fats on.

I've also been testing out a new hydration / gear hauling situation last few times out.  Frame pack on the bike for my kit, bottle and cage as well, with an old Camelbak Flashflo for water around my waist.  The goal here is to get the weight off my back and see if it helps with the sore back I've been having all year.

My wife snickers and call it my "old man fanny pack".  I will admit, the colour is less than attractive and makes me want to puke when I look at it but so far its working nicely.  Maybe I should buy a hydration waist pack from this decade to replace the '90s vintage unit I'm sporting now.  More on this stuff later.

I'll preface this gear review by letting you know that I have a problem.... a hydration pack problem.  I like them and I'm always looking for one better than the last.  I've owned no less than 20 over the last 14 years, from brands like Camelbak, Hydrapak, Ergon, Axiom, MEC, to name a few.  I bought both of these packs (Mule NV and Volt LR) at the beginning of 2014 and have swapped back and fourth putting time on both packs.

The Camelbak Mule.  Quite possibly the most well known and widely used hydration pack of all time.  I've owned 3 different incarnations of this pack over the years.  This is my first one with the NV back panel, made to keep the bulk of the pack away from your back for air flow.  The NV back panel works well, keeping your back relatively dry better than most other packs.  The four pods cause no discomfort against your back and are made of breathable material.

The rest of the pack is well put together like most Camelbak products.  It features 11 liters cargo capacity and 3 liters water capacity.  They pockets are nicely put together with internal organizers, waist strap pockets, an "electronics" pocket, helmet clips.   It also features an integrated rain cover.

Now the not so good.  The NV system keeps the pack away from your back for ventilation, this also keeps the bulk of the pack and its weight up off your back and more prone to flop around.  While not noticeable most of the time, when things get rough and fast the pack will bounce around.  Also, at my height and girth, the shoulder straps seem on the short side, keeping the pack up higher on my back and again more likely to bounce and flop.

I'll give it 4 /5 stars.  Great for long singletrack rides, when things get choppy or rough it moves too much.

The Volt 13 LR.  A 13 liter capacity pack with a 3 liter lumbar reservoir.  The idea behind the lumbar reservoir is to keep the heaviest part of the pack strapped around your hips, keeping weight off your shoulders.  It does work as advertised, keeping the shoulders light and more weight placed on your hips where you won't notice it. 

The strapping system is of excellent construction, with additional straps to pull at your sides that hold the water bladder tight into your lower back / hips that can be adjusted on the fly to compensate for the load change as water is consumed.  The pack is very secure against your back and has none of the flopping that the Mule had.  The downside to this is the pack is held tightly against your back with no room for ventilation.  This has caused me a very sweaty and uncomfortable back during longer rides as the airflow is minimal.  If the pack had a stiff back panel in it like the Ergon BX series it would help with this issue.


The pockets are great, as with most Camelbaks.  Lots of organization in it.  The hip pockets are nice and big with zippered tops, large enough to fit a point-and-shoot camera or gps.  The pack material is much lighter weight than that of the Mule and seems quite thin and susceptible to rips, but after a year it shows no significant wear and no tears.

I rate it 4 /5stars, would be nice to have some airflow in against the back.

As always, these product(s) where purchased with my own money.  I have not been paid or bribed to review this product.  Comments whether positive or negative are purely my opinion only.

Nice night ride out at TP yesterday.  Cold weather, dead calm quiet, empty trails.  That why I like this season so much for riding.  Trails were riding great on the 29er+, perfectly dry with a bit of tack.  Started out just before sunset and rode into the night.  No boogeyman sightings to report.

Got an invite from a friend at the Shorthills Cycling Club to their 7th annual Fall Fartfest trailride and chili feast.  The ride started from The Smokin' Buddha in Port Colborne and rode into "The Hood" trail system.  Having never been to The Hood before I figured this would be a great chance to see what the trails looked like and have local guide(s) show me around.

The trails are twisty and rocky.  Not much elevation change but there are a few short steep ups to tackle.  The conditions were pretty slick, rain the day before and the clay based soil made for an ice rink in spots.  I'll have to come back and check these trails out next summer under better conditions.

I ran the 29er+ tires but I should have ran the 4" fat tires for a bit more traction.  Oh well, I'll know for next time.

I only got one picture as the riders were gathering as the pace was brisk out on the trails with no time for photo ops.

Old photos from my summer trip to Albion Hills in 2004.  Riding my 2003 GT Avalanche 1.0 Disc.

More good riding at Turkey Point this weekend.  Took the fat tires out Sunday, swapped to the 29er+ wheels for Monday.  Good times.