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View Full Version : Anyone use a CAMELBAK H.A.W.G.?



mbarnatl
01-05-2008, 04:45 PM
I was wondering if anyone uses a CAMELBAK H.A.W.G. MAXIMUM GEAR HYDRATION SYSTEM ~ 3.O LITER/100 OZ (http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/level4c.tam?xax=10547&pagenumber%2Eptx=1&M5COPY%2Ectx=26998&M5%2Ectx=3059&M2%5FDESC%2Ectx=Hydration%20%2D%20Packs%2C%20Cante ens%2C%20Cups%2C%20Accessories&level3%2Ectx=level3c%2Etam&BC3%2Ectx=Military%20Field%20Gear%2C%20Backpacking %2C%20Travel%20Bags&BC4%2Ectx=Hydration%20%2D%20Packs%2C%20Canteens%2C %20Cups%2C%20Accessories&backto=%2Fagcatalog%2Flevel3c%2Etam)backpack? What do you like and dis-like of this pack?

granite
01-05-2008, 07:52 PM
That is my summer daypack. For me, 3 liters will carry me 15-20 miles with 3-4000 ft of elevation change without H20 reload. There is enough room for my lunch, snacks, small emergency kit, head lamp and camera. You might also be able to get in a phone and a GPS but you will be at its limit. If you aren't used to camelbacks, the tube cover is absolutely mandatory in winter since the tube will start freezing around 28 degrees F. When dealing with bladders, I have used and abused several brands, the camelback is the best one. Always buy the bladder with the valve, the valve is your insurance policy if you lose the mouthpiece (which you will).

My winter day pack, which is a 2 liter, I bought at Wal-Mart (Outdoor Products) (http://www.outdoorproducts.com/proddetail.aspx?sku=4304OP) I like a bit better for a couple of reasons. The tube is clipped on and not threaded through a piece of nylon. Also there are some compression straps on the bottom where I can attach a coat or pants that I am not using. My 3 liter camelback model is from a couple of years ago and they may have upgraded it to include these feature, I don't know.

I know camelback has a great name and some snob factor, but given the choice I always reach from my trusty well-used Wal-Mart pack, whose bladder I have replaced with a camelback.

mbarnatl
01-05-2008, 08:00 PM
Is your CamelBak HAWG a civilian version or military version? I am more looking toward the military version.

granite
01-05-2008, 08:14 PM
Civilian.

Christ, that thing costs $106! I bought mine off of some discount site for $30, but it was the model from the year before.

granite
01-05-2008, 08:49 PM
One more thing, I forgot. On my camelback pack the sternum strap is positioned by a sliding apparatus. This does NOT keep the strap in place. This may be because I am female and my chest puts pressure on the strap to move northward, this may not happen to a man. I have solved this problem by securing the strap in position with two tiny safety pins. Hopefully camelback fixed this problem or it won't be a problem for you, but I find this problem to be an unnecessary annoyance.

Rick
01-05-2008, 09:13 PM
This may be because I am female and my chest puts pressure on the strap to move northward, this may not happen to a man.


(standing sideways in front of mirror) I got pecks. Sort of....

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/79/The_Simpsons-Jeff_Albertson.png/357px-The_Simpsons-Jeff_Albertson.png

Sarge47
01-05-2008, 09:15 PM
The GI Joe T-shirt is gone!;)

Rick
01-05-2008, 09:28 PM
Doesn't fit anymore. True story. I walked into a bar in a tiny little burg called Sherburne, New York. A guy about that size was standing at the end of the bar with a medium sized T shirt on and his Harley was parked at the end of the bar. Scouts honor!

Sarge47
01-05-2008, 09:38 PM
True story, a couple of winters back I'm driving my Transit bus and pull into a Quad of dorms. The weather is -30 degrees wind chill & this student that bore a strange resemblance to the guy in the pic gets on with only a T-shirt over his chest and words that read "Fat People Are Hard To Kidnap!" I thought about it for awhile then started laughing...it's so true!:D:D:D

Rick
01-05-2008, 09:45 PM
My new motto!!!! I love it. Old age does funny things to the body. My body is bigger and my brain cells are smaller. Go figure.

Sarge47
01-05-2008, 09:53 PM
My new motto!!!! I love it. Old age does funny things to the body. My body is bigger and my brain cells are smaller. Go figure.

I hear dat! Same here!;)

Rick
01-05-2008, 10:00 PM
I completely destroyed mbarnatl's thread. Sorry about that. Let me get him back on track.

The book Build the Perfect Survival Kit (I just finished it by the way that's why I'm referencing it) uses a Camelbak H.A.W.G. for a large survival kit. He sure loaded it down with five pouches added to the back, one underneath, one on top, and one on each side.

Sarge47
01-05-2008, 10:04 PM
You got good taste in books, Rick! Gotta give you that. I saw that one but can't bring myself to pony up the $$$ for one of those packs with asessories.:eek:

mbarnatl
01-05-2008, 10:12 PM
I completely destroyed mbarnatl's thread. Sorry about that. Let me get him back on track.

The book Build the Perfect Survival Kit (I just finished it by the way that's why I'm referencing it) uses a Camelbak H.A.W.G. for a large survival kit. He sure loaded it down with five pouches added to the back, one underneath, one on top, and one on each side.

No problem.:D

McCann, Mears, and Davenport all recommend the Military Camelbak H.A.W.G. I would like to know if anyone had one and what they thought of it? All of them used it for 1 - 3 day packs.

mbarnatl
01-05-2008, 10:14 PM
You got good taste in books, Rick! Gotta give you that. I saw that one but can't bring myself to pony up the $$$ for one of those packs with asessories.:eek:

That is why I am trying to get more info on it. The cheapest I found it for the military version is $105.

Rick
01-05-2008, 10:23 PM
I'm getting you down:

[url]http://www.camo-store.com/camelbak_-_military.htm[/ur

Rick
01-05-2008, 10:25 PM
And better:

http://www.imsplus.com/ims16a.html

granite
01-05-2008, 10:25 PM
Rick is an amateur. (http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,84129_Blackwater-Gear-by-CamelBak-bHawgandb-Hydration-Pack.html)

mbarnatl
01-05-2008, 10:34 PM
$99.95 for the last two links....do I hear any lower? implus had it last week at $115 ...they just must have lowered their price.

Thanks for the links.

Rick
01-05-2008, 10:36 PM
Hey! I redeemed myself, thank you. You are forever indebted to us. Muhahahahahahaha.

granite
01-05-2008, 10:39 PM
In March the suppliers are going to get desperate to get rid of the 2007 products. Then the fire sales begin. Never pay full price.

glocker36
01-10-2008, 07:05 AM
How about $59???

http://www.botachtactical.com/blcaha.html

I have ordered and received 2 of these Blackwater Camelback Hawgs and could not be happier, they are my day packs when I hike with my wife or son.

They are also the military version with significant upgrades from the civiliain version. I got the ACU digital camo version.

rdw_440
01-14-2008, 02:45 PM
I got a new camelbak M.U.L.E. off of e-bay a couple of years ago for a good price. I think I paid $25-$30 including shipping. Many times you can find what seems like a great deal, then they screw you with shipping charges.

I have also watched items on e-bay till after the auction ended and if the item did not sell, contacted the seller and negotiated a price.

hermitman
01-22-2008, 03:37 PM
I think camelbak's are the only way to go when doing hard work in the wild. I go up into the mountions and climb about 4-5 for a week trip and there are just somethings that can make things much easier. One of the biggest things is the camelbak after that its a headlamp.

mbarnatl
02-23-2008, 04:12 PM
How about $59???

http://www.botachtactical.com/blcaha.html

I have ordered and received 2 of these Blackwater Camelback Hawgs and could not be happier, they are my day packs when I hike with my wife or son.

They are also the military version with significant upgrades from the civilian version. I got the ACU digital camo version.

Thanks for the info. I did some research after you told me of this. I purchased one from the site you mentioned. It was the best price and the modifications of the Blackwater Camelback Hawg was what I was looking for. The internal modifications was similar to what McCann did to his HAWG in his book. I should be getting it delivered to my home by Wednesday and be able to test it out next weekend. Thanks for your help and everyone else that replied to this thread.