Camelbak Rogue Review. 5 Groups This Hydration Pack is Perfect For.

I’ve used the Camelbak Rogue hydration pack for a number of years, from hikes, to mud runs and would love to give you my review of it and who it’s perfect for.

Camelback is a company which has created many different types of outdoor equipment, but in this review, we’re going to cover one of their best products, the hydration pack, particularly the “Rogue” which can carry 70 oz of water. 

While going through a very tough 12 km mud run a year ago, without the help of this backpack and it quenching my thirst, I don’t think I would have completed that race.

At the time, that back pack (which was a Camelback) belonged to a friend of mine but I decided if I was going to continue doing mud runs safely, and because I enjoy other outdoor sports, especially the most difficult ones, I’d need one of my own.

So I bought a slightly more popular version of that one: The CamelBak Rogue and had a lot of time to inspect and test it for this review. What I’ll cover is:

• What’s inside the this Camelbak product and it’s features.
• 5 very critical tests I ran it through.
• If 5 specific groups of outdoor type people can benefit from using the Rogue.

A video review of the Camelbak Rogue:

Exploring the Camelbak Rogue from all angles:

From the outside:

• The length of this product is a little over a foot.

• As you can see, it’s about the length of my forearm (under 2 feet long).

• The tube from which you drink is about 2 feet long.

• The harnesses which you put over your back have a clip which can be extended to fit just about any size of the person wearing it.

• There is also a tube on one of the harnesses designed to hold the tube in place as you’re running and it makes drinking from it a lot more comfortable where you don’t have to use your hands to adjust it.

• The little grey holder you see in the middle of the bag is what you pull on to remove the top strap and expose the hydration pack.

• And there is also a little hole at the bottom of the bad (from the other side) where if water gets in, this will be where it comes out from. This hydration pack is waterproof, but if you fall into deep water and it becomes completely submerged or the hydration pack isn’t tightened well enough and water leaks out, this hole will help get rid of that water while you’re running.

Now from the inside:

There’s 3 pictures I added here:

1. This is an outside view of the rogue, but it shows 3 areas, A, B and C which you can open to put things in. B is hard to see right now because the hydration pack is covering it.

A can fit personal small belongings like wallets and anything you cannot have getting wet. C can also fit that kind of stuff and there is also a little net for carrying small things like paper or possibly cards.

2. When you remove the hydration pack, B becomes very easy to see, but how roomy is it?

3. This is a picture of B from a different angle so you can see how much can fit in there. Obviously the hydration bag will take up about half the space when filled with water, but it can also fit some clothes and other supplies like food.

As for the blue bag that you fill up with water, you can see the circular button removed in B. You can easily detach the water bag from the rest of the product and fill it up and also if you’re short on time, you can fill it up while it’s still inside the bag.

Every compartment you see in this product is also by default in other Camelbak models but the Rogue gets the best reviews out of them all.

The 5 tests I put this product through!

Since I do trail hiking, mud runs and sometimes cycling, I needed this product to beat a number of tests:

Test 1: Is the waterpack and actual bag itself waterproof!?

1. In this picture, I filled up the bag fully, held it upside down and took a picture. No water dripped out. 

2. I then put in a light blue sticky note into the top compartment of the bag, zipped it up and poured lots of water on it. The yellow circles show where the water is and the SN sign is the actual sticky note. My camera’s flash was on so it looks like it blends in. Anyway the test was also successful and no water got in meaning you can safely store fragile items there (cameras, electronics, ect…)

3. I ran the same test with the bottom compartment of the bag and it also turned out to be waterproof.

So is this whole product water proof? Yes! 

Test 2: Is there enough space to keep a number of things?

For one person I think you can easily store your keys, a couple of sandwiches, some important clothing, and obviously lots of water. Since I first tested this product in a mud run, a few of us stored our keys and phones in both these compartments and some food in the main bag where the hydration pack is located.

Obviously this bag isn’t going to carry a laptop or any large major belongings (you can carry a tablet in this easy). For one person who is going on a long outdoor trip, this bag can carry a day or two worth of supplies easily.

Test 3: Is this product comfortable to wear?

Very comfortable! I filled it up with water and a few supplies and put it on. When I carried the same kind of bag in my mud run, it was also comfortable.

Test 4: How heavy is it when filled with water? Is it too heavy!?

Without the bladder (the thick plastic bag), the whole pack itself hardly weights a pound, with it, around 4 pounds, with other supplies, 5-6 pounds. On your back and being pretty small, you’ll hardly feel the weight.

Test 5: How easy is it to clean the actual hydration pack and the rest of the product?

The bag doesn’t have any hidden or difficult to reach areas other than the long tube. Cleaning the main pack is easy with a brush. I think you can also throw it into a washing machine after you use it. 

The water bag itself can be taken out and there is a circular top that you can twist to open and poor in water and the space is big enough to fit a brush through it or at least fill it up with something to clean it. 

So yes, it is very easy to clean.

On all 5 tests, this product passes!

The 5 groups who will totally benefit from using the Rogue:

Cyclists:

I don’t ride bicycles much but I do know many people use hydration packs who do. Obviously while riding, whether through trails or on the road and for long distances, stopping to drink water can be annoying and with this tool, because it’s comfortable to wear and the water tube attaches to one of the harnesses and you can drink it with minimal need to use your hands to adjust it, cyclists will be very comfortable riding and drinking from it.

Trail Hikers: 

I love hiking and this kind of bag is very convenient for me. If it starts raining, I know the stuff I keep in the compartments is protected from any amount of rain, whether it be a drizzle or torrential rain. Plus since it weight little and carries easy, it won’t get in the way when I climb or move around.

In fact, when running, this bag does NOT bounce up and down either.

Mud runs. Yep this backpack rocks for those too. 

I honestly think the CamelBak is the best back pack for mud runs like the Spartan Races and Tough Mudder and I recommend everyone who does them should carry one.

Usually water stations at a mud run race may not be around at the right times and if you’re running through these races when it’s very humid or hot, staying hydrated by having this product on you at all times helps. It’ll keep you nourished until you reach the next water station/s. 

The only area of mud runs where it may be inconvenient to have this back pack is any obstacle where you need to swim (just carry it then). On certain races, like the Beast I did, some obstacles involved going underwater, and what many people with hydration packs did there was they took it off, left it on a nearby table, completed the obstacle, then retrieved their backpack. 

Marathon runners: 

I have never seen marathon runners carry them, but I know some people use them. Obviously jogging long distances with no water supplies in sight is dangerous so keeping a bag like this on you will be helpful!

Adventure Racing:

This is a sport that mixes elements of mud runs with trail runs and marathons and they can last for days. I did say one bag can carry up to 2 days worth of supplies (maybe 3 days). If you’re doing these races with multiple people and each has this type of bag, you are supplied and have minimal weight to carry as you do these races.

Camelbak Rogue pros and cons:

Pros:

• Easy to carry, easy to keep on your back in most situations.
• Water bag is easy to fill up and clean.
• The bag is very water proof from outside rain and other weather elements. 
• Carries several days of supplies. 
• Great for outdoor adventurers. 
• In extreme circumstances, this product can literally save lives.
• This product is durable and can be used for a very long time.

Cons:

• Because there is one hole at the bottom of the bag (designed specifically to filter out any water should the bag leak or if you dive into water), it is not recommend to submerge this bag fully. This hole is only for the main compartment, not the upper/bottom ones where it is 100% water proof. As long as you don’t dive into water with it, this bag will not leak through.

I am very happy with the CamelBak Rogue Hydration Pack and recommend it for all outdoor activities that require a lot of movement and nothing getting in the way. I think they are perfect for the 5 groups of people above. 

Having this on a mud run will greatly increase your chances of completing it. And if not a mud run, then a regular or long hike, cycling, ect… will also show you how useful this backpack is 🙂