The CamelBak PowderBak brings us a new innovation in hydration design. Rather than wearing the bladder in a pack, outside your jacket, the PowderBak integrates the bladder into a sleeveless zip up vest designed as a mid-layer and is made from performance wicking fabric designed to keep you hydrated during your outdoor pursuits.

 

After testing the PowderBak on the slopes for a couple of weeks, a top feature was the low-profile design. The vest is made with QuickFit compression fabric which keeps the 72oz hydration bladder from shifting around as you mac the mountain in winter or ride the trails in summer.The mid-layer design of the PowderBak utilizes your body heat to keep the water from freezing. When full the pack sits comfortably behind the shoulders tight against the body and you can't really tell you are wearing 2L worth of water on your back.

 

The hydration bladder can be fully removed from the vest, making for easy filling and cleaning and the neoprene tube cover means the water within the tube will never  freeze. The PowderBak reduces bulk on your chest and less fumbling around inside your jacket to grab the mouthpiece, with a shortened tube length and easy access support loop.  

 

In short, the PowderBak is a great way to stay hydrated in the outdoors when you don’t want the bulk of a backpack. It would have been good to see a small pocket on the hip line, somewhere for the car keys or some money on those trail running and riding days but im sure we'll see that in time as CamelBak continues to innovate with their designing of next generation wearable hydration.

The PowderBak is in store in 2011 and it will retail for around $90-$100RRP