I don’t imagine that, when the first little foam wrapped Camelbak came to market (yeah, I had one), that anyone could have envisioned the myriad choices of hydration packs we have today. We have big ones (like the new Osprey Escapist 30 I am testing) and little ones like the Lezyne Firebreak we reviewed on the Cyclist. One of the interesting trends has been Mtn Bikers using a pack designed for multi-sport use for pure cycling adventures. For instance, within the Camelbak range there is the Octane 18X, a well received pack that has cross-sport applications…ride with it, fast hike with it, etc. Then some packs have taken the light fabric approach of the multisport pack and added more bike functionality like on the Camelbak Charge. I have a 2011 Charge 450 and it is one of my favorite packs…light, expandable, comfy and practical.
So the Camelbak Charge LR is a lightweight fabric type pack with bike functionality like tool sections, pump pouches, etc, but adds one more tweak in that it moves the water reservoir down low across the low back, hence the ‘LR’ as in lumbar reservoir, perhaps? In any case, the Charge LR is a very interesting hybrid, offering some features and benefits that I have not seen on any other pack. And, it also has some drawbacks too. So, let us take a look at the little beast.
Here is a video from Camelbak that looks at the Charge and the Charge LR.
The 16oz/460g pack has 70oz/2L or water capacity and 427 cu in/7L of storage capacity, including tool sections, snack pouches, etc, and a key clip. The zipped pouch/wing-lets on the waist strap are pretty generous on the LR and are padded on the side facing your hip bones. This is actually nice as it provides cushion for small cameras or smart phones, etc. The marsupial stretch pocket on the front of the pack is very deep and quite useful for shedding layers, etc. You may have a bit of a fishing expedition to get to something on the very bottom, but there is quite a bit of room here. Very nice. The internal pocket is not as deep as it runs into the reservoir area, but there is snack room, spare tubes, etc.
I have used the Charge LR quite a bit now and I have some strong impressions on what it is all about. Here goes.
- It is a very snug wearing pack. By that I mean it wears close to the body and is very stable and, due to the way it is designed, it does not balloon and stack away from the body.
- It is very light weight and comfy-form fitting. It conforms to you, not the other way around.
- The big old marsupial pocket is dandy. Plenty of room for clothing, food, whatever. Just do not try and stuff heavy or very odd shaped things in there, like a big DSLR.
- The wing cargo pockets may be the best on any pack I have ever used. Good size, easy to manage with one hand while riding. If one crashed with a point and shoot or GPS in there, the padding on the body side would be nice to have.
- The water does carry low and that seems to appeal to folks with sensitive shoulders or neck issues.
- The drink tube is longer compared to a previous LR type pack I tried, making the tube routing much easier.
Now, there are things I do not like.
- It is a very snug wearing pack. Hmmmm…did I already say that? So the bad of that was the feeling I had a small octopus on my back and it was a hot wearing pack in summer. In winter much less so, but for some reason, the combination of a long torso vertical shape and the extra wrap-around at the waist was a bit claustrophobic. I never got used to it.
- It is a very fiddly process to get the water into the excellent Antidote reservoir due to the wings. They do not always want to let water fill it up and I spilled more than I got in there sometimes.
- You still can get water in the other side of the reservoir from where the tube attaches (if it is low) and get a empty suck of bubbly air for a second till things slosh back around.
- It is a big wearing pack (in the way it covers so much of the back/hips) that does not carry a lot of cargo or water.
“So what is the deal with you, Grannygear?” Well, I think I could never get used to the feel of the pack and for me, I guess I am not a fan of the water carried low like that. A traditional pack design does not bother me, so maybe this is just not a design approach for me. I do think that, if I was looking for a close wearing, fast approach pack that is good for MTB rides and could do double duty for trail running or fast hiking/rock scrambling, the Charge LR could be a killer app, especially if having the water low on the body has appeal to you.
I am a fan of the light fabric approach (as long as you are not carrying larger, heavier loads) and I know I am a fan of the Charge 450, the predecessor of the more normal Charge. The Charge LR has a strong personality that I did not favor, but you might. Both Charge packs are well thought out and built to let you move down the trail and not get in the way.
Camelbak sent out this pack at no charge for test/review. I was not paid, nor bribed for my review, and I strive to give my honest opinion and thoughts throughout any review here. Thanks to Camelbak for letting me check out the Charge LR!
Great review. I was wondering about the fit. I have a long torso and I’ve always had a problem fitting any kind of pack unless it was specifically made for my body type. I have a Dakine Nomad that I love for its well thought out design but whenever I use it, I always feel like I am wearing a shirt that’s too small and my belly shows. I currently use a Ergon BD-1 pack, I really like it and it’s great for all day epics but I feel it’s overkill for shorter rides. The Charge LR pack looks like a good fit for me, what do you think?
@John It is a long pack and covers my back from stem to stern at 6’2″ tall. As you can see in that top pic, that is my back in the image. I bet you would like the way it fits.
grannygear
I read the upper part of this review with reference to multi-sport backpacks and thought – yeah, when I last shopped for a backpack, I knew I wanted a suspended design because all others I’ve tried make my back sweat – and I hate that. Then I saw the pictures of the pack and thought – there is no way this would be breathable. Then I read the rest of the review – and agree this pack is blows. For me, I can carry a lot of weight in a backpack without complaint if it breaths well. Second priority is if the weight is borne on the hips – but this is more for hiking than cycling. If my back gets sweaty it’s that clammy friction that drives me crazy and magnifies the load.
Do you know of any of the traditional higher sitting 3 litre back packs that have the big wing pockets the charge lr has got.These wing pockets are dead handy as you dont have to take your pack off to get at things like snacks and gels.I was thinking along the lines of the new zealot 16 from osprey.
@macca…of the ones I have on hand here, the only one that comes close is the Osprey Manta 25, not a bike specific pack. Tested here: http://www.thecyclistsite.com/reviews/2010/7/20/osprey-manta-25-hydration-pack.html
Of the rest, the next best is the Lezyne Svelte reviewed here: http://www.thecyclistsite.com/reviews/2011/11/1/lezyne-does-hydration-oh-yeah.html
There are others like the Osprey Raptor 18 or the Camelbak Charge 450 that have sad little wing pouches that barely hold anything more than gum or are really good at losing things for ya. OK, they will hold a gel pack. Maybe.
The multisport Camelbak 18X is a pretty cool pack and IIRC has great wing pockets.
I have not seen the Zealot line recently enough to know about that one for sure, but the pics on their site look promising. I do agree with you though, I am a real fan of a good wing pocket. Very useful. But they should be big enough to, at least on a bigger, 1/2 day-all day pack, hold a P&S camera, GPS, reading glasses, etc (not all at the same time though!). On a smaller, more racing to short ride focused pack, then gels, etc, but at least make them easy to open with gloved fingers and secure enough to actually keep your gel flask in there over the entire ride (trying not to be bitter about that one)
grannygear
Thanks Grannygear .Totally agree with your comments on wing pockets, most are way to small when they are the most useful storage. With all the packs that are out there the perfect all rounder is still to be found .Surely it does not take to much to make something lightweight with a tool pouch enough room for 1 or 2 layers a harness pocket for a phone and big waistband pouches. The charge lr is close but a bigger more traditional bladder for me .
Hope you keep searching for ultimate pack.
@Macca, if you’re looking for a low-riding pack w/ traditional bladder, try the early Octane LR, not the 2012. I’ve got one, seems to work very well, really worked to help w/ my upper back issues associated with a traditional pack. The comments about the Charge being a bit hot in the summer are applicable, as it rides flat on the lumbar region. Still, I’d rather have the weight low than high, so it’s my favorite.
Great review! love this idea but my first thoughts were that conforming wings would be miserable on warm days. I would like to see a low 3L pack that touches the back as little as possible – to allow for better ventilation. I like the idea of wings but maybe a pocket on front strap may work better? Priority is Heat ventilation, and water volume for XC riders like myself.
know of anything like that ?
@ED…seen the Wingnut packs?
grannygear
Thanks for the suggestion. Had never heard of them, and there are not a lot of reviews for them – but the few that exist are positive.
Do you know if a 3L camelbak bladder (from mule) would fit. I will give them a call and may order a wingnut splitback
Thank you,
ED
@ED Wingnut uses a proprietary bladder in most of their older packs.I see now they say “any 3 liter bladder” will fit. You will want to be careful and check with them on fitment of traditional hydration bladders.
I personally know a fellow that has used Wingnut packs for years and swears by them. It’s hard to deny that they do look great for warm temperatures.