“Not every pack has to make sense for every rider.” That’s what I told myself when I unboxed the Camelbak H.A.W.G. last year. And I was pretty convinced that I was not the sort of rider this pack made sense for. I am a pack snob. I value sleekness and minimalism. I mostly ride either packless or in Camelbak’s Chase vest. I want my pack to be as light as possible, and to disappear on the descent. And the H.A.W.G (Holds A-lotta Water and Gear) is neither of those things. I assumed I’d use it enough to review it, and then pass it on to someone else.

But The H.A.W.G might have the biggest redemption arc of anything I’ve reviewed in the last few years. I fell in love with this pack, and the type of riding it’s best suited for. I’ve leached an absurd amount of fear-sweat into its panels, as I rode some of the scariest, and most rewarding lines of my life. I’ve filled it with tools and hauled them into the woods day after day, through the dreariest winter weeks. I’ve wandered euphoric, wearing it on high alpine trails, ditching it only to swim in crystal-clear lakes. So this is part review, part love letter to the H.A.W.G.

Camelbak H.A.W.G. Details

• Sizes available: One Size Fits All
• Capacity: 20 liters
• Water capacity: 3 liters
• Price: $242

Camelbak H.A.W.G Fit and Capacity

The H.A.W.G is available in one size, but it’s got a clever sliding back panel that allows it to adjust to a fairly wide range of back lengths. At 6’2” I ran it closer to the long end, but still had room to spare. The first thing that started to make me fall for the H.A.W.G was its fit. It doesn’t feel at all like a riding vest, or even like most riding packs, that tend to ride high on your back. Instead it feels much more like a good backcountry ski pack, that carries the weight low, and settles around your hips. Sometimes that style of pack is quite uncomfortable on the bike, but the H.A.W.G stays put nicely when you’re in an aggressive descending position. Some of that is thanks to the waist wings, which give you a nice hug, and distribute forces nicely. 

The H.A.W.G comes with a 3L blader, and a claimed 20L of capacity. That feels conservative. This is a big pack, that can absolutely swallow gear. I routinely found things in this pack that I’d forgotten I’d ever stashed there. In fact, I accidentally carried around a full can of Coors Edge for a month. I stashed it in the hydration pocket, below the bladder, and then forgot to drink it, or take it out, until I was emptying the pack out weeks later. This pack swallows gear.

I routinely carried a full Trailboss tool, with three segments, and two heads, along with food, water and spare layers for a full day of digging, and I still had plenty of space left over. This is a big pack, but importantly, it doesn’t carry like one. It distributes that weight very well, and never feels ungainly or frustrating.

Camelbak H.A.W.G. Pockets and Features

My favorite pockets on the H.A.W.G are the two waist wing pockets. I love this style of pocket, and although the H.A.W.G doesn’t have the best execution I've seen, they’re still useful. These pockets help the pack fit and carry well, and are also accessible while you’re wearing it. I usually carried snacks in one side, and a Sony A6000 in the other. I wish there was a little extra pocket fabric around the zipper so it was easier to open and close on the fly, but they’re adequate as-is.

There’s a surprisingly big pocket on the very back of the pack that I typically carried bike-repair bits in. It fits a long hand pump nicely. The sunglasses pocket is huge, and I filled it with the cleaning kit for my Trail Boss, a multi-tool, candy, pre-rolls, and a lighter. The main pocket is lined with mesh pockets. I barely used these, because whenever I put things in them I promptly forgot where they were. Instead I just stuffed it full with extra layers, trail-building tools, more snacks, and bottled bevies. Finally, the hydration pocket has plenty of room for the 3L blader, along with space below it for cans.

The H.A.W.G’s back panel is thick enough that you never feel lumpy or sharp items through it, so you can pack things haphazardly and not worry about your comfort. There are two daisy chains down the back, that I typically threaded ski straps through to carry a full face helmet, or any cool finds I stumbled on in the woods.

My biggest beef with the H.A.W.G is that it has no integrated method to carry a helmet. Many of my days in the H.A.W.G were spent climbing or hike-a-biking with a full face on my back, and in those situations, I had to ski strap the helmet to the daisy chains. Not a huge deal, but, as we’ll get into, this pack and helmetless ascending go together like peanut butter and jelly, and I’d love to see the next generation add this feature.

Falling in love with a H.A.W.G

There’s a growing divide in my life between “mountain biking” writ large, as the mainstream, culturally-accessible port, and “taking a mountain bike on adventures.” For traditional mountain biking, doing the kind of riding you’d see in a travel and tourism video, I have absolutely zero interest in the H.A.W.G. It’s over-built, too heavy, too big, too much. But, for the sort of “climb a mountain that may or may not have a trail on it, put your bike on your back, scratch in some trail with tools you brought, and then ride the scariest stuff you’ve ever looked down” adventures that have lately consumed my imagination, the H.A.W.G is absolutely perfect.

A lot of that is due to its carrying capacity, and how well it handles weight. I can’t think of another bike pack that I want to load down this much, and then take somewhere far from the car. And the H.A.W.G also handles the weight of a bike on my shoulders much better than most packs.

Sure, a builder pack has more capacity, but I have yet to find one that carries as smoothly and comfortably as the H.A.W.G. I’ll rock a dedicated builder pack when that’s all I’m headed out to do, but if it’s equal parts digging and riding, the H.A.W.G gets the nod.

I’m really hard on gear, especially soft goods. I’m lucky if a pair of shoes lasts three months, and if I only tear the rear end out of four pairs of pants in a year, well, that was a soft year. Luckily the H.A.W.G is super durable. I’ve thrown it down scree slopes, tomohawked in it repeatedly, and used it to haul around rocks and sharp tools. I have had only two small failures: first, the sternum buckle slid off its rails. I slid it back up, and taped the bottom so it wouldn’t happen again.

Second, my dog tore up a couple of the mesh inner pockets. I left a snack in there with the pack open, and she ate the pocket, and the treat while I was digging. That’s not the pack’s fault, my dog has torn apart much more durable things.

At this point, I almost view the H.A.W.G as a safety blanket, something like Dumbo’s magic feather. If I’m looking down a scary line, I want it hugging my back, full of snacks for the bottom, and fuel for the hike back out. It’s become an essential part of my kit, and I’m stoked I didn’t write it off as soon as I took it out of the box.

For Now

Camelbak’s H.A.W.G doesn’t quite fit the modern mountain bike aesthetic. It’s heavier, bulkier, and less svelte than the current crop of speedy vests. But the more your riding leans towards “freeride”, the more you’re looking to take your bike, and all the gear you need to take care of yourself deep into the mountains, the more it makes sense. It’s burly, capacious, and comfortable. What more could you want?

Learn more: Camelbak