The bottles I usually carry with my when I ride my bike are about 21-28 ounces, however, my bike only has 1 bottle holder so I’m limited to 28 ounces. Depending on the weather, I might finish that in one hour. I’ve been in one situation where I climbed a hill only to find that my bottle was near empty and no water around. I had to descend the hill thirsty and then ride about 1.5 miles to a convenience store to buy a liter of water for $2. I finished slightly over half that bottle right after I bought it. Not cool! There’s got to be a better way. Then I bought a Camelbak M.U.L.E which carries up to 100 ounces of water.
First Impressions
The M.U.L.E has plenty of water for my rides around town and off road. It holds about four or five of the bottles that I usually carry. There’s no way I could carry that much water otherwise. I haven’t run out of water ever since I bought it. Since the mule is carried on my back and the end of the hose is higher off the ground (by my mouth or shoulder) it’s less likely to get muddy and dirty like water bottles that sit about two feet off the ground. It has two shoulder straps, a sternum strap and a waist strap to keep it close to your body and minimize movement. There’s no way this is going to fall off and lost like a a bottle might when going over the rough stuff. The Mule has plenty of space to carry other items when I ride.
There are two zippered pockets and an expandable mesh pocket with bungee cords. In those pockets I can carry I can carry a mini-pump, a tool kit, tire levers, a spare tube, lights, an energy bar or two, my wallet, and keys with space to spare. I reckon there’s space left over for a wind shell also, though I haven’t yet tried. There are straps on either side of the mesh pocket, which along with the bungee cord help compress the load in the mesh pocket (or pull the outer pockets closer if it’s empty).
The bladder is located closest to you behind a padded back. To refill the bladder, it must be pulled out of the pocket. The bladder has a handle to hold it while refilling. The opening to the bladder is large enough to put a whole lemon in there if I wanted. It makes filling easy and also allows the insertion of ice to keep the liquid cool. The hose is long enough that you can put the pack next to the sink and refill the bladder without removing the hose. The seal on the cap is very tight and I haven’t had it leak. The pocket is insulated and keeps the water cool. I have left my M.U.L.E. in my car under the hot sun and still had cool water to drink. The water in the exposed section of the hose was warm though.
The hose leading to the bite valve is attached about 1 inch above the bottom of the bladder. If you squeeze most of the air out of the bladder before capping it, you are able to drink all of the water in the bladder. The end of the hose attaches to a valve that can be closed to prevent accidental leakage (besides what’s between the valve and bite valve, which is only a few drops). That valve attaches directly to a bite valve which is angled 90 degrees from the hose. To drink, you simply bite the valve which reveals an opening and then suck the water from the bladder.
Evaluation
The M.U.L.E. is very comfortable and I hardly notice it when riding. It barely slides or moves around when in motion. I have gone on rides lasting 3 or 4 hours and haven’t been able to drink all the water I brought with me. I’ve also tended to drink more often because the hose is there and I’ve felt fresher when I stop to rest than when I carried bottles.
I’ve also used the M.U.L.E. for running. The pack stays put doesn’t bounce around very much. There is still some movement, but not enough to be annoying. I barely notice its presence until I need a sip. I typically carry about 1/3 to 1/2 of max capacity when I use it for running. When I run I run for about an hour or a bit more so that amount is sufficient for my needs.
The only complaint that I have is that the bladder tends to leave a slight bitter taste in my water. Other users have complained of this taste also and said that it disappears with usage. I haven’t been bothered by it though.
Overall I’m very satisfied with my M.U.L.E.. I use bottle only when I commute to school since I cant carry my M.U.L.E. and my backpack at the same time.
