Review: Arctos Packs Epic 14.4 Lumbar Hydration Pack
- kelly jorgensen
- May 2
- 5 min read
Is The Arctos Packs Epic 14.4 Lumbar Hydration Pack The Best MTB Pack To Carry Your Stuff On Big Rides And Stay Put While Getting Rowdy?
Back in the early days of mountain biking there weren't a lot of options for carrying stuff on bigger rides. You either had a water bottle in your cage or you wore a backpack or if you were like me you wore a hip pack or fanny pack as we called them back in the early 90's. In fact I still have the one I used back in 1992. I was a huge fan of camelbak hydration packs when they first came out because I liked having my water readily available to drink with the hose easily accessible but also having room for tools and a tube and a mini pump. I didn't love the way they felt on my back and shoulders though and those early packs just didn't stay put very well while riding. Even modern shoulder packs that have better straps and fitment still keep the weight up too high and move around too much. On steep descents a lot of packs end up riding up my back and hit the back of my helmet. I've tried multiple hydration packs, as well as hip packs with and without hydration bladders and it always comes down to the traditional shoulder strap backpacks just not feeling good and moving around and the hip packs being really bouncy or sagging down and pulling away from my back no matter how tight I have the waist strap to the point it's crushing my mid 40's dad gut. The latest hip pack I tried, the waist strap would loosen up as I rode and then after a few hundred feet it would be super loose and start to fall down over my hips.
From the description and their product video, the Arctos Epic 14.4 seems to solve these issues I have experienced in both pack styles by essentially combing the hip pack and the standard backpack putting the weight and the bulk of the load down around your waist but adding shoulder straps along with the waist strap to support that weight from sagging down and keep it from bouncing.
About The Epic 14.4
The Arctos Packs Epic 14.4 Lumbar Hydration Pack has a capacity of 14 liters and includes a 4 liter hydration bladder. It sits low on your waist where the bulk of the load and weight sits but also has shoulder straps to keep things still. It has a large compartment where the bladder lives with somewhat of a separator that covers up the bottom half of the bladder leaving the rest of the large compartment to store a jacket and whatever larger items you want to stow in there. There is a sunglass pocket, two large side hip pockets, one other medium sized pocket and a smaller pocket on the back to stash gloves.
Features
14 liters of total storage, 4 liter hydration capacity.
Low-profile lumbar design keeps the weight on your hips (and off your shoulders) and doesn't hit the back of your helmet while riding steep terrain or jumps.
Industry-largest side pockets for easy one-handed access to ride essentials (phone, food, multi-tool, etc.) without removing the pack.
Dual-purpose waist cinch secures the pack to your body and compresses pack contents for bounce-free descents.
3/4-zip large main compartment with separate area for hydration bladder makes stuffing oversize loads into the bottom of the pack easier.
Top-zip secondary compartment for tool storage with divider. Large enough for high capacity MTB pumps and tubes.
Low, wide, easy-fill hydration reservoir with quick-disconnect and large threaded opening makes for easy cleaning, adding ice, etc.
Oversized, durable YKK zippers and 210D nylon construction meant to handle all the dirt, sweat, sun and neglect you can throw at it. Made in a top-shelf factory that also makes outdoor gear for first responders.
1.5" wide waist strap for less pressure on your stomach.
Soft, protected, tech pocket for fragile/small items.
Velcro webbing keepers to minimize flappy excess material.
Covered by our lifetime True North guarantee.
Specs
Main body dimensions: 12" x 12" x 6.5"
Main material: 210D Ripstop Nylon
Weight including bladder assembly: 1142g / 2.5lb
Fit
Unisex fit. Torso fit range: 15" - 23"
To measure torso, measure vertically along the side of your body (where your arms fall). The vertical distance between the topmost part of your pelvis bone and the location on your shoulder where a backpack strap is worn is your torso fit measurement.
Riding with the Arctos Epic 14.4
This pack don't jiggle jiggle it.... doesn't move! Seriously. Arctos has absolutely nailed it with this pack! I have tried a lot of shoulder packs and hip packs and none hold a candle to this thing. And no, Arctos is not paying me to say this nor do I make any commissions if you go buy one. I pedaled up hills and I rode down them. I rode through chunk and took to the air, at least of small jumps because I just don't get big air these days. I flicked my bike and body all over the place and during all of my riding I never really noticed I had the pack on. I had the 4 liter bladder filled to the top, had my truck keys, some tools, a tube, my phone and a protein bar in there as well. It was like having a hip pack on with tons of room but the shoulder straps kept it from bouncing up and down and from sagging down from all the weight in the pack. None of the straps loosened up over time on my rides either. The material and zipper all seem super burly and I don't see this thing falling apart any time soon. I think my favorite pockets were the side pockets that wrap around your hips. The zippers are super easy to get to without having to remove the pack which made it perfect for getting to things like my phone to take pics and my chapstick. I love not having to reach down for my water bottle and I can easily get some water while riding, however I do think the hydration hose could be about 5 inches longer. If you are a regular sized person you probably won't have this issue, but I am 6'3" and rather wide so the hose has more ground to cover before it gets to my face, but I could still easily reach it by turning and lowering my head a bit. Other than that, it's near perfect.
Who Is It For?
If you are someone that carries more than a water bottle on rides or likes a hydration bladder with an easily accessible hose to drink from while riding and doesn't love how shoulder strap packs feel or how hip packs bounce this pack is the one you want. The 14.4 Epic can carry a lot of stuff given it's 14 liter capacity and 4 liters of water which makes it great for doing big rides. But it also rides good without filling it up and can do short rides just as well. However, if you don't need the capacity of the 14.4 they also have a smaller 10.3 with 10 liters of capacity and a 3 liter hydration bladder.
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