Reviews & Ratings for Matador Hydrolite Filtration Backpack — 2 reviews — Page 1

This is literally the bag I've been searching for with all the things I wanted. I love ALL Matador stuff- very well thought out travel friendly and well made products. I almost want to order a backup for the future, as per Matador customer service they no longer make this bag...I don't know why as it's only been in production for a few years and it's literally the best package and I would of paid the full $300ish price tag for it- I mean hello it comes all set up already with filtration and all. I'm assuming there was some issue in the brands coming together on this one? It fits super nice and attractively on the shoulders and waist- the waist is a light but sturdy adjustable clip- which I want and not unnecessarily bulky. The drinking spout stays neatly and hidden in the secure tuckaway pouch on the strap- a feature the current hydration backpack at Matador doesn't have which is why I chose not to buy that one and search high and low for a vendor who had the last bit of this bag left in stock (sad) and campsaver saved my dreams for it. It also has many loops to attach things and AWESOME reusable zip ties to use anywhere on the bag. The inflatable back is a great addition! And I love that I don't have to cary around a bulky water bottle. I love feeling super secure that I can literally haul this around on travel days anywhere and not worry about any rain. NO it's not ogoing to stand up right and sag some, but I don't care- I bougth it to be able to easily and compactly tra...
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I've had this bag for a couple of months and generally been very happy with it. I've primarily used it as a day bag when traveling.

Good:
* Super packable. Easy to throw into another pack an. Fit nicely under the seat in front of me on a plane
* Hydration pack works really well. I haven't tried removing the filter, but even with it inline water flow was good
* Holds a good amount - I found no problems using it as a day pack and throwing a book and a few day items. Even with the bladder full
* Back Panel Providers some airflow -The back panel definitely provides a noticeable amount airflow on my back. Not as much a pack with a rigid frame, but I wouldn't expect that
* Hose pocket on the shoulder strap works great
* comfortable enough for a full day of use.

Room for improvement
* Back mesh isn't durable - I got a small tear in the back mesh while adjusting the hose to the hydration pack. I had a good amount of weight in the bag and was holding it awkardly, but I was a bit disappointed
* The chest strap is pretty short - I'm not large person, but I found the chest strap to be too short and ultimately unusable.
* The hydration hose is a little bit too long - This is pretty minor and I' sure I could fix it, but the hose is just awkwardly long
* The valve on the back panel was somewhat uncomfortable
* I wish there were another mechanism for closing the top of the bag to allow for some quicker access that rolling/unrolling and double clipping each side