Gravel Union test the New ADVNTR Gravel Hydration Pack.
GRVL launched its ADVNTR Hydration Pack at the end of April and, from a completely selfish gravel rider’s perspective, the timing couldn’t have been better. Since then, record-breaking temperatures have swept across Europe, making the ability to carry plenty of water increasingly important for anyone heading out into the hills. The ADVNTR version of the hydration pack builds on the original design by adding an extra 2.5 litres of cargo capacity. Clive Parkinson has been putting it through its paces to see how it performs in the real world and reports back with his findings.
When I spotted the launch of the GRVL ADVNTR pack, I was intrigued and was interested in trying it out. My cycling journey started more years ago than I care to remember. When I first started riding, I used to stuff as much as possible in the rear pockets of my road jersey. On the days when I was mountain biking, I used to rely on a waist pack, as mountain biking jerseys at the time came without rear pockets. Over time, I went from using waist packs to using backpacks and then I returned to waist packs. If I’m road riding or gravel riding, I have previously carried liquids in bottles on my bike and filled my jersey pockets with everything else that I need. If I’m honest, I was a little suspicious of wearing a hydration pack on a dropbar bike – I assumed it would be too sweaty and cumbersome.
Since the GRVL pack arrived, a couple of things have happened. The first is that I’ve started working as a cycling guide for a local tour operator, which means I’ve been doing some long days in the saddle. When I’m working as a guide, I need to have easy access to the emergency equipment that I’m expected to carry – a first aid kit, some emergency energy bars, a spare layer of clothing and, on some trips, a walkie-talkie. Previously I might have used a bar bag or a frame bag for this, but having access to the GRVL pack meant I could split what I needed to carry – some of it on my bike and some of it on my back.
The other big change this year is how often I’ve been riding in higher temperatures. I’ve ridden all over the UK and in parts of mainland Europe this year and at times I’ve been riding in really hot conditions; consequently, I’ve needed to drink much more. Most of the time we can find water fill-up points pretty easily – if I’m working, we normally have access to a support vehicle, for example, but there are times when I’ve needed to carry extra water and having capacity for a couple of litres on my back has been great.
I have used this pack extensively over the last three months in a variety of settings, from all-day group gravel rides to week-long trips when I’ve been guiding. I’ve used it in three different ways:
- Using the pack to carry extra gear, but without using the bladder. I carried water in a bottle on the bike
- Using both the bladder and a bottle on the bike in the recent heat waves, but without attaching the cargo pack.
- Using the bladder and the clip-on cargo pack to carry rain gear or clothing which I had removed during the ride.
The GRVL pack is very versatile and the fact that you could remove the extra cargo section so easily is a great idea. The pack sits high enough on your back to still allow the use of road jersey pockets. The strap and buckle system holds the pack firmly enough to feel part of you as you move on the bike, even when riding on rough terrain.
Although aesthetics shouldn’t matter, particularly when I’m guiding, looking the part is almost a requirement of the job. The GRVL pack is stylish with clean lines and it seems to ‘go’ with most of my cycling kit.
The quality of the material used in the construction is very robust and there are no obvious signs of wear over the three months that I have been using it. It has remained waterproof even under the occasional heavy downpour and is not too sweaty, despite using it in intense heat.
Overall I’ve been really impressed. The GRVL pack has been more flexible and adaptable than I was expecting and hasn’t been anything like as sweaty or cumbersome as I had feared. From both a guiding perspective and when I’ve been doing long social rides, the ability to carry extra water and ‘stuff’ has been extremely useful.
