Thanks again to Mike Downey for the review!
The camelbak HAWG nv ( NV for style of back paneling) is their largest bag on the market, storage wise, and thought it would be a great choice for the Beast. I won’t bore you with all the stats you can look and compare for yourself. But if you’re a taller person like me, 6’0, this may be a good bag to look.
The camelbak lobo has a torso length of 15″ and the HAWG has a torso length of 17.5. What does that mean? It means the bag is taller and for taller people it sits a bit better on your back and the straps are in a bit better position than if you were to use the lobo.
Now for the biggest downside to this bag. Unlike the lobo that is made of a lighter more breathable material, the HAWG sucks at shedding water. When I hit the swim portions of the Beast the bag gained a ton of weight and made getting out of the water very hard. I am guessing with 3l of water it must have been close to 40-50lbs and I had to literally open every pocket upside down and let tons of water drain out.
So, on a longer wet race, this may be a hindrance for some with the extra weight and time to drain the bag. Other than that, tons of pockets for storage in the front. The main pocket is split in half for separation of goods, a pocket on each side of the waist strap that can hold 4 gu each. You then have an open air pouch behind it and then a fleece lined pocket for glasses or something small. Then you have a full length inner pocket with another pouch and then the final pocket for bladder. Also with how this bag is designed, if going long distance, I could easily see a second 3l bladder being added to this rig to make it 6l of total water storage. Also on the bottom it does come with a built-in rain coat for the bag.
Product info: http://www.camelbak.com/en/Canada/Military-Tactical/Packs/Hawg.aspx
Rating: 4 star (good)
