During my recent roadtrip to Utah, the High Sierra Piranha 10L hydration pack
was a staple of all my outdoor adventures. Whether it be hiking, trail running, or numerous days of mountain biking, the pack carried all the snacks, water, tools, and extra layers I needed to take on everything the Wasatch had to offer, including the volatile summer weather.
The 2L BPA-free and antimicrobial High Sierra hydration reservoir opens fully at the top for easy filling, cleaning, and most of all drying. A fold over and slide closure system, along with separate hydration compartment inside the pack, work together to protect your other gear from any spillage.
A mesh helmet cover pulls out of a zippered compartment at the bottom of the pack for storing your helmet when you are off the bike. A stretch pocket at the front of the pack is good for storing snacks or accessories like your gloves and arm sleeves, while the large exterior reflective loop creates the perfect blinky attachment point, a necessity in the fog filled summer riding of the Bay Area.
Even though the Piranha hydration pack offers 10L of storage space, I found that a full hydration bladder takes up quite a bit of room. I can fit a couple of spare tubes, bike tools, a rain jacket, and some snacks in the main compartment but it is a tight squeeze. An internal zippered mesh pocket is great for storing your essentials such as keys, phone, and wallet, but I would love to see access to that pocket from the outside or even the pocket moved further up to the top of the pack so you don't have to fully unzip the main compartment just to look at your phone.
The hydration pack itself is extremely lightweight, with an adjustable sternum strap and side compression straps to help stabilize loads or used to store trekking poles in conjunction with the bottom gear loops. The waist belt is removable if you want to use the Piranha as a running pack or just don't like straps around your waist when you ride.
Bottom Line: The Piranha 10L makes a great hydration pack for those done in a day trail adventures (running, hiking, mountain biking) where you don't need to carry tons of extra gear.
The High Sierra Piranha 10L hydration pack
retails for $100 (currently 1/2 price on Amazon!) and is available now.