Pack it Up, Pack it In...

A few weeks ago I bought myself a post-race treat in the form of a hydration backpack.  Sort of a weird choice, but not only am I trying to get in to hiking, I'm playing softball once a week and the field is a 4-7 mile run away.

I needed something big enough to fit my glove and an extra shirt, but small and secure enough that it wouldn't bounce around and drive me crazy while I was running.  After a few trips to sporting goods stores where I jumped up and down and slow-jogged through the store with packs on, I settled on the North Face Women's Torrent 8.

(photo courtesy of backcountry.com)

While I wasn't buying it based on color, it's nice to know it's cute!

I've only taken the pack out on a couple of runs, but so far it's performed really well.  It takes a good 2-5 minutes for it to settle in to the right spot on my back, but once it does I don't really feel it.  I haven't had any problems with chafing and, because this pack is designed specifically for women, all of the straps fasten in comfortable places.  I'm really happy with the performance of the "bladder" that holds the water - it stayed perfectly sealed, the mouthpiece was easy to lock and unlock to drink out of, and it's surprisingly simple to clean.  Truth be told, I don't have any complaints about this pack... except for the price.  Hydration packs are surprisingly expensive and this was no exception.  $110 is a lot to spend on a tiny backpack, but it has a lifetime guarantee and I have a feeling I'm going to be using it a lot.