Pressurized Hydration Pack - RIG 500 - Citrus

This is, in general, a very well made and ingenious product. As I am training for the 111 mile El Tour de Tucson - and I'm training in what is essentially the high desert - this has quickly become one of my favorite "add ons." I use it on almost all my rides. Probably a third of the water I start out with I end up using not for hydration but for cooling myself down. The ability to spray ice cold water on my face or even through the air vents in the top of my helmet is wonderful when I'm training under a brain-baking sun. But I also notice that when I'm riding with someone else that I'm drinking small amounts of water more frequently and with more ease than they are. I don't know how you could make getting a drink any easier.There are two things that prevent me from giving this a 5-star rating. The first is that the bag the water goes in reeks of vinyl when you first open it and it takes way too long to get rid of that. The first time I used it (after washing it once in the dishwasher) the water not only tasted bad, it actually smelled like plastic. It took me a week of cleaning and soaking it in different things to finally get water I didn't mind drinking out of the thing. Using orange extract in a little water and letting it sit in the bag for most of the day followed by washing it in the dishwasher seemed to finally do the trick.The other thing is that it's not as easy to get the water bag into the pack as I'd like, especially when I'm heading out on a long ride and want to carry a full 70 ounces. Perhaps if the pouch the bag goes into could be unzipped at least half way it would be as easy to use as everything else about the pack. I've also noticed that over time the connector for the air pump tube, which is on the back side of the bag, has become much harder to use. The tube won't click into the connector anywhere near as easily as the water tube does.All that having been said, I would -- and frequently do -- recommend this product. I'd choose this any day over carrying multiple water bottles with me.

I tested this pack out on 8/23/14 at a Spartan Super in Virginia. The covered zippers worked great! No mud go into the pack. All pockets stayed clean and clear. This is also my trail running pack. Really the only thing that needs attention is the connection at the air pump bulb, it kept coming off and mud got into the air bladder side. The only other thing I would like to see is that the fastex buckles are a little small and on the cheap side. I'd like to see Military grade buckles. Other than that I love the pack! It is one of the most comfortable packs I have ever had. If you are into OCR racing or trail running this pack is for you!Okay this is an update to my review of this pack.I just completed the Spartan Beast 10/25/14 in SC. The fastex buckles need to be changed! I hate these little cheap buckles! Also the bulb didn't come off not once in this race. The reason being in the last race I had placed it to far down on the strap and didn't give sufficient room movement. Also the valve is way to small to open when your hands are covered in mud and water! I'd suggest using the camel back valve instead since it is larger. It is still the most comfortable pack this size I have ever worn! I love how it stays put and you just don't even notice it back there! Man that part is awesome! Also the size is just about perfect for an OCR. Plenty of room for water, food, IBU, tape etc. Basically if they fix the things I mention above this would be just about perfect if there was such a thing! Aroo! That said I will live with the things I don't like or at least until I find a better pack this size. Iw wish Mystery Ranch would come out with a pack this size!

The Geigerrig is a solid pack. There's no worry of the bladder bursting. The nylon fabric is great, you'll have no concerns about the pack ripping. The pressurized system is innovative and works pretty well. I'm a big guy, and this pack fits me fine.I did have a few issues, some are design flaws, and others are preferences. I used this pack on the Vermont Spartan Beast in 2016 (16 miles) last year and this is what I found:1.)The hose from the bulb would pop out occasionally while doing the obstacles. I checked online and this is apparently quite common. The good thing is that the bulb is velcroed to the vest, so there was no real concern of losing it2.)Dispensing the water worked fine, however if you hold the hose too high, the water doesn't come out. You need to hold it at the same level (or lower) as your chest otherwise, the water doesn't come out (or doesn't come out strong.) Before I had realized this, I had to start doing a check of "is the pack pressurized? Is it pressurized enough? Is the spout turned on or off? "Am I not squeezing the end hard enough? Am I squeezing it in the right place?"3.)I found that the two zippers in the back seem to creep open during the obstacles. I didn't lose anything but I easily could have.4.)There are no front pockets, so there was no quick access to anything. If I wanted anything from the pack, I would have to take it off, then put it back on.Overall, I'd say it's a great pack with good storage space for gear but still needs adjustments to the design

Believing that a pressurized method for a water source would be logical. And anyone that owns a hydration bag knows that sucking can be a pain. I tried this unit out. The backpack it comes in is nicely done, with ventilation on the back, and quality material used throughout.You can fill this thing with water/ice/drink, it has a big opening at the top, then you seal it and by using a pump, add air to a bladder next to the hydration bladder and it puts pressure to push the water thru the hose. It works just as advertised. I liked it, and there are many times you can use a hard stream of water, either for the dog, or to wash your legs off. Kinda cool.The size of the bladder is 2L. It isn't big enough, and I have run out of water before finishing my ride or hike. So I would make sure to get the 3L. I tried to purchase just a 3L bladder from the companyand not the hoses and pump, but they didn't offer it, and a new bladder is 50 bucks. Ouch.Hope that helps.