Hydration Pack Review - Camelbak Magic

**DISCLAIMER:  The thoughts, opinions & reviews noted in this post are mine based on my own experience.  I do not receive "free" gear to test out from any companies (although, if someone would like to send me some, I'd certainly oblige in being a tester for you).  So to reiterate, all products noted in this post were purchased by me and below you'll find my personal opinion of each.

In researching hydration packs, I read a bazillion reviews for the Camelbak Magic.  All of which were rated high leading me to believe I'd finally found a great pack.  The Magic is specific to a women's build so I figured between the design & the reviews I'd landed on a win.  Umm...not so much.

The pack is definitely designed with the ladies in mind in terms of it fitting to a woman's torso and curves.  A big plus and I give the designers a high five for this.  However, the sternum strap left me frustrated & disappointed and was the deal breaker for me.  The issue is that there is not ample strap length to allow for adjusting the sternum strap for a comfortable fit specifically if you have boobs.  You can move the strap attachments on each side placing it where you like and they stay in place thanks to the design & parts used (even if they were plastic), but I was bummed in discovering that regardless of where I positioned it, I could not get a comfortable fit.  

I tried it above the chest which was tight & uncomfy.  I then tried it directly across the chest which resulted in being way too tight and resulted in super smushed boobs creating a very distorted, disturbing look.  Lastly I tried it just under the chest.  While I could tolerate this for a short time, it was just too tight and eventually started restricting my breathing a bit.  All that being said, unless I'm a complete idiot in putting this particular pack on, what I discovered is that if you have boobs, you can forget being comfy with this pack.  While designed for women, it seem you must be a woman who is small chested or flat chested and you must have absolutely no body fat in order for the sternum strap to fit.  Sadly had the makers of this pack been thinking, this is a ridiculously easy fix.  See the problem is there's not enough strap length to allow you to adjust it to your bust/width.  All I needed was another couple of inches & I could've prolly made this pack fit pretty darn well.  

The pros of this pack are that the waist belt has ample strap length & I had no problems adjusting this to a comfy fit.  In addition, it is also removable if you don't want to use it all.  Great feature & well designed in that it is super easy to take off & on!  The side/back straps seemed to be strategically designed for a women's build, but they often came loose.  This was aggravating & a distraction when trying to run.  I suppose this is a minor issue overall as the straps can likely be rigged to ensure a tight, secure fit.   However, if I'm dropping $79+ on a pack, technically they should stay in place without any issues or rigging necessary.  (Side Note:  My previous Camelbak was a Mule.  Never had issues w/ the straps.  Easy to fit, adjusted well & they stayed in place.)  Lastly, the Magic has great storage/pocket design.  The bladder section is separate, well insulated & comes with your typical 2L bladder & big bite valve.  Decent airflow as well.