Despite the influx of in-frame or on-bike storage options, I don’t think hydration packs will ever disappear from mountain biking. They are an excellent option for hauling a lot of water, and extra layers for cool or wet rides. This year I got to test Thule’s AllTrail 10L pack and found it to be a solid pack for hauling plenty of water and cargo.
The AllTrail 10L offers a great magnet system to hold the bladder’s straw, and I was impressed by its durable and weather-resistant fabric. Its back panel ventilation is nothing special, but it is comfortable to wear. The AllTrail 10L’s functionality and construction quality meet my expectations from an established brand like Thule.
Thule AllTrail 10L Hydration Pack – Construction and Features:
Thule’s AllTrail 10L is a mid-sized hydration pack intended for biking or hiking. For storage, this pack offers a full-length main pocket, a zippered mesh pocket inside the main cargo area, a top pocket with a key clip and mesh dividers for small items, and two stretchy mesh side pockets. The pack’s dimensions are 9x5x18.5”.
This pack features Thule’s 2.5L bladder, which has a baffle inside to reduce movement from the water. The bladder’s slide-on top closure makes for easy filling and secure closing, and the mouthpiece has a lock-off. The AllTrail 10L includes a fabric loop to hold the bladder upright inside the pack.
One nifty and unique feature of the AllTrail 10L is Thule’s ReTrakt magnetic hose holder. A sleeve on the hose contains a long cylindrical magnet, which sticks to a similar magnet on the shoulder strap. The cover on the hose also hides the lower section of hose from sunlight and heat. This pack does not offer the option of routing your hose to either side; the magnet is fixed on the right shoulder strap.
Thule’s Air Mesh back panel aims to keep you cool and comfortable on the trails. However, while that name might suggest a floating mesh panel, it’s not that deluxe. The back panel features two full-length pads that are perforated and breathable. The inside of the shoulder straps are lined with the same material, but the straps themselves are not cut out or perforated.
The AllTrail 10L’s waist strap is detachable, and the sternum strap is height-adjustable. Thule included elastic loops to wrangle the loose ends of the waist straps and sternum straps. However, the shoulder straps get a plastic slider instead, which does leave the tail ends hanging.
A top carry handle makes it easy to move this pack around pre/post-ride, or during trailside stops. One web loop for attaching a rear light is located on the lower back. There are also two rows of semi-hidden webbing loops for attaching other accessories or cargo. All the zippers get string pulls for easy operation with gloved hands.
Eco-friendly folks will be pleased to know the AllTrail 10L is made with Bluesign-certified polyester main fabric and a PFC-free DWR CO coating.
Ride Impressions:
I’ve been riding the AllTrail 10L pack since spring, so it’s been put through a good number of test rides. The pack and bladder have had no functional issues at all. The pack is still in practically perfect condition, and the bladder hasn’t leaked a drop. One thing I was happy to notice was how well the straps stayed in place. I’ve had no slippage from the buckles on the shoulder, waist, or sternum straps.
This pack offers a good amount of cargo space, but not a ton of pockets to divide up your stuff. The largest main pocket can carry any reasonably packable midlayer or jacket, with room to spare. There is one zippered mesh pocket inside for smaller items. Aside from that, you get a top pocket with two mesh pouches inside. All in all, you have five inside pockets to divide up your tools and cargo. The pack also has mesh pockets on both sides, providing further storage for items that don’t need to be zippered up and weather-protected.
The least impressive aspect of this pack is probably the Air Mesh back panel’s ventilation. It’s nothing fancy, just two large perforated pads. The pack is perfectly comfortable, but it’s not the coolest as it does contact a fairly large area of your back. As for the shoulder straps, I’ve seen lighter and more breathable designs from other brands.
While the dangling shoulder strap ends never posed a problem, I don’t like how Thule put plastic sliders on them instead of the elastic loops they used elsewhere. The sliders tend to slide up the straps and don’t do much to keep the loose ends from dangling freely. As some of the photos show, I left the packaging tape on the straps for several weeks since it kept them bundled up.
As for water, 2.5L is enough capacity to get most riders through a recreational day on the trails. The AllTrail 10L is not a huge pack, but I like how Thule stuck with a big bladder as it provides the option of hauling lots of water. The mouthpiece provides ample flow, and even though I never locked it off it didn’t leak once while I rode.
Thule did win me over with their magnetic ReTrakt straw attachment! This design works very well, with a slight toss in the right direction the hose easily snaps back into place as you ride. Only once or twice during my testing, the straw did not return to the magnet strip, and a quick nudge got it secured. There is a clip above the magnet strip, but I was always able to drink without unclipping the hose. I don’t mind having the straw on the right side, but if you like yours on the left you’re out of luck with the AllTrail 10L.
After many test rides, I’m very impressed with the AllTrail pack’s durability and weather resistance. There are no abrasions, tears, or excess wear anywhere on the fabric, and it fended off light rain really well. More than once I rode in light to steady rain for about an hour, mostly exposed to the sky, and the pack held the rain off perfectly. Everything inside was bone dry and there were large beads of water sitting on the outer fabric. I also noticed the fabric seems pretty resistant to mud splatter, which doesn’t stain the pack easily.
Thule’s AllTrail 10L hydration pack retails for $109.95. It is available in Black, Pond (as tested), or Faded Khaki colors.
