Camelbaks - are they worth it?

[SalsaMTB]

The one thing I would warn about with Camelbak is the opening mechanism for the bladder. I purchased one about 1.5 years ago and I seriously had so many problems opening it. It killed my hands. It was a new design, not sure if they have changed it, but it was awful. I actually had to have DH open it a few times, and he had a really hard time with it also. My SIL also had a camelback that was very tough to open. I recently purchased a Hydrapak and LOVE the design of opening/closing the bladder. Very easy to use. So, my recommendation, before you purchase a camelbak, try opening and closing it a few times. There wasn't a break in period, if it's tough to open in the store, it will forever be hard to open,

[Nanci]

I agree, Salsa, when they went to the new wide-mouth bladders, the screw cap seems to tighten up WAY tighter than I know I tightened it. Sometimes I've wondered if I was ever going to get it open...The Rogue lets you just flip up a flap on the back and not remove the bladder- so if you're at a convenience store, a buddy can just top you off without you having to remove it, if you want.

Southernbelle, I don't know if you can get this as an add-on or not, but some of the CBs, like the military versions, have black insulation over the hose that keeps it cooler.