Hydro Flask 5 L Down Shift Hydration Hip Pack Review

The Hydro Flask 5 L Down Shift Hydration Hip Pack was designed to keep your water cold and back ventilated while offering lumbar hugging stability and comfort. The pack offers 1.5-liters of chilled hydration for biking and hiking with optimal airflow, and it features Hydro Flask’s innovative Cold Flow System that keeps water cold for 3+ hours.

The 5 L Down Shift Hydration Hip Pack will be available in Sapphire (tested) and Black colors and will retail for $99.95.

Reservoir System

The pack features Hydro Flask’s Cold Flow System, a unique network of insulating technology and design components that work together to keep water cold for more than 3 hours. The insulated 1.5-liter HydraPak IsoBound sweat-proof reservoir and the pack’s reflective neoprene internal sleeve safeguard the cold water temperatures. At the same time, the breathable back panel prevents body heat transfer to the water inside. The reservoir is 100% BPA & PVC free and utilizes a Double-wall construction and open-cell foam technology. Other features are HydraPak ‘s Slide-Seal top, which opens wide for quick filling and closes tight for a leakproof seal, the High-flow Blaster bite valve, and the Plug-N-Play quick connect hose system.

Backpanel

The pack utilizes a mesh-covered and foam backpanel that offers plenty of comfort and padding. The center cutout offers more conformability so that it fits the curves of your back. The hip wings feature a light mesh material over a thinner foam that provides plenty of ventilating with just enough padding for comfort and enough stiffness and wrap-around characteristics for stability.

Storage

Even with its small size, it has a few useful pockets and compartments, including the main compartment with its elastic tool/pump sleeves and a meshed zippered pocket, elastic side sleeves, hip wing pockets, and a fleece-lined zippered front pocket.

The 1.5-liter HydraPak IsoBound reservoir fits into the zippered rear compartment that utilizes an insulated sleeve design. The main compartment is for larger items, including gloves, headscarves, tools, first aid kit, wallet, thin windbreaker, etc. Each side has an elastic sleeve that is perfect for snacks, a camera, water bottles, or anything you might want at an easy reach. The hip wings zippered pockets are on the small side, but gels and food snacks fit nicely in them. The softly padded and fleece-lined zippered front pocket is a fairly decent size and is ideal for any size smartphone.

The adjustable front tie-down straps are advantageous as an overflow to carry armor, jackets, and apparel, which is especially useful since internal space is at a premium. Additionally, the straps provide compression capabilities to snug down the load. When the straps were being used, it did make accessing the front pocket and main compartment more difficult to access.

The compression/attachment straps can be tucked away in a Velcoroed compartment under the pack’s bottom if desired.

Impressions

The hip pack’s shoulderless design moves it conformably into the lumbar and lower back and hips, offering increased stability and comfort and draws the center of gravity close to the torso. The plushly padded hip wings and backpanel snuggly fit into the curves of your back for the utmost comfort and fit. It has a simple 1.5″ front waist belt with a quick-release buckle, and the strap offers easy adjustment, and its tail is nicely tucked under a moveable capture loop.

The reservoir’s tubing snakes out from the rear compartment’s right side and then wraps around the front. The hose couples with a hook on the left side close to its bite valve. I found it was quick and easy to detach and take a sip of water, though the reattachment on the fly at speed was sometimes problematic.

Once the pack was trimmed in with the waist belt, it pulled into my back like glue and adhered and contoured into the nooks and crannies of the lumbar, back, and hip region. It became part of my back and was hardly noticeable, and it stayed in place, even on the gnarliest trails. Due to its smaller size, I didn’t suffer any substantial bouncing issues with the pack, which can sometimes happen with most hip pack designs.

Even though the small pack only has a 5-liter capacity, their smart organization system and space layout for storage make things seem more substantial and functional. The front zippered fleece-lined pocket is decently large, and my monster iPhone 7 Plus with a waterproof case slips in without any interference.

The main compartment has a useful horizontal rectangular interior shape for your larger gear, though it isn’t big enough for bulkier items. The back of the main has an elastic meshed sleeve for tools, tire wrenches, CO2 canisters, and other smaller and flatter items, while the front has a meshed zippered pocket for securing smaller stuff like keys, wallets, etc. The front flap flips downward and out of the way, making it easy to access the main compartment. The zippered pockets on the hip wings were small, but gels, food snacks, and a headscarf fit nicely into the somewhat cramped space.

The stretchy side sleeve pockets are made with puncture and tear-resistant ripstop nylon. They can fit both Standard and Wide Mouth bottles up to 24 ounces, providing flexible hydration options for extended journeys. Additionally, the side sleeves can be used for other smaller gear, such as gloves and knit hats, and I found them especially useful for my pocket camera. Fortunately, it didn’t take any extreme body contortions to pull any gear out of the side sleeves.

The reservoir’s rear compartment utilizes a reflective neoprene sleeve that offers decent insulative properties to the contents. The 1.5-liter HydraPak IsoBound reservoir and the insulated sleeve work in synergy to keep water cold for around 3+ hours, though the time range is highly dependent on the ambient air temperature. Varying the amount of ice in the reservoir can alter the contents’ temperature, keeping it colder for a longer period of time. The only caveat with too much ice is that you can get a brain freeze sometimes due to the initial shock, though slow slips delineate the issue. Even when the reservoir was full, I could still toss a pair of gloves or other small soft items on the top of the reservoir and still close the rear compartment. When the reservoir is full of water, it can make the pack bulge out slightly so that the pack doesn’t conform perfectly to your back, but after a short period of drinking, it flattens out.

The HydraPak reservoir is easy to use, fill, and clean, greatly enhanced by their innovative slider-top open and close system. The bite valve offers an excellent draw and high flow, and the quick connect hose system provides for easy removal and insertion.

Bottomline

The Hydro Flask 5 L Down Shift Hydration Hip Pack with its 5-liter capacity was just about perfect for most mild mountain biking forays. The pack’s storage layout with its two elastic hip sleeves and front pocket offered great organizational characteristics. The main with the long curved zipper had a functionally wide opening, making gear retrieval easy. The front compressions straps provide additional carrying capacity for armor, jackets, and bulkier apparel.

The innovative Hydro Flask Cold Flow System utilizes a 1.5-liter HydraPak IsoBound reservoir and an insulated sleeve in the pack that works together to keep iced water cold for around 3+ hours.  The HydraPak reservoir, with its slider-top, made the filling and cleaning easy, and the bite valve offers an excellent draw and flow.

Once the waist belt and compressions straps were tightened down, the pack sucked snuggly and conformably into your back, for a Velcro-like fit, with tons of stability, security, and comfort, even in the dynamic motion encountered during rough rides. The padded backpanel and hip belt worked in synergy to help this design become part of your back, with an almost invisible feeling while wearing the pack.

Click here to purchase the 5L Down Shift