The new USWE EPIC series of hydration packs offer mountain bikers a fully-featured pack with an innovative 4-point harness system that keeps it securely on your back even in the gnarliest terrain. The packs are equipped with their bounce-free No Dancing Monkey 1.2 harness system, with integrated elastic straps that allow freedom to breathe and move in action.
The tested EPIC 8 features a main storage compartment for the hydration bladder and larger gear and a smaller zippered front organizer pocket for tools, equipment, and food. It has an integrated stretch mesh helmet holder, which can also carry a jacket or armor. The Epic 8 has 8 liters of storage, a 3-liter bladder, and comes in Blue/Black and Red/Black color schemes and retails for $139.95.
The Epic Series comes in three sizes, Epic 3, Epic 8, and Epic 12.
Backpanel and Harness System
The backpanel utilizes a thin, flexible mesh-covered foam sheet along with six raised foam pads. The separated pads have airflow slots between them for improved breathability, comfort, and conformability around and on the back. The mesh-covered foam pads also have additional horizontal ridges to further aid in ventilation.
It utilizes their innovative Bounce free No Dancing Monkey 1.2 harness system, which features integrated elastic straps that expand along with the chest during physical exertion and movement on the bike, allowing ideal tautness and compliance. This flexibility offers excellent stability and security for the pack on your upper back, no matter the load or the roughness of the terrain. Velcro adjusters on all four stretchy harness straps trim the load to conform to the back optimally. It features ventilated mesh-covered foam shoulder straps with air slots that are lightweight, comfortable, and breathable. The reservoirs drink tube can be routed down either side, depending on preference.
Storage
It has quite a few functional pockets and compartments, including a large main compartment, a front compartment, and an integrated elastic mesh helmet holder, hidden in a zippered section at the bottom of the pack.
The front zippered pocket was useful for a wallet, a smartphone, small tools, wipes, gloves, and other smaller sundry items. There were three elastic holders for tools and two elastic sleeves at the back of the front pocket for organizing flatter things. The main compartment has a nice long zipper and opens in clamshell-style for easy access, and it’s the central location I’d stick larger items, such as apparel, gloves, caps, first aid kit, a tool roll, and bulkier things. The back of the main has a large deep sleeve for the hydration reservoir, which keeps the bladder stable and secure.
All the pockets and compartments combine to give the pack 8-liters of storage space.
Reservoir
It uses the Hydrapak 3.0L/100oz Elite hydration bladder, is 100% BPA, and PVC-free. It features 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.
Impressions
Their Bounce free No Dancing Monkey harness system worked like a charm, and it kept the pack stable and secure on my back, even on the gnarliest and bumpiest terrain. It stayed stuck to my upper back without any undue movement, and I never felt the loss of not having a waist belt for additional security. I enjoyed the center connect system, as it was easy to click it together, and one button pushes it back up open.
The reservoir’s drink tube can be routed down either side, but I found the hook which prevents the tube from flopping around sits down low enough that you have to bend your head slightly to take a sip.
I could trim the fit and load by adjusting the Velcro shoulder straps and/or the chest straps, and it was easy to reach to any of them to alter things. The stretchy straps of the harness provided plenty of chest expansion for breathing and movement on the bike, but you did have to be careful of getting things too tight and constricting. After some practice, it’s pretty simple to adjust things for the optional fit for the load and apparel you are wearing.
The pack had plenty of storage for milder temperatures, so it’s perfect for Spring, Summer, and Fall, but the 5-liters of storage space aren’t enough to carry gear for cold weather. The ability of the pack to carry bulkier apparel and jackets in the helmet holder does provide for some extension into the cusp seasons. The pack is highly conformable to your back, and the synergy with the elastic shoulder and chest strap offers a lot of comfort and plushness. The flexible backpanel with its raised foam pads offered plenty of comforts and enough airflow, ventilation, and breathability, so I didn’t feel like I got overly damp. There was some usable space down in the bottom corners of the pack where you could shove items, especially soft gear, apparel, etc.
I mostly used the helmet holder to carry my armor on rides, and it was a breeze to open the bottom zipper and extract the integrated holder. The elastic mesh cover could hold a jacket, armor, or a big helmet without any issues.
The 3.0L/100oz hydration bladder has an easy-to-use slide top that opens wide for quick filling and closes tight for a leakproof seal. The bite valve offered smooth, free-flowing drinking, and the quick connect hose system made changeouts simple. I did find filling the bladder to its maximum capacity flattens and stiffens out the pack a bit much and made their harness system feel a bit too tight and awkward, and prevents it from conforming to the back as well, so I kept it below 2.5-liters for an ideal fit.
Bottom Line
The superb NDM (No Dancing Monkey) harness system kept the pack stable and secure on my back on any terrain, and it felt like it became one with my back, without any excess movement or bouncing. It was simple to adjust the Velcro shoulder and chest straps to alter the trim of the pack depending on load and personal requirements, and I loved the center connector with its easy one-button release. The packs flexible backpanel with its raised foam pads and elastic harness straps provided excellent comfort, comfortability, stability, and breathability.
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