Utah was made for mountain biking. Whether it’s the slickrock of Moab, the packed dirt of Park City, or anywhere in between, Beehive State bikers have it good. If you want to ride all day without worrying about having enough water, food and other gear, you will likely be slinging a pack over your shoulders. Platypus has designed their Duthie A.M. Hydration pack lineup with stability, comfort, and storage in mind. I got my hands on the 10.0 version, and have used it on all of my summer biking adventures (and beyond). Is it the ideal all-mountain pack for Utah bikers? Here are my thoughts on the matter.
There are three main features on the Duthie Hydration pack: the included 3.0L BigZip LP reservoir, the smart hydration pocket, and FloatAir back panel. I am a water hog on the trail, so the ability to carry up to 3 liters is a big winner in my book. The smart hydration pocket is an effective feature for a two reasons: the suspension hooks keep the bladder from jostling around, and keeping the bladder separate means you don’t waste valuable space for storing other items. Confined to its own area, it is ready to be quickly accessed for fill-ups or cleaning. Finally, the FloatAir back panel worked as Platypus claimed: the weight of the pack did not compress against my back, and the panel worked to keep air flowing and my shirt dry. Even on hot July days, the only place I soaked through was around the shoulder straps. Here are a few additional features of the Duthie A.M. 10.0:
• Full face helmet and pad carry pockets
• Fleece lined eyewear/electronics pocket
• Waist belt zip pockets
• Rainfly
• Reflective detailing
• Magnetic hydration hose retention
• Total weight of 2 lbs. 2 oz.
After considering some of these features, and how they performed on the trail, I have to say I’m quite thrilled with this pack. The main compartment featured plenty of space to store my bulky items (spare tube, rain jacket, munchies, etc.) while the storage compartments allowed me to keep things like my pump and tools from crashing around with everything else. I am a fan of the fleece lined eyewear pocket, which became the go-to home for my smartphone during my rides. And kudos to Platypus for the included rainfly and dedicated pocket; I love this design feature and wish more companies would use it!
Riding with the Duthie 10.0 pack was a no-brainer. For me, it’s an ideal pack for nearly any type of cruise. It’s not so big that you can overload it and weigh yourself down, but it does have enough space to stash everything you need for long rides or downhilling pursuits. Whether I crammed it full or kept it light, I barley noticed I was wearing it (that goes for both ascents and descents). Additionally, the Duthie is so comfortable that I found myself using it as my hiking pack all season long. Two-sport capability from a single pack? I’m all in.
Is the Duthie A.M. Hydration pack the perfect bag for mountain bikers? Well, I can’t speak for anyone else, but it is certainly my new every-ride bag. And my most-of-the-time hiking bag, as well. The attention to detail in design and build quality make this a great choice for just about anyone, whether you just need to bring a few tools or the kitchen sink on your next outing. For my money, it doesn’t get much better.
The Good: Sturdy, comfortable, hydration ready and plenty of storage space
The Bad: Nary a foul word to say
The Verdict: The Duthie A.M. 10.0 Hydration pack is tough enough to handle anything that Utah trails can throw at it, and is comfortable on rides of any length.