Product Review: USWE Outlander 9 hydration pack

Camelbak might be the name best associated with motorcycle hydration packs but a relatively new alternative is capturing the attention of many Aussie riders.

Founded in 2007, Swedish company USWE (pronounced you-swii) was built around the principle that you should be able to wear a hydration pack in action without feeling like you’re wearing anything at all. The newcomer also purportedly does away with the dreaded dancing monkey, too – but more on that in a moment.

Priced at $199.95 retail, the Outlander 9 is geared towards full day adventure touring. It features nine litres worth of storage along with a three-litre bladder. You can choose from numerous colour schemes including our own Crazy Yellow hue.

We’ve been running the USWE Outlander 9 for a couple months at bikesales, and the takeaway verdict is unequivocally positive.

First, let’s chat pockets. The Outlander 9 features three main compartments.

The front pocket is great for cable ties, small tools and odds and ends, offering a thin mesh net as one pocket and a fabric pocket complete with a Velcro panel to stop things flying around. There’s also an elastic panel to secure small riding tools.

The second pocket sits in the middle of the pack and offers a water-resistant section for phones and wallets (not to be mistaken as waterproof), while the third pocket is home to the three-litre bladder, which is sectioned off via a thin material strip, and another open space for odds and ends. There’s also a rubber grommet atop the pack that allows you to feed a headphone cable.

Total weight of the USWE Outlander 9 is 445g excluding the bladder.

No dancing monkey

The key point of difference between the USWE system and the rest, is its 'No Dancing Monkey' technology, a patented system comprising of a central chest buckle in combination with elastic webbing.

The entire system is designed to keep the Outlander 9 (and all other USWE packs) glued to your back, purportedly without bouncing up and down and without restricting your breathing or freedom of movement.

Short of taking the USWE Outlander 9 on a supercross track, where the laws of physics and gravity would ultimately overpower any innovation designed to stop bouncing, the 'No Dancing Monkey' system is foolproof and worked extremely well. Ample strap adjustment means the Outlander 9 can be tailored to most shapes and sizes, and once comfortable, you barely notice it there on a long ride.

Torture test

Our Crazy Yellow number endured the ultimate torture test last month: a three-day desert tour with Daryl Beattie Adventures aboard the new Honda Africa Twin. Remote locations, 40-degree temperatures and thick red dust were all constants throughout the adventure, and the USWE was critical to surviving the long days – especially since water refill opportunities were limited to crossing paths with a support truck.

First things first: comfort. Even with a full three-litre bladder and all the requisite gear you take riding, the USWE Outlander 9 sits comfortably and balances weight broadly across your back and chest, with ample padding to boot. The upshot is not too much pressure on your shoulders and no back discomfort whatsoever.

Navigating high speed undulations, corrugations and occasionally leaving Terra Firma, the pack manages to sit snugly on our back the whole time. No bouncing, no dancing monkey, thank you very much!

What amazed us more was that no dust managed to infiltrate the internals of the Outlander 9 across the three days. Big box ticked there, and a nod to the level of materials used on this $200 pack.

The hose piece is excellent too, easy to extract water from while also managing to keep its internals free from the ubiquitous red desert dust thanks to a clever and well-sealed mouth piece. And best of all, it doesn’t leak.

Bladder talk

In 40 degree temperatures, and with the bladder section of the USWE Outlander 9 resting directly against a rider’s back, it doesn’t take long for the contents of the bladder to warm up. But in truth, we were consuming fluids so quick (roughly 6 litres per day) that it didn’t matter.

In terms of refilling, the USWE system comprises a plastic tab that slides open, allowing the top of the bladder to unfold to a big opening offering room for liquid and ice cubes. If you have a hose with a spray nozzle, then it’s a simple refill process. If things are a bit more primitive (a plastic water drum with a tap) and you pack is already full of contents, then you tend to run out of hands fairly easily. But practice makes perfect, it turns out.

The bladder can be turned inside-out and, once back at home with a sink and bench space, is straight-forward for cleaning and storage.

Criticisms? The water-resistant middle pocket in the Outlander 9, while designed to accommodate phones and precious items, is a little on the small size. A full-size iPhone 8 won’t fit, for instance, because it’s too long.

Otherwise, the zippers become a little fiddly to open with the dust and elements at play. Though we’d counter this point with the fact they’re able to keep out dust – it’s a small price to pay.

Verdict

The USWE Outlander 9 is a good thing. It sits well, does exactly what it promises and has stood up to whatever we’ve thrown at it so far. Be it full-blown desert adventure tours or simple half-day trail rides, the Outlander 9 has secured a permanent spot in the bikesales gear bag.

If you want to check out the rest of the USWE range and find out where your nearest stockist is head to www.lustyindustries.com.au.