Camelbak Octane XCT

Camelbak Octane XCT

 Looking to buy one of these for a trail running.  Have had a look at them in the shop and it seems great for what I need size wise.

Does anyone own one, if so how do you find it?

Of the very limited reviews by runners I can find online the only problem is the straps keep slipping,

Cheers - Greg

Comments

  • Seems to be a problem on all the lightweight camelbak's in my experiance. Whenever the water bottle is close to full the straps seem to come loose which results in a nasty bit of skin rubbing if you are wearing a vest. Annoying really because they are great bits kit. 

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    RunningBlog - RunTheLine.com

  • I got an Octane XCT last week and this afternoon was my first run with it.

    I found the whole water reservoir a little bit fiddly. The massive filling hole which is kinda on the side makes it really easy to spill water all over the place when filling the reservoir. It also makes it easy to leave too much air in the reservoir, which meant it sloshed during the whole run, which was very annoying. However, I think by holding it upside down and drinking from the tube until you get air will empty as much of the air as possible. I'll test this hypothesis tomorrow!

    As for the straps, I had the reservoir completely full, and the straps did not slip significantly. I only ran for about half an hour and tugged the straps a tiny bit a couple of times to tighten them, but it wasn't a major hassle. I was mostly fiddling with the straps to figure out the most comfortable tightness.

    Anyway, these are only first impressions. I will endeavour to return and update my opinions after a few more uses. Also, if you have any questions about specifics, please do not hesitate to ask.

  • Rikki

     I got mine a few weeks ago now and I love it. 

    As long as you hold the opening level when you fill it you wont spill a drop and can be filled right up.  If you turn it upside down and squeeze and suck the air out there will be no sloshing.  

    The straps do slip but thats not really a problem and its really easy do adjust while running.

    The only problem  i have is having to drink near boiled liquid in the warmer weather from my body heating up the reservoir, I may try icecubes at the weekend hoping it will keep cooler for longer though i doubt they will last upto 4 hours in this weather.

    Greg

  • Cheers for your feedback Greg. The upside down trick did indeed fix the sloshing problem, so that's made me happy.

    The only thing I'd say about the Octane XCT is there isn't very much cargo space. The section on the back (not the bit that holes the reservoir) is much smaller than I thought, especially as a full reservoir makes it a very tight squeeze to get anything in. The two waist pockets are reasonable, but mostly mesh so I doubt they'll be too good in the rain.

    I'm not complaining, as it holds everything I wanted it to (just), I'm just managing expectations of any prospective owners image

  • I bought one of these recently and took it for a long run yesterday. It was very stable, didn't rub at all (very soft straps) and held a windproof gillet easily in the back pocket (with phone and key). If you need a bit more space you can use the hydration bladder pocket also, especially if you are not taking the full 3 litres. There is also the compression strap system which will hold a coat. The waist pockets are pretty big and take plenty of gels etc. If I run or ride in the hills I'll take something a little bigger, but for road and trails it's big enough. The straps can slip a little bit, I roughen them slightly and that stops it.
  • Knocked the shine off mine this weekend over 23 trail miles on Saturday and 20 road miles today; loved the waist pockets plenty of space for gels, keys, snacks, salt tabs etc, compression strapping held a wind proof nice and secure. No rubbing and no complaints only minor niggles are that the straps can flap a little (quick borrow of elastic ties from old pack sorted that) and the ipod pocket doesn't lend itself to routing your earphone cable nicely again a little improvisation needed to rig up a better solution. All round great pack at a great price I have spent more and got less on other brands.
  • Really like the octane xct, no probe with it what so ever
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