Dakine Apex

Dakine have been around since the late 70s producing windsurf/surf accessories, more recently they've been making a name for themselves offering MTB hydration systems, gloves and clothing. Here we look at the Apex, a high capacity, freeride/DH hydration pack.

The Dakine Apex offers 3L of hydration with 26L of cargo carrying capability. Storage is split over two main compartments, the largest being a single undivided space, great for spare layers and food. The smaller has organised netted areas, great for tools, tubes, pump and all the other little 'bits' we need. It also features a nice fleece lined pocket for glasses or goggles and four small hip area pockets - these are accessible without removing the pack and they're great for stashing sweets and gels.

the Apex is fairly light and very slim...

The front of the pack features an expanding open cavity designed for hooking in the chin guard of a full face helmet, but it's equally useful for stuffing jackets, mid-layers or even food when you're out of room. The bottom features strapping for attaching leg guards, these straps stow away when not needed for a cleaner look.

Despite all this room and high capacity for water, the Apex is fairly light and very slim when empty - if you're looking for one pack for everything, the Apex is a good bet. Obviously you can load it up for an expedition, but if you're only popping out for a quick spin it doesn't feel particularly cumbersome. You can top it up with just a litre of water and the basic tools and spares that you need, crank the various expansion straps down, and the Apex ends up really compact!

The shoulder straps are wide enough and comfy, the pack fastens with a generous waist belt and a chest strap - the pack feels secure in use and seems to mould round the body quite nicely. When completely full with water and gear it does 'dome' slightly but doesn't go as cylindrical as some hydration packs we've used.

This is down to the pretty sturdy back area. High density, contoured foam backing keeps the back of the pack feeling pretty ergonomic on the back. There is an attempt at offering ventilation here but it's no better or worse than the majority of packs and you will get a little sweaty on the back - it's certainly someway behind the newer mesh/cavity based systems such as Camelbak's NVIS system.

almost certain to never develop a leak which we've often had with the screw-up fasten design of the Camelbaks...

The bladder is licensed from the Madison distributed Hydrapak brand, it's a 3L item allowing for all day and in the wild use and it's stowed away in a separate compartment like most hydration packs. It opens from the top, folding over and being crimped by a plastic bar. It is more of a faff to handle than Camelbak's Omega system, but you can genuinely fill the Hydrapak baldders to the brim, and they're almost certain to never develop a leak which we've often had with the screw-up fasten design of the Camelbaks. The Hydrapak bladder is also clear so it's easy to keep an eye on any moulding and the quantity markings are much more visible.

The hose has a quick release from the bladder for easy cleaning and it allows you to leave it threaded through the pack for easy filling. A minor complaint but the hose is a touch short, and you might find yourself tilting your head down more than you'd like in order to drink without pinching the hose and cutting off supply.

The mouth-piece is lockable by twisting through 180 degrees although it's too stiff to do one handed while riding. However, the mouth-piece does come with a lifetime 'no drip' guarantee and the design of it makes it harder to accidently empty itself onto you. The mouth-piece feels nice to drink from although the flow is a little slow if you really like to gulp it down.

pitched as a freeride/DH pack, it actually makes for an excellent high-capacity XC/adventure pack...

The Dakine Apex is a smart looking pack, our plain black sample was subtle, tidy and understated. It also comes in black with bright blue logos and in an off white and army green combo called Bomber.

At £98 it's quite an outlay, but for the money it does boast one of the larger capacities for cargo, even comfortably outdoing the ever popular and same priced Camelbak HAWG. Although pitched as a freeride/DH pack, it actually makes for an excellent high-capacity XC/adventure pack. The Hydrapak sourced bladder is arguably better than Camelbak's and aside from the shortish hose we had no niggles or annoyances with the pack. With a slightly longer hose and a better ventilation system, the Apex would be perfect!