Mountain bike hip packs are one of the best ways to carry your tools, water, food and other essential gear while you ride. We tested 11 of the best models on the market to help you find the right hip pack to suit your needs and meet your budget.
These days, we’ve got a lot of options for carrying the necessities with us on our rides, but mountain bike hip packs are easily one of the best. Tools, tubes, water, food, first aid, layers, keys, and even our phones all need to go somewhere, and hip packs are an excellent way to hold it all conveniently strapped around your waist.
Hip packs have steadily evolved over the years into a specialized accessory for the modern mountain biker. Whether you prefer to carry water in hydration bladders or bottles, carry the bare minimum of tools and gear, or bring everything but the kitchen sink, there are hip packs designed to suit every need and preference. From minimalist packs for quick backyard laps to cavernous models for all-day epics and everything in between, there are more great options than ever before.
With so many mountain bike hip packs to choose from, finding the right one can be a challenge. To help navigate the choices, we rounded up a diverse selection of 11 models for side-by-side testing and comparison.
The Evoc Hip Pack Pro 3L + 1.5L Bladder ($135) has enjoyed a long run as one of the most highly regarded mountain bike hip packs on the market. Though there are many imitators, the Hip Pack Pro still deserves a place at the top for its excellent comfort, stability when riding, well-executed storage, and the option to carry water in the included 1.5L bladder, bottles or both.
One of the best features of the Hip Pack Pro is the broad, stretchy, overlapping waist belt that hugs the body and makes it not only very comfortable but impressively stable in use. Unlike simpler strap designs that are static, this one is a little bit dynamic, so it moves well with the body and doesn’t dig in anywhere, even with the pack fully loaded. The waist belt also widens as it meets the main body of the pack, making a larger contact area where the wings cradle the hips.
Also helping to enhance comfort is the well-executed Airflowback system with open mesh atop deep ventilation channels that keep air moving as well or better than any other model we’ve tried.
The Ventiflap feature also allows you to adjust how closely the pack sits to your back with the pull of a string for extra ventilation on the climbs, and even the waist belt allows air to pass through.
The Hip Pack Pro 3L has, you guessed it, 3 liters of storage capacity. The pack has 2 primary zippered compartments, with the main one housing the included 1.5-liter bladder behind a nylon sleeve along with adequate space for a packable layer, spare tube, mini-pump, or other larger items.
The front compartment folds down for quick, easy access, with 3 mesh storage pockets to organize tools and a zippered internal pocket for valuables. Two sizeable pockets on the hip wings provide additional storage space for snacks or smaller phones, and there’s a key clip inside, too.
The 1.5-liter bladder has a slide-open top that makes it easy to fill and clean, and the hose has a quick connect fitting that makes removing it from the pack super easy.
Overall, we don’t think it gets much better than the EVOC Hip Pack Pro 3L.
