I've been in the market for a new hydration pack for sometime now. The one I had been using was decent, but I'd had it for several years, and felt that it was time to upgrade to something new. So, I did some research, checked out packs at REI and read some reviews on the web. After careful deliberation, I settled on the GoLite Beat Pack, which I found online at a great discount. Since ordering it a few weeks back, I've had a chance to use it on a number of occasions, and now feel like I'm in a position to give some opinions on it.
First off, I should note that while I purchased this particular pack sight unseen, I have always had very good luck with GoLite's gear. I own several articles of their clothing, and they have all been wonderful, so I had little fear of ordering this bag. If you aren't familiar with the company, it was founded on the mantra that lighter is better, and faster. They've applied that idea to all things related to the outdoors, and the results have been ultralight clothes and gear, that remains durable and high quality. In fact, if you switched all your gear to GoLite products, you'd probably find that you'd shed several pounds off your back, while still maintaining the same quality of your equipment.
Anyway, back to the Beat Pack. The first thing that I noticed when I received the pack, was that it was a bit spartan in it's design compared to my older pack. There were fewer pockets, no MP3 player holder or headphone port, and a general minimalist look to it, which is in keeping with the GoLite philosophy. However, when I opend the pack up, and began to examine it closer, I found that the main chamber was quite spacious, much larger than my other pack, and the second main pocket was more than adequate for storing the items I needed close at hand, such as the aforementioned MP3 player. I was also happy to see two smaller pockets on the wasteband, which offered quick and easy access to snacks, engergy bars, or what ever other small items you needed access to without removing the pack. These pockets are not large by any means, but welcome none the less.
It took me some time to get the pack fitted properly. I had to adjust, and then re-adjust, each of the belts a number of times to get it the way I wanted. But once I did find the fit I was looking for, I knew I had picked the right pack. It's quite comfortable on your back, and molds into your body nicely. It's also so light, you'll barely know it's on. So far, I've taken it running three for four times, hiking a time or two, and just this past weekend, I took it on a mountain biking run. Under those conditions, the Beat Pack performed wonderfully. Not only did it hold everything I needed, it also provided plenty of water, rode on my back perfectly, and didn't weigh me down in the least. I especially like that it stays in place, and doesn't move when you have it on. Perfect for anyone who wants to use it in any kind of active way, like trail running or mountain biking. It would also be great for adventure racing, but the size would probably limit it to use in sprint races more than anything else.
One thing I love is the hydration bladder and the snug pocket that it fits into. When I say snug, I mean snug. It takes a little practice to get the full bladder inside of it, and I struggled at first to get it into place. But once it's in, it fights nicely, doesn't move around, and doesn't take away from the interior space of the pocket, something my older pack had an issue with. Fill up the bladder, and the interior space was reduced in size. The bladder itself holds 2 liters and is high quality all the way, It's made of Nalgene so it doesn't make the water taste bad and should wear well over extended use. The bite valve is also high quality and offers a switch to close it off and prevent leakage. Everything in this area is easily a step up from the pack that I'm replacing.
In fact, everything about the Beat Pack says quality. At this point, I only miss one thing from my old pack, and it's a fairly minor one. When I run, and sometimes when I bike, I like to take my MP3 player along for some exercise music. My old pack had a perfect pocket to drop it in and a headphone port for running the cord safely inside the pack. That may sound like a minor thing, and really it is, except that my player is a hard drive based device, which can skip with impact of the road while running. This was never a problem with my old pack, but has been an issue with the new one that I need to sort out. That's not really an issue with the pack though, and were I to upgrade to a flash based music player, the problem would be solved. If I can't resolve the problem, it looks like an iPod Nano may be in my future. :)
All in all, I'd highly recommend the GoLite Beat to anyone in the market for a light, durable, pack for day hiking, trail running, mountain biking, adventure racing (sprints only!) or any other outdoor activity. It fits well with the "Go Light, Go Fast" mantra of the company that designed it, and while it has a minamalist design, it still meets the needs for which it is intended in a perfect fashion. The GoLite page lists the Beat Pack for $70, but I found mine online for $32, and it's easily worth that price and more. If you're in the market for a new pack, you could do a lot worse than the GoLite Beat. I give it four and half out of five stars, a 9 out of 10, or something like that. :) Just know that it's a great, light pack, for on the go.
Have questions? Drop me an e-mail or post a comment.
Update: I think I've solved my issue with the MP3 player. It seems that it wasn't skipping after all. My player has a small joystick on it that is used for Playing/Puasing/Fast Forwarding/Skipping/Etc. While the device bounced around inside the pocket, that joystick was being bumped causing it to seem like it was skipping. Last night while running, I put the player in "Lock" mode, which essentially disables the controls, it worked just fine. No skips, pauses, or any other issues. Feel free to use your iPods without fear while using the Beat Pack.