# Anyone use one of these? (Dakine Hot Laps Hip pack)



## cookieMonster (Feb 23, 2004)

They call it a "hip pack" but we all know this is just a euphemism for fanny pack, lol. Anyway, I'm looking for a solution to my hatred of wearing a backpack on all but the longest of rides. So far, my solution has been to not wear a pack at all and just pre-hydrate on my average weekly rides which consist of 1-1.5 hour out-and-backs and/or loops. Most of the time, I can do these rides without any water regardless of temperature. When I wear my hydration pack I sweat just about as much as I'm carrying in water. Plus I just cannot stand the way it feels compared to packless. All that weight up high certainly affects bike-handling.

That said, I almost t-boned a black bear yesterday at high-speed and was thinking I should probably have something to carry bear spray as well as minimal tools and maybe a water bottle. I regularly ride in grizzly habitat as well and am forced to carry my backpack and bear-spray for those rides.

I was looking at these hip packs from Dakine and was thinking it may be a solution. Link to Dakine Hot Laps pack: Dakine Backpacks and Gear : Hot Laps 1.5L 15s

Anyway, just curious if anyone else has tried these and what your thoughts are. Thanks!


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## 006_007 (Jan 12, 2004)

Looks pretty decent - I have been doing the majority of my riding for the past year sans backpack and I love it. I have a waterbottle mounted on the bike, plus all my tools on the bike.

I wear one of these for longer rides / extra water

Ultimate Direction Jurek Endure Belt (Unisex) - Mountain Equipment Co-op. Free Shipping Available

I would like to see one of the dakine units in hand before i traded though.


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## Stuart B (Mar 21, 2005)

A couple of weeks ago I thought I'd get one of these

Deuter Pulse Three | Chain Reaction Cycles

For shorter rides it works a treat for holding a bottle a few essentials. inner tube strapped under the saddle, but if that is all you want to carry in the main compartment it will hold it in the pack.

love not having a bag covering my back.


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## cookieMonster (Feb 23, 2004)

Yeah, I may have to look at some of those trail-running packs as well -- they seem to be more thoughtfully designed. But the Dakine one looks like it might have more capacity for longer rides.


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## Stuart B (Mar 21, 2005)

Yeah it certainly looks like it had more space, although the belt part has some webbed pockets too. I was just posting as encouragement to try it, yeah it's a fanny pack but they do seem to work. Had my first minor crash since wearing mine today, bottle stayed put 

sent from my phone so apologies for any typos


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## cookieMonster (Feb 23, 2004)

I ordered one yesterday. I'll post back once I've done a few rides with it.


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## evasive (Feb 18, 2005)

I've been riding with one of their enduro packs for a while. While I like that it has side pockets that the Hot Laps pack doesn't, I wish that it had a water bottle holder. IMO, the ideal pack would have the bottle holder and a side pocket. 

I spent the weekend in the Tetons, and s lot of riders there have frame-mounted bear spray carriers that use the braze-ons. I asked about them, and they said they were included with the spray canisters. Glad to see that need being met.


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## smilinsteve (Jul 21, 2009)

I tried wearing a Mountainsmith Tour fanny pack for a while. It was big enough to hold my stuff, plus a 50 oz bladder and extra bottles if needed.

Mountainsmith Tour TLS

It worked ok, but sometimes got in the way when getting off then back on the saddle. this caused me to wear it extra tight to keep it from sagging too low, and eventually I went back to a standard pack.

Mountainsmith offers some detachable shoulder straps to help hold up the fanny pack (since it is fairly large capacity and can get heavy), but at that point, you are almost back to wearing a backpack, and it looks kind of goofy too.


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## evasive (Feb 18, 2005)

The Dakine packs are far better supported than the Mountainsmith. That's both because they're smaller volume, and because they have a better hip belt. 

I spent much of the late 90s outdoors with a Mountainsmith lumbar pack. They don't look like they've improved much. My Dakine is perfect for a 1-2 hour ride, depending on the amount of water needed. I didn't want it today, though - it was too hot.


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## Bicycle019 (Jan 23, 2004)

I have this bag in black w/red zips "Phoenix" color. Fits a basic amount of stuff in it: multi-tool, some $$, phone, couple of gels, CO2, tire lever, that's about it. No room for any pump (tire or shock) or much else if you have the stuff I just listed. Tried to fit pump or longer items but it does not sit on body well at that point. Photo makes it look bigger than it is. Sits well on body, don't really notice it when riding. Buddy used one while riding DH bikes this past weekend and it sat under his jersey and was barely noticeable under baggy DH jersey. Belt adjusters work well. Logo in back is reflective.
The fold out bottle holder is disappointing as it does not fit traditional water bottles very well as it's just a bit too small. Specialized, Trek, Camelbak bottles all tried and you have to stop, swing the bag to the front and slowly work bottle back into sleeve. Even left a bottle in it for two weeks to see if it would stretch out with use to no avail. I guess it's good because bottles won't fall out, but it's really hard to use. Fits crappy plastic water bottles from convenience store though, if that's your thing.
Paid $25 from Backcountry.com on closeout for it, keeping it but will only use on lunch rides or shorter after work rides. Anything else and I'd pull out the "real" bag. HTH


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## cookieMonster (Feb 23, 2004)

Well, in case anyone is interested, I picked up my Dakine Hotlaps pack the other day and did a ride yesterday. I'm super stoked on this thing! It was really hot yesterday; around 92 degrees, and I went out and did an 1800' climb in 3.5 miles . I drank a 12 oz. glass of Gatorade mix prior to riding, and put a ~20 oz. Camelbak bottle in the bottle pouch. Needless to say, on that ride I sweat quite a bit. However, I sweat a lot less thanks to not having what amounts to half a winter-coat on my back (a backpack). With some practice, I think I'll be able to grab the bottle and replace it without stopping. I took 3 water breaks and was able to put the bottle back once without stopping. The other two times I had to stop to get it back in. 

Anyway, with pre-hydrating and not-too-long rides (<~2hrs), this is what I'll use EVERY time. I rationed my water so that I had about 6 oz. left at the summit, then finished it off and began the descent. With the bottle empty, you literally cannot even tell you're wearing anything. Inside I packed a 26" tube, tire levers, a mini-pump, and a small multi-tool. For those of you who enjoy the feeling of not carrying a pack at all -- this is the next closest thing. I think what's key here is that the weight, though minimal anyway, is located right at your center of gravity, so it doesn't affect bike-handling near as much as a backpack. And your back stays cool all the while. 100% happy with my purchase.


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## Stuart B (Mar 21, 2005)

Sweet!


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## unrooted (Jul 31, 2007)

I'm betting you sweat just as much, it just evaporates faster.


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