Evoc Hydro Pro 3+ pack review

A small pack that packs a big punch on the trail

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By Robin Weaver

Published: July 9, 2023 at 10:00 am

This ‘vest’ style hydration pack from EVOC offers up a slimline, figure-hugging bag that sits close to your back with just enough space to stow all the essential kit you’re likely to need for a day in the hills.

Like Camelbak’s Chase Bike Vest, the Hydro 3+ pack relies on broad shoulder straps to spread the load and two chest straps to keep it secure.

While this might look and sound like it isn’t enough to keep it from flapping about all over the place, the reality on the trail is very different.

The Hydro Pro 3+ pack is constructed using EVOC’s Airo Flex fabric, which feels shiny to the touch, very malleable and light, but is still decently sturdy, helping the pack to hold its shape.

There’s 3 litres of storage on offer, which includes the 1.5 litre Hydrapak bladder.

This bladder features a lockable mouthpiece, a detachable hose (which makes removing the bladder to fill it far easier) and a fold-over slide-to-secure closure. A Velcro strap within the dedicated bladder sleeve inside the pack helps to prevent the bladder from slumping down as fluid levels are depleted.

The broad shoulder harness anchors to the main pack using deep elasticated straps to bolster comfort and improve fit. These can be cinched in further (using the small adjusters) to really clamp the pack onto your back.

Two sternum straps help to brace the shoulder harness, keeping them secure and where they need to be.

The shoulder straps both feature external mesh stash pockets for easy-to-reach snacks or tools, as well as long zipped pockets. Inside these, mesh dividers help to keep smaller items organised.

The one, main pocket of the pack is accessed by unzipping the two vertical zips that run down three-quarters of the length of the pack. The pocket has a bladder sleeve along with a deep pocket on the inside of the front of the pack. This pocket is almost as deep as the pack itself and quite narrow, with a zip at the top.

There are routing clips to help guide and tame the bladder hose, along with a very handy magnetic clip which puts the mouthpiece of the bladder exactly where you need it.

To help keep things nice and light, the Hydro Pro 3+ doesn’t feature any padding or fancy system to keep it up and off your back.

Instead, the thick mesh-like fabric is designed to sit right up against your back. This isn’t an issue if you have water in your hydration bladder, but packing wisely will pay off in terms of comfort once that watery cushion has been consumed.

A small tethered clip (located inside one of the shoulder strap pockets) helps to keep keys secure while a reflective print on the outside should help improve visibility a little if you need to duck onto the road between trails.

First off, it’s worth noting that despite the diminutive size, you can actually pack quite a bit of kit into the Hydro Pro 3+ pack.

This is partly thanks to those large pockets on the shoulder straps. Within these, I’ve stashed spare SRAM AXS batteries, suncream, a tubeless plug kit and CO2 inflator, then stuffed bars and gels in the mesh sections outside.

With 1 litre of water in the main compartment, I could just about squeeze in a small pump, a 29in tube, a first aid kit, a Leatherman tool, and a thin jacket. Inside the flap pocket, I stowed my multi-tool, tyre levers and tyre boots.

With the pack this full, I would say the closure isn’t quite as steadfast as I’d have liked.

The double vertical zips reach the top of the pack and sit under a horizontal Velcro flap that’s designed to secure the pack and help keep the elements out.

With the bag bulging, the Velcro flap at the top won’t always sit totally flap which means the closure isn’t as tightly sealed as it could be. This didn’t cause any issues during testing but did mean I was more conscious about the weather getting in.

On the plus side, when you do unzip the twin zips to access the main compartment, the front of the pack flaps down, so accessing kit is quick and easy (though be careful as things can spill out).

The pocket inside the front of the pack (the flap that swings down once unzipped) is useful for tidying kit up. However, as the aperture to access this is quite narrow, finding certain items can take a little time.

Having used the Evoc Hydro 3+ now for some time on both my regular mountain bike rides, and some gravel too (including the Dirty Reiver), I’ve found that it feels secure once in place and doesn’t shift about all that much while riding.

There’s no bag I’ve reviewed that doesn’t move about a little bit when you’re really throwing your weight around on the bike, shifting from line to line.

But the Evoc Hydro Pro 3+ pack remains securely in place, though it’s worth cinching the two sternum straps up decently tight to keep it this way. This’ll hold the shoulder straps firmly in place and prevent them from slipping down.

And just as Evoc promised, the Hydro Pro 3+ sits tight against your back and pretty much stays there throughout the ride.

When fully loaded with kit and water (to the point of bulging) and riding hard, the pack would rise up my back momentarily before settling back into place.

With a smaller (more reasonable) load or limited water in the bladder, this wasn’t an issue, though, and the pack stayed exactly where it needed to be.

The magnetic hose clip also kept that in place.

Weatherproofing is decent enough, too, but kit can get damp during prolonged torrential downpours.

Compared to the CamelBak Chase Bike Vest, the Evoc Hydro Pro 3+ pack is a litre down on storage, lacking the overflow stash pouch at the front which can come in really handy.

The Chase Bike Vest’s main storage is split between two pockets (with a separate zipped bladder compartment). This is arguably easier to navigate in a rush and helps to keep things separated out a little better.

However, in the Evoc’s favour is the fact that both shoulder strap pockets are zipped, while only one of the CamelBak’s is, which isn’t ideal.

Also in CamelBak’s favour is the bladder (the mouthpiece is marginally better in use) and the very slightly lower cost.

The Evoc Hydro Pro 3+ pack offers a decent amount of storage and a really secure fit that’s ideal for a day in the hills or a massive gravel ride.

Thanks to an impressively secure shoulder harness which features some really useful pockets, the Hydro Pro 3+ pack does a fine job of staying just where it needs to be no matter how rowdy the trail or how much you move around on the bike.

The bladder is decent and the features on offer all help to add up on the trail, making the Evoc Hydro Pro 3+ one of the best hydration packs I’ve used.

Technical editor-in-chief

Rob Weaver is BikeRadar's technical editor-in-chief. Rob manages all of the testing here at BikeRadar and across our magazines, Mountain Biking UK and Cycling Plus. Rob first graced the pages of MBUK back in 2001 when working as a freelance writer and went on to start testing bikes for the title in 2007. In 2010 he joined the team full-time and has been keeping a close eye on all things test-related ever since. Rob’s expansive knowledge of bikes comes courtesy of his passion for racing. He cut his teeth racing cross-country mountain bikes in the early 90s before finding his feet in downhill. After many years competing on the UK national circuit (including a year attempting to race UCI DH World Cups), Rob realised his know-how and passion for bike setup, tech and writing clearly outweighed his racing ability. A degree in sports technology and decades of riding experience all help to give Rob a thorough understanding of what’s needed to create a great bike or product. While Rob’s a mountain biker at heart and never happier than when he’s sliding down a Welsh hillside, he’s more than happy to put the miles in on the road or gravel bike, too.