Review: Women’s Fourteener 30 Hydration Hiking Pack 

For full disclosure, I was sent a review sample for the purposes of this post. All words are my own.

We’ve recently returned from a long hike in the Peak District where we covered 12 miles over Kinder Scout and down into Edale, so I was able to give the Camelbak Fourteener 30 a good test. We had decided to make our outing a little more adventurous and carry our overnight kit, so I had a few kg on my back over the course of about 5 hours.

I had used the Fourteener on a few short outings and as an overnight travel bag, but his was the first time I had really tested its capabilities.

From the start I was impressed with how comfortable it was. The contoured shoulder straps really made a difference as my shoulders didn’t ache at all. I think this was also due to the hip belt which did a lot of the heavy lifting.

On a practical level, there are lots of pockets, including on the hip belt and on the shoulder straps for small items that you can grab easily, and on the side for water bottles. There is also a large pocket on the back and a zip up pocket on the top.

It features a 3L reservoir, which is perfect to keep you hydrated all day. There is a strap to keep the bladder in the correct position so it doesn’t slide down your back during the hike.

There are lots of nice touches, but my absolute favourite feature is the mesh back panel which keeps the backpack away from your back and allows airflow to circulate. This was especially welcome as it was a warm day on our hike.

You can certainly tell that the Fourteener 30 is specially made for women. The contoured shoulder straps and the torso length are all made to fit women’s bodies and this was certainly evident over the course of the hike. It made a real difference and if you find rucksacks too long in the body, or are struggling to find one that fits just right, I recommend looking at a women’s fit.

Our overnight set up isn’t perfect so we have to make do with what we’ve got!

It is quite a narrow bag in terms of capacity, especially with a full reservoir, so I had to attach our tent to the outside, having said that it was still comfortable and I fitted in a sleeping bag, coat, pillows and change of clothes. Going forward this will predominantly be a day bag (not that we do a lot of multiday hikes) as it is perfect for that, even in winter when more kit is needed.

I was really impressed with how comfortable it was over the course of our hike and can’t wait to take it on more adventures.

I have put together a video here explaining the main features: