Bought this because i wanted a change from my kinetic. I loved my kinetic pack and some of the things they pioneered but it was A.) annoying to put on and b.) no matter what i do the pods still got stuck in it sometimes.
The hydra pack seemed to take a lot of what i like about the kinetic while keeping the other things i liked about traditional packs. Namely, the straps in the front aren’t overly tall and the only “flex” or elastic is where the straps meet the pack, not where the straps are all elastic and inevitably get stretched out. I’ve worn my hydra pack twice now and it’s comfy, VERY secure (a must) even without the extra outer strap and the pods even with a new pack are just the right amount of snug. It also looks cool, and has straps built in (an option i had to add after the fact with the kinetic). All in all so far it’s everything I’m looking for in a pack and has performed well.