Lightweight and streamlined, the Mountain Hardwear Fluid 12 is perfect for fast and
light day hiking, for trail running, any kind of active pursuits.
It fits great.
It has got just enough storage for on the go adventures.
Let’s take a closer look at its fit and features.
Taking the Fluid 12 off I am going to start by turning it around so we can look at its
back panel.
Again, a really lightweight pack, it is 14 ounces, so you are under a pound.
As far as its carrying capacity, about 730 cubic inches, so, again, definitely a streamlined
by design construction tot his pack.
You do have nice padding, though, integrated here into the back panel.
It is designed to have a nice, close hugging fit, anticipating that you could be twisting,
turning, moving in various ways.
And the pack should kind of go with you.
So not having too much structure back there is actually a really good thing.
It does have a little bit of a hip belt here, so just a little bit of support helps a little
bit with load stability, but just a webbed belt, not a whole lot extra going on there.
You actually can tuck that away entirely if you just don’t have need to put that into
play.
You have got contoured, padded shoulder straps.
Again, very light weight.
The mesh top to the padded portions of this pack is perforated, very breathable.
So, again, there is a great likelihood in this pack that you are building up some heat.
You are moving fast.
And that breathability certainly a nice feature.
Turn the pack back around so we can look at how it is organized.
Again, we are talking a day pack here.
So the panel loading design, got a zipper here that gets you into the main compartment
of the pack.
I have got just a couple of extra layers and a hat in here.
The way I might be putting this to use, that is really just about all that I would need.
There is a small zippered pocket here on the front.
I have got some snacks thrown in there.
And there is a nice lined storage compartment here on the top of the pack, great for sunglasses
or even electronics, something that you just want a little bit nicer interior there to
protect those items.
You can see the hydration hose peaking out of the top of the pack here.
I am going to loosen this up a little bit.
It ... the way in which this carries the hydration system is, again, a really nice feature for
on the go users.
Trail runners will love this.
It is an external pocket that gets you to that hydration system.
So instead of having it get to the interior and pull everything out of the way to get
this out to refill it, to clean it, you can get to it and leave all those contents securely
on the interior.
It is not included, but just about any hydration system will fit.
There is a little hanging tab on the interior that makes sure that whatever hydration system
you have got is remaining securely in place.
A couple of other features to call out here on the Fluid 12.
You do have some integrated ice axe loops or tool connection points.
You can see these compression straps here on the side.
This is exactly what they are.
They will cinch down that load.
They are positioned in such a way that you can reach them even when you are wearing the
pack, reach to your side, pull it tight, a nice little feature the, especially if you
are using this for hydration purposes.
As you are drinking from that hydration system and your water is starting to go down a little
bit, this helps you tighten in that pack.
It keeps it from sloshing and it keeps all of the contents securely in place.
You can see that those run over some stretch mesh pockets, so a place to put some gear
there.
On the harness, on the shoulder straps on the front of the pack you will see there are
also a couple of small stretch pockets.
Trail runners, active users, often times there is little things, be it fuel, be it gels that
you want a little closer at hand, right there where you can get hands on them very quickly.
So that is a nice feature for anyone using it for that manner.
It reminds me that there is also a blinky light attachment point here.
So if someone is cycling with this and you have something like that, a nice integrated
spot to put that into play.
Mountain Hardwear Fluid 12 really compact, really lightweight, but a lot of versatility
built into this pack.
Makes it perfect for on the go pursuits.