Carbonado Y 07 Hydration Pac Review: Introduction

While clocking long hours on a two-wheeler saddle, hydration is one of the most important bits. But a mid-ride halt, followed by removing the helmet and maybe the gloves, just for a few sips of water, is a little inconvenient. That is where, to quench the thirst, a hydration pack comes in handy. In the past few months of back-to-back shoots and multiple rides, I felt the 'need for hydration' even more evident, and the Y 07 Hydration Pac from Carbonado came in.

Now, the Y 07 you see here will serve me in pretty much all the travel, rides, and shoot that’ll happen in the next few months. So, this introduction piece will give you a brief on the entire product followed by a couple of more reports over the course of the next six months, including our take on whether to buy the Carbonado Y 07. 

The Y 07 Hydration Pac is a compact backpack for bikers and other outdoor enthusiasts as well. However, considering the utility, this Carbonado offering can hold more than just a bladder of water. It has an overall storage capacity of 7-litres with provisional storage of 2-litres for the water bladder (to be bought separately). 

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SWM Superdual T

• 600 cc
• 53.64 bhp
• 197 kg
;

Last known Avg. Ex-showroom price

₹ 6,50,000

The Exterior

As seen in the above image, the Y 07 has a hard shell at the front with a leather-like material. The backpack can be detached from the straps as the four-way adjustable harness comes with quick-release clips. Speaking of the straps, Carbonado has equipped the pack with a wavy structured foam for both the straps and the back. The brand claims that it provides comfort and allows airflow. Then, the Y 07 also gets reflective strips on the shoulders and the bottom. Not to mention, the two reflective strips also hold the bladder tube in place. 

The Interior

As mentioned earlier, the Carbonado Y 07 Hydration Pac comes with three major compartments. The first is the hard-shell unit with five smaller pockets, followed by a larger space for the Quench pack, and a third located at the back. The latter is fairly large and can be used for storing slightly slimmer items. Carbonado has also provided an opening for earphone wires but you’ll need to cut that piece on your own.

Speaking of the bladder, dubbed Quench, it’s made of EVA. Carbonado claims it to be safe for drinking water and pressure resistant. It’s a 2.5-litre pack and can be attached to the bag using the internal Velcro straps of the Y 07. The Quench pack gets a large mouth/opening to fill/refill it as well as add ice cubes if needed. And at the bottom, the bladder gets a small tubular inlet to attach the water pipe in the threading. The latter comes with a small washer which should secure the pipe properly in the opening. The other end of this pipe (opening to sip water) is wrapped in a rubber mouthpiece which too gets a plastic cover for added protection from dirt. The rubber unit gets a small cut in between for the water to be sucked in. All you have to do is pull the hose up, bite the rubber and sip water, and push it back to lock. It’s covered by a camo-coloured cloth all around. 

All said and done, how practical or usable is the Carbonado Y 07? To find that out, we’ll put the backpack through various tests during our rides, commutes, water-resistance trials and much more. So, watch out for our second and third reports on BikeWale.

The Carbonado Y 07 Hydration Pac retails at Rs 2,190 with one year warranty. And the Quench Hydration Bladder costs Rs 799. Both products can be bought directly from Carbonado’s official website. 

Make: Carbonado

Model: Y 07 Hydration Pac

Price: Rs 2,190

Model: Quench Hydration Bladder

Price: Rs 799

Buy it from: https://thecarbonado.com/

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi