The North Face Megamouth Hydration Backpack

Great
Just right size with lots of pockets, great for short trips, or snowboarding

Convinience at the cost of durability
I have had this product for about 2 weeks, so the backpack is doing fine (one would hope so!) but the hydration system isn't. I had high hopes for a nalgene hydration system, but it hasn't lived up to them. First the good: The hose uses a quick connect valve to remove from the bladder, allowing easy filling of the bladder without the tube in the way. Also, and the main reason I chose this pack over a camelback one, the bite valve has a small magnet as does a movable clip on the backpack. This allows the valve to attach to the backpack so it doesn't swing around and get in the way, yet is extremely easy to access when thirsty. And an on off switch, but that's gotten pretty standard. Now the downside: The quick release valve and on/off switch don't seem to ever seal 100%. Although the quick release valve doesn't leak much, I notice after a day siting around the bottom of the hydration pocket gets a bit damp, though not enough to affect the contents. The on/off switch does not fully seal, but admittedly only a small amount of water gets through (a drop every few minutes). The major problem I had was the bite me valve has already worn out after only two weeks of use. The silicon sheath around the tube has already sprung a gash where it is bitten to release water flow. This, when combined with the slow leak of the on/off valve causes a small, but constant, drip which for any hydration system is totaly unacceptable. Now replacement silicon slips are available, but if something wears out after two weeks of occasional use (5 times) I suspect it would wear out after only a few days backpacking, obviously totaly unacceptable.

Great
Just right size with lots of pockets, great for short trips, or snowboarding

Convinience at the cost of durability
I have had this product for about 2 weeks, so the backpack is doing fine (one would hope so!) but the hydration system isn't. I had high hopes for a nalgene hydration system, but it hasn't lived up to them. First the good: The hose uses a quick connect valve to remove from the bladder, allowing easy filling of the bladder without the tube in the way. Also, and the main reason I chose this pack over a camelback one, the bite valve has a small magnet as does a movable clip on the backpack. This allows the valve to attach to the backpack so it doesn't swing around and get in the way, yet is extremely easy to access when thirsty. And an on off switch, but that's gotten pretty standard. Now the downside: The quick release valve and on/off switch don't seem to ever seal 100%. Although the quick release valve doesn't leak much, I notice after a day siting around the bottom of the hydration pocket gets a bit damp, though not enough to affect the contents. The on/off switch does not fully seal, but admittedly only a small amount of water gets through (a drop every few minutes). The major problem I had was the bite me valve has already worn out after only two weeks of use. The silicon sheath around the tube has already sprung a gash where it is bitten to release water flow. This, when combined with the slow leak of the on/off valve causes a small, but constant, drip which for any hydration system is totaly unacceptable. Now replacement silicon slips are available, but if something wears out after two weeks of occasional use (5 times) I suspect it would wear out after only a few days backpacking, obviously totaly unacceptable.