M.U.L.E. Frame Pack with 2L Reservoir Hydration

The CamelBak M.U.L.E. Frame Pack, Small puts 2 litres of water inside your bike's front triangle, with a zippered pocket for the small stuff and a drinking tube that reaches you while you ride. Your back stays free, and the weight sits low and central on the bike.

Who it's for

Bikepackers, gravel riders and mountain bikers who would rather not wear a hydration pack for six hours. A multi-day run on the Mawson Trail, a big gravel loop through the Scenic Rim, a hot summer ride where a pack turns your back into a sponge. The M.U.L.E. carries the water and lets you carry nothing.

Capacity, and what actually fits

The main job belongs to the Quick Stow 2L Bike Reservoir, which lives inside the bag. Alongside it, a zippered pocket holds tubes, a multi-tool, snacks and a rain shell folded small, and a separate water-resistant pocket keeps a phone or GPS out of the spray. The bag measures 40 x 18 x 5 cm, only 5 cm wide between your knees.

How it carries

Soft adjustable straps wrap the frame tubes and hold the bag fast on corrugated fire roads and rough singletrack. Drink through the Big Bite valve on the move. At camp, swap to the Quick Stow cap with its built-in on/off valve and the reservoir becomes your tap for cooking and topping up bottles.

Fitting it

This is the Small, sized for XS/S frames and a good many mountain bike frames, where full-size frame bags simply do not fit. Before you buy, measure the inside of your front triangle along the top tube and down from it: you need room for a 40 cm long bag that is 18 cm deep at its tallest. Check bottle cage mounts too, since a frame bag and a bottle often compete for the same space.

Access and organisation

Keep the things you reach for most in the water-resistant pocket, and the spares and tools in the zippered pocket. Built-in reflectors add visibility on early starts and foggy mornings.

Weight

The Small weighs 220 g. It is made from ECOPAK recycled sailcloth with a PFAS-free DWR coating and an IPX5 waterproof rating, so a wet morning does not end up inside your pocket.