Many companies are jumping on the women’s specific band wagon. Hey, I don’t want to knock that, but in some cases the performance and fit has not yet been figured out. As for the Magic, I think Camelbak has nailed it for fit. The contoured straps DO take into account the female’s build. The pack design accommodates a generally shorter torso, narrower shoulders, and our prized possessions in the front. I compared this pack to another non-women’s specific pack, which we will call PACMAN; the difference was obvious. In the PACMAN, my prized possessions would get squished and I would not be incredibly comfortable. I also have a small torso and PACMAN’s length would cause it to sometimes come up and hit me in the back of my helmet. On the other hand, the Magic really fits my body well.

Here are some photos showing the difference:

As for the features:

The Magic is a great pack for a short or long ride. I felt that it accommodated much of the gear I needed. Admittedly, if I was going to be on an epic backcountry ride I might want a pack that could hold more than 72oz of water, although you can, of course, supplement your bladder with water bottles on your bike if need be.

The shorter design of the Magic does make it a bit of a challenge to get a suspension pump into the pack. It is possible, but with a full bladder you need to really get it into that second section.

The webbing that allows you to attach extra layers onto the outside appears to be of good design. You can also unclip the webbing to get easier access to the zippered sections.

The fleeced lined straps are excellent. I love to wear tanks when I ride in the heat and not to have the scratchy chafe is awesome. This is a great feature. Overall, I think this pack is well designed, taking many women’s factors into account.