Hmm... that's the model I have (military, woodland camo with odd loops and tucks and slits for 2-way radios and such). I wasn't aware that it varied so much from the civilian model. I'll have to be careful with generalizations about it if that's the case.

I deliberately wanted a small pack, I have "day-and-a-half" packs and "3-day" packs, but was looking for something just for dayhikes. I might have gone for the MULE, but didn't like the lack of a single compartment.

P.S. I think Camelbak was the first manufacturer, but that book I keep mentioning, "Tunnel in the Sky" by Robert A. Heinlein, contains this:

"Rod put on his vest pack of rations and sundries, fastened his canteen under it. It was a belt canteen of flexible synthetic divided into half-litre pockets. The weight was taken by shoulder straps and a tube ran up the left suspender, ending in a nipple near his mouth, so that he might drink without taking it off."

Published... 1955. As with many things, Heinlein was way ahead of the curve.