Hyperlite Mountain Gear  Southwest 55 Pack

I purchased this pack (tall/ black) about two months ago and have taken it on several weekend trips and plan on taking it on my thru-hike of the New England trail early September. I have hiked 30 miles in one day with this pack and taken this pack through rocky climbing terrain in Acadia. Overall I think it’s an amazing pack and have permanently replaced my zpacks arc haul. (I am 6’ 3” 230lbs for the context of this review) TLDR Good: • Simplicity • Storage • Organization • Durability • Adaptability Bad: • Reaching water bottles • Breathability • Heavier than other UL packs** DETAILS Pros: • Simplicity o Huge main compartment o Huge front pocket o Two large side pockets  Fitting two 1L SW bottles each o Two good sized hip pockets  Fit my iPhone x with case and headphones easy • Storage o Went with the 3400 over the 2400 with the mentality that the extra weight was worth the ability to carry…  My gf's sleeping bag and pad plus extra water for her (she's not the biggest hiker/ camper)  Dog food/ treats/ water  In total I have fit and comfortably hiked with (thanks to removable internal frame) a tent/ two sleeping bags/ two sleeping pads/ 5L of water/ food for 2ppl 1 dog x 2 days/ jetboil/ clothes for 1/ etc. • Was pushing 35lbs and honestly still felt comfortable on my back • Organization o I use the pods by HMG one small for food one large for sleeping bag and the fact that they exactly fit to the pack makes setting up camp a lot faster for me, it gives me the ability to get into a routine at camp faster. • Durability o Hard to speak to this after two months but can say that after two months and simple wet cloth rub down this pack looks absolutely brand new not one scratch or tear. o Only had one light shower but can confirm that it was bone dry inside with no liner or pack cover. • Adaptability o If you are going on a day hike or a solo UL Thru Hike and would like the feel of the waymark or Palente packs you can easily remove the internal stays and roll this thing down to almost any size (it’ll weigh a little more from material alone but it really has the exact feel of those packs on your back in my OP) o Ability to carry enough supplies and camping equipment for two people. Check. o Ability to become frameless and compress down to the worlds most awkward looking yet functional day pack. Check. Cons: • Cannot reach water bottles while hiking o Easy enough when you are hiking with someone else who can grab them o I am pretty flexible and have done it but it takes more time and concentration than just unclipping the pack and swinging it around. • Back breathability o Here’s what ill say about the back: does it make your back sweat? Absolutely it is night and day from the arc haul in terms of breathability. Does that matter to me when the rest of my body is sweating in the summer? Not really tbh.  Your back will be the first part of your body to sweat 100% but I sweat when I am active in the summer anyway and don’t really care when I’m hiking still a con though. o Also ties into the reason I’m switching from arc haul. I’m a little rough on my packs and the arc haul has way more going on. I kept breaking the little frame that creates the arc on the back (easy to fix/ replace but the theme of simplicity was what I was going for). Additionally in the winter the idea of not having the freezing New England breeze hit my back is kind of appealing to me. • Heavier than other UL packs?? o This is on the heavier end of the spectrum in terms of mainstream UL packs black adds more weight as well. o **To me it’s a tradeoff, I’m not an extreme UL hiker by any means I like my jetboill and my freestanding tent. I was willing to trade the extra weight for the durability of this pack and the fact that I can carry as much or as little as I want to for each hike in one pack was worth the extra weight to me.

This was a good pack when it first came out as there were very few dyneema packs. However with the current crop of amazing brands selling better backpacks for cheaper, HMG bags are just poor, overpriced products. This is not even taking into account that they have started to shift all their production to Mexico from Maine (while not lowering the cost). Dyneema fabric has been superseded by Ultra (Ultra 200, Ultra 400 and Ultra 800) and several incredible cottage manufacturers are offering super light Ultra 200/ 400 packs (much stronger than Dyneema) for a lower price than HMG with much better options. Checkout the Seek Outside Flight 2 or Gila (super light with incredible carrying capacity in Ultra 400 fabric), Durston Kakwa 40 or 55 (in Ultra 400), SWD Long Haul 50 or Rugged Long Haul 50 (Ultra 400), ULA Circuit and ULA Catalyst. All these bags are not only made with the latest innovative material that beats Dyneema, but they offer features that HMG bags just don't. The HMG bag is essentially a plastic cylinder with uncomfortable shoulder straps and no horizontal stays for better load carry. Don't fall for Dyneema anymore, especially substandard quality being produced by HMG nowadays. Ultra is the future and HMG packs are offering a really poor value compared to the other companies outlined above that are innovating and providing real value (Durston at under 2 lbs in Ultra 200 for the price it is being sold at is a case in point. It is just ridiculous value for that price). HMG has been really good at marketing, but I strongly advise to do your research before you buy their product. If after researching you still like HMG, go for it. But you definitely owe it to yourself to research a bit further to get the best product for your money. I say all the above who had fallen for the HMG hype almost bought the SW 3400, but was turned to the other packs and have now purchased one of those brands. Couldn't be happier.