Hyperlite Mountain Gear (HMG) specializes in making rugged multi-sport backpacks and shelters with Dyneema Composite Fabrics. Their distinctive white and black backpacks are quite popular and easy to spot on National Scenic Trails and in the backcountry.

One of the things that sets Hyperlite apart from other cottage ultralight gear manufacturers is its multi-sport and multi-season focus. Instead of just building packs for the thru-hiker market, Hyperlite also caters to climbers, skiers, winter hikers, packrafters, and off-trail hikers, with backpacks tailored to their needs. It makes sense, especially since the need for lightweight, waterproof, and extremely durable backpacks is even more important for these pursuits.

I’m a fan of Hyperlite’s backpacks because they strike a good balance between lightweight and durability. I’ve owned many ultralight backpacks, most of which have never lasted more than a year without getting torn to shreds in the mountains where I hike. Some haven’t even lasted a day.

Backpacking the Cape Wrath Trail in Scotland with an HMG Southwest 55 Backpack

If you’re interested in buying a Hyperlite Mountain Gear backpack, it can be a little confusing to understand how the packs they sell differ and which one you should get, especially if you can only afford one backpack for multiple sports. While the Hyperlite website makes it look like the company sells a lot of different backpacks, they only make a few basic models that differ in volume, sports-specific styles, and the materials used. Not all packs are available in all materials, which can be hard to suss out on their website.

Sport-Specific Backpack Guide

Hyperlite tailors each of its backpack models in a number of sports-specific styles, which are enhanced by using extra durable materials, adding pockets, or including external attachment points so you can carry sharp or wet things on the exterior of the backpack.

Backpacking Packs

Southwest – 40L, 55L, 70L

The Southwest is ideal for off-trail backpacking and bushwhacking when you want side water bottle pockets and a big rear pocket for carrying wet, smoky, smelly, or frequently used items that you don’t want to store inside your backpack.  The Southwest also makes a durable pack for thru-hiking on less traveled trails where overhanging vegetation can rip up exterior mesh pockets. While you can use the Southwest for winter sports, lashing snowshoes to the back of the pack will cover up the back external pocket and make it hard to access.

Windrider – 40L, 55L, 70L

The Windrider is good for hiking, backpacking, and thru-hiking in very wet climates or very dry ones where you’re going to want to air out or dry wet gear as you hike. The mesh can catch on overhanging vegetation and rip, so it’s less durable than the Southwest in that respect. The mesh is sized the same as the Southwest’s rear and side water bottle pockets.

Junction – 40L, 55L

The Junction is a cross between the Southwest and the Windrider backpacks, with solid side pockets and a mesh front pocket. Hyperlite created it because so many people were asking for more durable side pockets on their Windrider or a mesh front pocket on their Southwest packs. The Junction is great for more humid locales, like the eastern United States where it’s nice to be able to dry gear in the mesh pocket while you hike, but where overgrown vegetation along the sides of a trail might catch and rip a side pocket. Having a mesh pocket also makes it easy to check whether you have all your gear packed properly at a glance, like a wet water filter or footprint, so you don’t have to unpack stuff to check.

Unbound – 40L, 55L

The Unbound incorporates many of the features available in other popular thru-hiking backpacks, mainly from smaller competitive manufacturers. These include new foam padding in the back panel, a removable hip belt with a V-pull that’s more adjustable than the ones on their other backpacks, a bottom mesh pocket for storing layers or snacks with a trash port where you can stuff used wrappers, removable side compression straps, oversized side bottle pockets, and daisy chains. Chances are a lot of these new features will work themselves into their other backpack models over time. You should get the Unbound if you’re primarily interested in 3-season use, external accessibility (think better pockets) is a priority, and you want to strip some of the removable features to save weight or have a simpler backpack.

The North Rim – 40L, 55L

The North Rim is a tougher and more durable version of the Southwest backpack, intended for rough and abrasive conditions such as off-trail bushwhacking or canyoneering. While the body of the NorthRim is made with Hyperlite’s 150D Dyneema/Polyester hybrid, the accent pockets on the sides and front of the pack, as well as the hip belt pockets are made with extremely durable 375D Woven Dyneema, which is “way” more durable than the Dyneema/Nylon Grid that Hyperlite uses on their other packs. If you have a history of ripping up packs made with Dyneema Grid, the NorthRim may well be the last backpack you ever buy.

Porter – 40L, 55L, 70L , 85L

The Porter is a streamlined backpack without any external pockets on the pack body that might catch on things or get torn off making it a good pack for winter sports, climbing, packrafting, bikepacking, and air travel. It has two daisy chains which make it equally easy to lash the pack to packrafts or bikes, or secure gear to the outside, like snowshoes, skis/snowboard, or ice axes. You just need to be a little creative in how you lash stuff on, but the Porter is kind of a blank slate, so it can be set up in many ways and for many different missions.

Fastpacking Packs

Elevate – 22L

The Elevate 22 is a simple frameless roll-top pack intended for day hikes. With an extra long roll top, two side pockets, a center stretch mesh pocket, two daisy chains, and an ice tool loop, it’s a mini version of Hyperlite’s higher volume multi-day backpacks. The white and black models are both made with DCH50 and DCH150.

Aero – 28L

The Aero 28 is a fastpack with a vest harness for a combination trail running and ultralight backpacking. The emphasis is on being able to access a days worth of food and gear without having to stop and take off your pack. The vest has a million pockets to hold bottles, food, or electronics. Three are more pockets on the sides and bottom which are also easily reachable. The white and black models are made with DCH50 and DCH150.

Contour – 35L

The Contour 35 is a frameless backpack designed for thru-hiking by more experienced backpackers carrying minimal gear. With 43.5L of total volume (35L internal and 6.5L external), it’s been stripped down to a minimal feature set to reduce its weight to 16.2 oz, or just a hair over one pound. It has six external pockets, so you can store the items or snacks you need during the day without opening up the main compartment. The white and black models are made with DCH50 and DCH150.

Alpine / Climbing Packs

Halka – 55L, 70L

The Halka is a mountaineering backpack that’s suitable for winter and expedition backpacking. It’s based on the Ice Pack’s design with a crampon holder and many external straps but also has a removable floating lid pocket with an internal pocket and a drawstring closure instead of a rolltop. It’s also made with more durable materials, like the NorthRim, with a DCH150 Main Body & Woven Dyneema bottom + external pockets. That extra durability is warranted when you’re stumbling around on a glacier with very sharp crampons. The floating top lid and pocket are a necessity for serious winter conditions: the last thing you want to do is to keep opening a rolltop to pull put dry gloves or food. That said, the Halka is the heaviest of Hyperlite’s backpacks at 50.3 oz in the 70L size (a 55L version is also available) so that added storage means more pack weight.

Prism – 40L

The Prism 40 is a good for ice climbing, ski mountaineering, and winter hiking but is substantially more durable than the Ice Pack and has a more technical feature set including a top lid with a drawstring closure, a crampon pocket, and a removable hip belt with gear loops to rack climbing gear and so you can wear it with a climbing harness. An avalanche tools pocket and ski attachment capability make this a formidable backpack for more technical ascents.

Ice Pack – 40L, 55L, 70L

The Ice Pack is good for ice climbing, ski mountaineering, and winter hiking/backpacking. It has a puncture-proof crampon/dual ice ax holder on the back of the pack so you can keep the sharp or wet points away from the delicate gear inside. If you use crampons or axes a lot, this is a very desirable feature on a winter backpack. The ice pack also has dual daisy chains and side compression straps, giving you a lot of additional external attachment points to carry even more gear. There are also gear loops on the hip belt instead of pockets.

Backcountry / Ski Packs

Headwall – 55L

The Headwall is a dedicated ski mountaineering or backcountry ski backpack with external daisy chains, three tiers of side compression straps for attaching skis or split board in A-Frame carry, and a front avalanche/probe pocket. It has a removable hipbelt which is useful, particularly if you wear a climbing harness and a padded back panel to insulate your back from hot water bottles stored inside. The Headwall has two ice axe loops and daisy chains on the shoulder straps where you can hang accessory pockets or gear. Like the North Rim, the base and high wear areas of the Headwall are made with 375D Woven Dyneema, which is “way” more durable than the Dyneema/Polyester hybrid that Hyperlite uses on their other packs.

Crux – 40L

The Crux 40 is a backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering pack that prioritizes easy access to technical tools such as avalanche gear, pickets, and wands. The pack has a removable hip belt w/ right gear loop and left zippered pocket and a removable lid with a drawstring extension collar. There’s a front stretch mesh pocket for quick storage and front and rear haul loops/anchor points so you can rig up your own attachment systems. The Crux’s two side compression straps can be used to last gear to the sides of the pack including an A-frame or diagonal ski carry.

Aspect – 32L

The Aspect 32 is tailor-made for the day-touring backcountry skier with a close-to-body fit and narrow profile for uninhibited movement. It’s made with Fully Woven Dyneema (DCHW) to protection against sharp ski edgesm DCH150 and DCH50. Dual outer ice tool attachments accommodate most ice tools and a radio port opening doubles as a hydration port. Two removable straps allow for an A-Frame or vertical board carry, but a diagonal carry is also an option.

Day Hiking Packs

Daybreak – 17L

The Daybreak 17 is a day-pack that is optimized for urban use and travel because it has a clam-shell top opening that is good for frequent access. Roll-tops are just awful if you have to open and close them all the time to carry a laptop or other personal items. You can still use the Daylight 17 for day hiking of course. (it can hold up to 23L including its open pockets). The white and black models are made with DCH150.

Summit Pack – 30L

The Summit Pack 30 is a frameless pack with numerous external attachment points and a roll-top closure. It has a removable webbing hip belt and minimal shoulder straps suitable for up to 20-pound loads. It’s best for summit pushes when you need to carry a little gear but want to leave your big pack behind. It’s a mini version of the Porter backpacking pack. The white model is made with DCH50 fabric, while the Black pack is made with DCH150.

Stuff Pack – 30L

The Stuff Pack 30 is a frameless roll-top pack without a hip belt or any daisy chains. It’s made with the same material (DCF11) that Hyperlite uses to make stuff sacks so it weighs under 5 oz. It can serve double duty as a pack liner if you want a multi-use item.

Torso Lengths and Sizes for all Packs

• Extra Small: Less than 15″
• Size Small: 15″-17″
• Size Medium: 17″-19″
• Size Large: 19″-21″
• Size Tall: 21″+

Climbing Camels Hump in Vermont with the HMG Halka 55

How to Choose the Right Pack Material

HMG makes their packs with three different types of Dyneema Composite Fabrics, listed below in increasing order of abrasion resistance, durability, and expense. These hybrid fabrics are made with super strong but ultralight Dyneema fibers, polyester, and glue. Higher-denier (abbreviated with a D) fabrics are, generally speaking, stronger than lower-denier ones made with the same materials.

Material Abbreviations

• • DCH50 which is a 50D Dyneema/Polyester hybrid
  • DCH150 which is a 150D Dyneema/Polyester hybrid
  • DCHW which is a 375D Woven Dyneema/Polyester hybrid

The 50D Dyneema/Polyester hybrid is used to make the main body of many of their white backpacks, while the 150D and 375D fabrics are used in their black colored backpacks or in areas like the bottom of backpacks that are prone to high degrees of abrasion. The packs that are entirely or partially made with 375D Woven Dyneema/Polyester hybrid are by far Hyperlite’s most durable backpacks and tougher than most of the backpack fabrics in use today. (The only comparable fabric is something new called Ultra 400. It’s very similar to 375D Woven Dyneema but made with non-patented UHMWPE fibers instead of Dyneema fibers woven together and backed with a waterproof fabric. It’s only available from cottage backpack makers.)

Most people backpacking on trails in the lower 48 can use packs made with the regular 50D Dyneema/Polyester hybrid. If you thru-hike an extended distance or travel in very rocky terrain where your pack is likely to rub against rock walls a lot, you’d be better off getting the tougher and thicker 150D Dyneema/Polyester hybrid used to make HMG’s black colored packs. Most people don’t need the extra durability provided by the 375D Woven Dyneema/Polyester hybrid unless they’re mountaineering guides, hard-core backcountry skiers, they’re serial thru-hikers, or they have a trust fund.

The accent features on HMG’s packs are made with a checkered black Dyneema Hardline, which is nylon reinforced with Dyneema fibers. It’s used as the facing fabric on hip belts and shoulder straps on the 40L, 55L, 70L, and 85L packs. Many other manufacturers use the same material and while it’s reasonably durable, it’s not in the same league as the Dyneema Composite Fabrics used to make HMG packs.

35 to 40 Liter Backpacks

HMG’s 35L and 40L packs are a good size for thru-hikes with frequent resupplies or backpacking trips up to about 4 days in length (these are approximate guidelines based on a 10-15 lb gear load.)  They can also be used for more demanding day hikes, ice climbing, or ski tours particularly when you need to carry more insulation , tools, or safety gear. Here’s a list of the fabrics they’re available in:

• Waypoint 35L + 6.5L of external storage
  •  White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  •  Black; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
• Contour 35L + 6.5L of external storage
  •  White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  •  Black; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
• Porter Pack 40L
  •  White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  •  Black; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
• Southwest Pack 40L + 9.8L of external storage
  • White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  • Black; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
• Windrider Pack 40L + 9.8L of external storage
  • White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  • Black; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
• Junction Pack 40L + 9.8L of external storage
  • White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  • Black; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
• Unbound 40L  + 9L  of  external storage
  • White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  • Black; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
• Ice Pack 40L
  • White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
• Prism Pack 40L
  • White; DCH150 + DCHW

55 Liter Backpacks

Hyperlite’s 55L backpacks are dimensioned identically to the 40L ones but have a taller pack bag so you can fill them up with 7 days worth of food or extra-warm gear for winter trips. If you can only afford one pack, the 55L is a good choice since you can “turn it into” a 40L by rolling down the top to shrink the pack’s height and extra volume. The 40L and 55L packs use two removable aluminum stays (the newer Unbound Packs only have one aluminum stay) to transfer weight to the hip belt instead of a full frame. Both have a max load of about 35-40 pounds.

• Porter Pack 55L
  • White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  • Black DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
• Southwest Pack 55L + 9.8L of external storage
  • White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  • Black; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
• Windrider Pack 55L + 9.8L of external storage
  • White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  • Black; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
• Junction Pack 55L + 9.8L of external storage
  • White; DCH50 & DCH150
  • Black; DCH50 & DCH150
• Unbound 55L  + 9L  of  external storage
  • White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  • Black; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
• North Rim Pack 55L + 9.8L of external storage
  • White; DCH150 (Main Body) + DCHW (Bottom + External Pockets)
• Headwall Pack 55L + 7.1L of external storage
  • White; DCH150 (Main Body) + DCHW (Bottom + External Pockets)
• Ice Pack 55L
  •  White; DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
• Halka 55L
  •  White; DCH150 (Main Body) & DCHW (Bottom + External Pockets)

70 to 85 Liter Backpacks

HMG’s 70L and 85L packs are big, expedition-class monsters that you only need if you’re taking very long trips off the grid that require carrying a lot of food or heavy technical gear. They have a larger circumference than the 40L and 55L packs which makes them deeper (so they stick out behind you more.) With a max (comfortable) load of about 55-60 pounds, they’re best used for gear-intensive multi-sport trips.

The 70L and 85L packs have a frame consisting of an internal frame sheet and two aluminum stays to transfer weight to the hip belt. They’re also only made with a 150D Dyneema/Polyester hybrid body for increased durability, unlike the 40L and 55L packs which are available in two different Polyester hybrid denier weights. The 70L and 85L packs are available in white or black, although we’d recommend getting them in white because the black material makes the interiors too dark to see your gear inside.

• Porter 70L
  • White; DCH150
  • Black; DCF150
• Southwest 70L + 9.8L of external storage
  • White; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
  • Black; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
• Windrider70L + 9.8L of external storage
  • White; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
  • Black; DCH150 (Main Body & Bottom)
• North Rim 70L + 9.8L of external storage
  • White; DCH150 (Main Body) + DCHW (Bottom + External Pockets)
• Halka 70L
  •  White; DCH150 (Main Body) & DCHW (Bottom)
• Ice Pack 70L
  • White: DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
• Porter 85L
  • White;  DCH50 (Main Body) & DCH150 (Bottom)
  • Black; DCH 150 (Main Body and Bottom)

The Hyperlight Mountain Gear Southwest 55 Pack is a rugged multi-day Dyneema backpack good for thru-hiking and backpacking on trails and off.

See Also:

• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Contour 35 Backpack Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 40 Backpack Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 55 Backpack Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Junction 55 Backpack Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear NorthRim 55 Backpack Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Halka 55 Backpack Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak 17 Backpack Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Waypoint 35 Backpack Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 40 Backpack Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Elevate 22 Daypack Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Packing Pods Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Shoulder Pocket Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Echo II Shelter Review (no longer made)
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Flat Tarp Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid-1 Tent Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear 20-Degree Quilt Review
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Sack Pillow Review

Disclosure: Hyperlite Mountain Gear has provided the author with sample products for review in the past.

Last updated: 2-9-25

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