Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider 55

In planning for our trip to the West Coast Trail, we were wanting to try to be ultra light in a packing. After much research I settled on the Hyperlite product. After a phone call with Mike and talking over how I was going to use the pack he said they could do a Windrider 3400cu. At the time this was not on their website. It is a Porter with all the extras of the Windrider.

My first trip trying to be ultra light wasn't too bad. We planned to be on trail for 6 days. I"m 6'1" and at the time weighed 225. My base pack was 14 pounds and with food, it put me a little over 20 pounds. The pack held up great and I had no issues. In fact, since I had little cuben bags from Hyperliite for all my all items, that I was one of quickest to unpack and pack everyday. As the food was consumed, it was like I wasn't carrying on the last days.

Everyone I encountered on the trip noticed the White pack and asked about it. I'm no salesmen, but when I like something, I can give the pitch. I did my best to enthusiastically (gift of the gab as Mike had found out during my phone call with him) explain the product.  

Before this gets too long, I can't say enough about their products. I will be using / purchasing more when my family is old enough to do some trips.

The HMG Windrider is a lightweight, super comfortable, and durable pack, that is adaptable for a wide range of adventures. The most comfortable pack I have owned!

Me and my wife both bought a matching pair of HMG Windrider 3400 packs for our expedition to walk across Iceland. Having learnt a lot more about packs and ultralight gear during our 2012 PCT thru-hike, I had wittled our replacement packs down to a few brands.

The HMG packs stood out as being the right balance of weight, waterproof-ness, and durability. Living in the UK, it was impossible to find anyone with one of these packs to try out in the flash, so it was a bit of a gamble buying them unseen.

When they arrived, I knew I had made the right decision. Throughout our 400-mile Iceland crossing, we kept commenting on how comfortable they were. We never got the shoulder pain we had with other packs on thru hikes, despite carrying up to 8 days of food and a lot of water.

The simple design also allows the pack to expand or contract hugely depending on your needs. The outer mesh expands to allow a huge amount to be packed in. Having said this, we may have pushed it a little too far as the elastic has lost a little of its elasticity.

I would not hesitate to buy another HMG pack!  In-fact I am intending to buy a summit pack for day hikes, weekend camps, and mountaineering. The packs are even more desirable now the new look logo is on them!