Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider I

Very comfortable pack and holds a lot of gear, but it is not totally waterproof.

I used this pack the first time in the Adirondacks and halfway through our day the skies opened up and the rain lasted for about 3 hours. I opened the pack up afterwards and was quite disappointed that all the items were damp to wet inside. When I got home, I called customer service and she suggested that I use dry sacks inside the pack.  My whole premise of buying this pack was to get rid of all the dry sacks in my pack.

The second time I used the pack was on my Presidential Traverse in the White Mountains. Again, the morning was a rainy and wet day. This time I had packed extra dry sacks and the items that I did not put in dry sacks were somewhat wet. I was disappointed.

I used it a third time up Katahdin in Maine and this time it did not rain, so no items got wet. The pack has met several boulders, rocks, trees, etc. and there is some visible abrasions. I am hoping the material will stand up to the Adirondacks, the Whites, and wherever else I may hike.

It seems to hold quite a lot of gear and it feels very stable when packed. I love the mesh exterior pockets for items that I want to quickly grab or stow. I have recently ordered the extra straps and patch kit, because you never know what items I will want to carry in the future.

The pack is very comfortable and I do plan on taking it on the Northville-Placid Trail next year, but I will be adding the unwanted extra weight of dry sacks to be safe.  

I ordered my Windrider backpack from the A/T after my pack failed. Hyperlite Mountain Gear delivered my pack within one day. The pack exceeded all of my expectations over the 1200 miles I logged on the trail.

It is well made, comfortable, waterproof and easy to load. And it's USA made! The white Cuben Fiber allows light to pass through to see inside the pack. The internal stays give the pack the necessary support to carry loads above 30lbs. At a weight of 25.5 oz, the pack allowed me to drop my base weight by 2lbs.

Some of my favorite Windrider features while on the trail were:

• Water resistant hip pockets great for iPhone and snacks.
• Three outer mesh pockets for clothes, food and my 2 liter water bladder.
• I like that I could reach around to the back mesh pocket and feel how much water I have rather than take the pack off.
• The pack is the same width as my body, so it did not get caught on rocks and trees.
• The Velcro roll-top closure that kept everything in place.
• The anti-microbial belts that did not smell and still does not.

I continue to use the Windrider as a NYS Guide hiking in the Adirondacks this fall and plan to use it throughout the winter.

I highly recommend this pack for thru hikes, weekend hikes or just around town.

The Windrider after 3 months of constant use continues to impress and surprise. Hyperlite Mountain Gear got this right.