HMG Dyneema packs

Pics?

My almost stock Dyneema Summit ordered and shipped Friday cleared Customs and arrived today Wednesday in Korea – fast international delivery! – and I'm just now trying it out. My initial impressions are very favorable, especially with the fabric. Personally I don't see the need for a backpad in a pack of this limited volume – I'll just use soft items to pad it. And in my case, I was pleased they didn't Velcro the top on this pack, as it's noticeably faster to access, though I do prefer having the Velcro on my larger HMG packs. But I guess those are personal preferences. Enjoy!

It's made significantly worse by the AUD vs USD at the moment.

I was hoping they'd be more affordable than the Cilogear packs. Reference sake, Cilogear will sell you a 30L pack for $180, and the same pack in their 'woven dyneema' for $500.

Am I correct in thinking the fabric both companies are using is Xpac D-something? Is it that much more expensive? (Doesn't seem it from http://www.cascadecraftworks.com/?category=Fabric)

How much of a premium are we paying? I dismissed the Cilogear dyneema 30L as far too much of a premium, it sort of looks like HMG is matching Cilogear prices. Which is fine, and probably sensible from a business point of view, but puts it out of my price range. (Maybe after I've destroyed my HMG ice pack I'll be more compelled, but I think that'll last a very long time given ease of repairing it.)

Maybe I'm underestimating the difficulty in making packs with the material, and the price of the material?

And how durable is the material compared to heavy weight pack materials? The press releases make it sound like its amazing, which it probably is compared to regular CF. But what of the heavy weight pack materials, like ballistic nylon or canvas? Should I be buying a few meters to make a haul bag to drag up granite slabs?

Woven dyneema is said to be the most bombproof material available that still is UL. Cilogear has been using it for years and I believe the owner has stated that it's more abrasion and puncture resistant than 1800D cordura (don't quote me on that, it was in a video somewhere). If 150D cuben hybrid is bomber, this new stuff is on a whole new level. I suppose that's why McHale uses it as well..

It's uber expensive for the same reasons cuben fiber (aka non-woven dyneema) is. These new HMG packs are cuben fiber/woven dyneema hybrids, and I'd bet there is no comparison to ballistic nylon or canvas, especially from an ounce-for-ounce comparison.

I think it's worth the +$200 premium if you're doing really wear inducing activities, but if not, 150D is more than adequate – even for bushwacking.

Interesting to read that HMG's miracle fabric is new to them but not to the industry. Is it the same as what McHale uses in his full spectra packs, or is there something different with the application of cuben fibre?

Spectra is, I thought, simply a different brand of Dyneema – from a different supplier but I could be wrong.

I'm assuming the HMG wunder fabric is the same stuff (woven/nonwoven dyneema) Cilo's been using for a few years. It's a pure woven dyneema with a cuben backer. Wholesale a few years ago was in the neighborhood of 50 dollars a yard, for reference.

I've seen the Cilo stuff at work and it's phenomenal. Total functional waterproofing,~5 oz/yard, and better abrasion resistance than 1000D Cordura.

Why they made a duffel out of it I don't know, but I think the markup for the 2400 Ice pack is pretty fair. Better value than Cilo by a pretty large margin.

https://vimeo.com/24238127

"…better abrasion resistance than 1800D ballistics Cordura…"

That is pretty incredible. Now if HMG would up attache shoulder straps similar to that of MLD and a belt from Katabatic Gear, they would have a real winner!

I've had a full dyneema ice pack with ski holsters for the last couple years, and I've been very impressed with the fabric. I also just like the look and feel of it. It's a nice balance of soft and stiff. It also seems pretty invincible and I've taken it through a lot of tough terrain.
That said, I'm thinking selling mine soon for anyone interested. I'm just not as into ice climbing as I was & I'm loving my katabatic pack too much to use anything else.
Here's the ice pack after packing up one of my favorite camps on the wind river high route.

Just for information, yes it appears to be the same as one of the options for a McHale.

From his site: Full Spectra (dyneema) with cuben fiber laminate; this is our best choice for tough yet light packs. This is a 3.5oz full specta weave with a very light high bias cuben fiber laminated to it for waterproofness, structural stability, and extra strength.

He also offers a 3.5oz full specta laminated to a waterproof urethane film with a total weight of 6oz per yd. and a 6oz 1000d full specta used for pack bottoms and/or super heavy duty packs.

I used my new Summit pack on a bike trip, carrying 8-10 pounds of food / water. While cycling in general stinks with a pack, this seemed to work out ok. I will be using this on an upcoming ADK trip shortly.

I did a pack of my 3.5 season gear that I use down into the 20's. That is 20's at night, and warmer during the day. The following pics show what I packed away. This was not food, but only base weight gear and clothing. It came in around 8#'s 8 oz. It included: WM Summerlight, full length X therm pad, small pot and Snowpeak Giga Ti stove with full canister, 8'x8' silicon nylon tarp and stakes, personal bag with toiletries etc, clothing bag with Smartwool Merino long sleeve, FF Hyperion vest, mid weight tights, spare socks, wool mitts with MLD overmits, hat, and rain jacket. This all fit into the pics as shown, and no gear stowed away in the back pocket. All this left plenty of space for 2-3 days of food. 3 days of food would be tight the first day, but also well under 20 #'s. (supposed max carrying weight.) While this could certainly carry more, I would think hours up hours of hiking would take a toll on shoulder straps only. While thru hiking the AT and using a Goite Breeze, I have carried up to 25 #'s, and your shoulders do get sore the first couple days until you can eat some weight off your back. I assume this will be no different. All in all, an awesome pack that should last for years to come.

Interesting video, Graham mentioned the fabric was custom made for them. Wonder if its the same stuff HMG is using.

Wonder why HMG left the crampon patch of spectra hardline on the dyneema ice pack. Does it need it? Artefact of it originally being a CF pack perhaps?

Re how their materials compare to xpac D40, I think I can answer my own question…D40 is dyneema+polyester weave going by http://www.cascadecraftworks.com/shop/x-pac-d40-dyneema-ripstop-half-yard-length-white – which at a guess I don't think people would call 'woven dyneema'.

More and more tempted…But damn. It's a lot of money.