Hyperlite Mountain Gear Inc.

Vincent,

We are working on the next pack as we speak and will be very similar in size just different features. We are redesigning the back pocket area to incorporate attachment points for ice tools as well as adding more substantial compression strap system. We are also going to a light weight aluminum stay to up the load carrying capability for some of the long 8-12 day stretches of no resupply. These changes were brought about by our guys who are the first group breaking trail on the PCT this year. None of these issues have been a concern for the 5 guys carrying packs on the AT this year, who three of which will complete the trail in 90 days. By the way, cheers to Bama on his 57mile day last week on the AT.

So instead of starting to add on features to the current pack as kind of an after thought we are going to redesign the pack to handle the needs and requirements of those who are thru hiking the larger, more demanding big mountain trails.

As far as colors, we are looking into a printed pattern for the next pack. We have tested prints on the fabric with great results and are now trying to come up with a kick ass pattern to go with the next pack. Ie. diamond plate pattern, honeycomb, or a ripstop pattern. Anyone have any ideas as to what might look cool as a printed pattern for a pack? Lets just say we could work something out if someone happens to come up with a pattern we like and are willing to use for our pack production, like a pack.

Here are a few pack detail shots some of you have asked for.

Hi Mike,

Glad to see you're on here answering questions and paying attention to the community!

One quick question, where are your packs made?

Take care,

Doug

I have always, since the 80's, been interested in tie-dyed fabrics. Now that would be cool. Walking down the trail in plaid shorts with a striped shirt and a tie-dyed pack…dude.

Doug,

HMG has the best of both worlds up here in New England. Our headquarters is on the beach in Maine where we get some great surf, which keeps half of our team really inspired and motivated. The production aspect of HMG, we have a little shop just out side of North Conway, NH at the base of the White Mountains. This keeps the other half of the HMG team really happy, motivated and inspired to build the gear we like to use. I split my time between the two places depending on how the week unfolds. Except this one, on weekends you will find me in the mountains.

Brian,

That put a smile on my face.

Just so everyone knows, even the white pack really holds up and doesn't show dirt that well. Here is one of the first packs that went out on the AT this year. We sent this pack out as a prototype and after the first guy used it for a few hundred miles he purchased one. So I sent that customer an new pack and once he received it this one was passed down to someone else on the trail. This process happened five times and was bounced back and forth along the trail. It has been through 5 testers hands and has traveled over 2000 miles so far. Now all these people have new packs and i asked they send this one back so i can take a look at it. It held up perfectly.

In a process to educate the lads on the trail that the pack is not tyvek, the testers had fellow thru hikers sign the pack with a Sharpie.

My apologies for the sideways picture. I've tried uploading it a bunch of different ways and it keeps posting like this.

Thanks Mike, personally glad to hear they're made on this side of the ocean. Another question. Do you do mods on your packs, or only stock?

Doug,

We tend to shy away from most custom work because we find it really hard to hit the nail on the head with the first prototype you make. There is a lot of trial and error in the design process and to make sure things work the way they are supposed to you really need to build a lot of them. I will gladly listen to your request and if it is a simple inline change we will consider it.

We are always open to suggestions.

Hi Mike,

Understand completely. I'm one of those guys who doesn't use the side pockets for water, but instead to put things in I want easy access to. So I'm not a fan of the slanted side pockets, but instead would want the side pockets to go straight across the side instead of tapering toward the front, if my explanation makes sense.

Doug,

I understand completely, i don't use the side pockets for H2O either. I use a platypus I keep in the pack on top of everything else. I use the side pockets for snacks, headlamp, tent stakes, and other such essentials. I slanted the pocket enough so you can still reach whats in it with out having to take the pack off. If the pockets are straight which we did on an earlier version I couldn't reach them.

I really like the Pack, wish I could afford one right now.

You should really offer larger photos of your gear on your website, goes a long way in portraying your confidence in the quality of your craftsmanship, when the only option are small photos one wonders why.

If you ever need another tester in the New England area PM me! =D

Steven,

Thanks for checking us out. Except for the pack pictures all other products have larger pictures attached. Once you get into the product page click on the large picture and it should open into a new window from where you can zoom in and out. The photos on the pack page has a glitch which I am looking into.

Thanks for the feedback.

Hi Mike,

The pack and shelters are looking sharp! Quick question for ya on the pack. Is there any framesheet/foam behind the aluminum stays?

Hi Konrad,

Thank for checking out our gear. Just to clarify the stays in this bag are a stiff plastic not aluminum and yes there is a 3/8" thick foam pad in the back panel.

I'm sorry to see that your pack torso length is only up to 21". Those of us who are taller (I have a 21.5" torso) are apparently out of luck.

Hi William,

I would have to say our large packs run a little on the large size. If the pack is something you are interested in email me and we can work something out. If you get it and you think its too small we will gladly take it back.

Hi Mike, I just placed an order for one of your packs and a few cuben stuff sacks. Am looking forward to getting out on the trail with this! Good to see another vendor out there making high quality ultralight gear. Best of luck to you. Am glad to hear they run a little on the large side. I was feeling a little nervous about ordering a medium. So how waterproof would you say these packs are? Is the pack sealed enough to be an airtight drysack, or ..?

Hi Andrew,

Thank you for your interest in HMG and for placing your order. As far as waterproofness, I'm not going to say it is airtight. With out seam sealing the pack I've hiked multiple days in the pouring rain and everything in my pack was absolutely dry. Some of our guys on the PCT and AT mentioned they seam sealed the packs main seams with great success. Since H2O has a mind of its own and always seems to find a place to get in something I'm not going to say the pack is 100% waterproof. However, I will say it is absolutely 100% highly water resistant. Either way, I still dont carry a pack cover, dont see the need.

Last weekend I was out for 3 days and brought what must of been an older Platypus with me. I say older because on the first night out the bladder formed a nice size hole on what looked to be a crease and spilled over a liter of water inside my pack. I keep all my stuff in Cuben stuff sacks which insured everything stayed dry. However, I noticed something was wrong when I was unable to suck any more water through my hose. I opened the pack, unpacked everything and dumped out the 1.5 liters of water that was just sitting on the bottom of the pack. Guess that's a good thing. If the water has a hard time leaving the pack it must have a hard time getting in.

Hope this helps.
BTW: your pack ships Monday.

Hi Mike, thanks for the additional information. I guess that's the thing about mostly waterproof sacks. Water always seems to find a way to make it in, but never seems to drain back out. I'll follow the thru-hikers advice and do some seam sealing when I get the pack. I can't wait to get out and try it out. Thanks for the shipping update.

I just received my order from HMG and their stuff is top notch. Mike is an easy guy to work with, very helpful and prompt with his responses. I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again.

Would the inserts be usable with other tarps, like an MLD Grace?

I have to say that the HMG setup looks pretty appealing; I've been thinking about getting a flat tarp to use like a beak for my Grace in case of nasty weather, and I'm also interested in a 2-person version of the MLD Serenity. I like the fact that it has a partial Cuben wall in front, I've found that the full silnylon wall on the front of my Serenity is very effective as a windbreak.

Thanks!

HMG's products are not designed to work with other manufactures products, there for I can't really answer that question. I would also say that our beak was designed to specifically work with the HMG tarps. It's not so easy and very time consuming to rig flat tarps on as beaks every night. In order for any tarp to work effectively they have to be pitched as tight as possible. Other wise, if it starts out pitched with a little play in it, it is going to get worse the more it is subjected to and the higher the wind speeds are. HMG's products are designed to work together and allow for the tightest pitch possible, in turn allowing you to sleep comfortably at night.

Seams like some really good gear. Found out about it through Hedriks blog, Hiking in Finland – a fellow finn.
I myself am not yet going fully UL, currently use an Exos 58, Haglöfs Lim100/2,5kg winter bag and an Exped Vela II Extreme (sharing). One of the reasons I've yet to go full out is that I need close to bompbroof/lasting quality gear, which some UL cannot guarantee.
This however, seems promising.

Would be really fun to buy my own tarp (although going cuben right away could seem overkill – or just smart?)
The sack again looks niice(!), I like the bold white color (secondary would be some woody green thingie in my opinion). Nice with a waterproof and still light bag. Q: Could I justify this buy (lots of cash) with the argument that I´d also use it for everyday things like shopping groceries, going to work by bike (10k) etc? :D

This does seem like it would a good choice for Cascades shoulder season backpacking. Aargh… your launch timing could have been better :)

Well, I decided to take the plunge. I might as well get some benefit out of the stock that Amazon gave me when I joined up. Lousy job, but good pay…

With any luck, I'll receive the stuff before I hit the trail again in a couple of weeks… but I'll head out even if I don't, I'm getting withdrawal symptoms from not enough wilderness in my diet.