Hyperlite Mountain Gear Elevate 22 Daypack Evaluation

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Elevate 22 Daypack is a downsized frameless model of the corporate’s multi-day Dyneema DCF roll-top backpacks. It has some exterior storage together with a entrance stretch mesh pocket and two aspect water bottle pockets, however they’re on the small aspect making it tough to maintain regularly used gadgets simply accessible or safe with out opening the roll high. Whereas the Elevate is made with waterproof Dyneema, the inside seams usually are not seam-taped, so that you’ll wish to line it with a plastic bag or waterproof pack liner. Frankly, we’re a bit disillusioned with the Elevate 22 as a daypack and like Hyperlite’s Dawn 17 Daypack quite a bit higher as a result of it supplies significantly better group and simpler entry to your gear for day climbing, on a regular basis use, and journey.

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Specs at a Look

• Gender: Unisex
• Quantity: 22L
• Closure: Roll high
• Weight: 1.1 lbs | 17.9 oz | 507g
• Shade: White
• Pockets: 3 (all open and exterior)
• Hydration Prepared: Sure
• Hip-belt pockets: No
• Max Beneficial Load: 25 lbs
• Supplies: Dyneema DCF, Dyneema Stretch Mesh, Nylon Grid
• Seam-taped: No

Backpack Storage

A daypack isn’t only a miniaturized multi-day backpack however is designed for a variety of completely different capabilities starting from climbing or biking to on a regular basis use and journey. It’s often hydration suitable and has quite a few pockets on the outside and hipbelt pockets so you possibly can set up your gear and take away or stow it rapidly and securely everytime you wish to use one thing or put it away for safekeeping.

For that motive, most backpack producers make daypacks which have clamshell openings or present panel entry to inner pockets, include hipbelt pockets, or a high lid pocket to make it simpler to seek out and retrieve gadgets. They’re not roll-tops, just like the Elevate 22, which is a trouble to make use of for day climbing as a result of it takes a lot further effort and time to take off the pack unroll the highest, unpack it, discover your merchandise, repack the pack, and reroll the highest earlier than you could be in your manner. That is made worse by the truth that the Elevate has a really lengthy extension collar that creates quite a lot of further materials that’s laborious to handle every time you open or shut the pack.

This wouldn’t be as a lot of an enormous deal if the Elevate 22 had giant exterior pockets or hip belt pockets to stuff regularly wanted gear. However it doesn’t. Furthermore, the entrance mesh pocket is so small, I can solely get a small bottle of Picaridin, a tube of suntan lotion, a screw-on water filter, and an empty platypus into it earlier than it’s full.

The aspect water bottle pockets are a bit higher and are reachable when the pack is worn. They’ve an elastic wire/cordlock mixture on high to assist comfortable a single bottle in place, with aspect compression straps above them to safe taller gadgets. The inside of the pack has a cling loop for suspending a hydration reservoir however no pocket, though there are two aspect hose ports and elastic hose keeper straps on the shoulder straps.

Backpack Suspension

The Elevate 22 is a frameless backpack which suggests the burden is solely in your shoulders as a result of the hipbelt is non-supportive. The again panel behind the shoulder straps is padded with foam, and sewn into the pack. The shoulder straps are S-shaped, in order that they’ll be extra comfy for ladies, with daisy chains sewn alongside the entrance making it simpler to connect accent pockets, together with Hyperlite’s wildly well-liked waterproof shoulder strap pocket. 

The hipbelt can be detachable, being held in place by velcro. It has a pull-forward tightening mechanism making it simple to get a safe match. It’s very frivolously padded with foam, however runs quick, like lots of the hip belts on Osprey daypacks that cowl the again of the hip bones however don’t loop round to the entrance. I used a large-sized Elevate 22 for testing and was shocked at how quick the hipbelt was in comparison with the opposite half-dozen backpacking Hyperlite packs I’ve used up to now which match me effectively. Hyperlite doesn’t publish hip belt lengths for the Elevate.

That stated a hip belt just isn’t strictly essential on a pack of this quantity, particularly because it’s frameless and never load-bearing. Its predominant perform is to carry the pack bag near your torso when operating or scrambling.

Attachment Factors/Compression Straps

The Elevate 22 has three straps: a high strap that loops over the roll-top closure and two aspect compression straps with metallic buckles that connect to webbing loops sewn into the pack seams. Each can be utilized for compression and to strap cumbersome or tall gadgets to the pack, like a foam pad.

There are additionally daisy chains sewn alongside the perimeters of the entrance pocket that primarily function anchors for a stretch wire that can be utilized to connect a pad or jacket to the pack. I discover the stretch wire will get caught in vegetation so I often take away it if I plan to hike off-trail. The daisy chains even have an elastic ice axe shaft holder that enhances the ice axe loop sewn to the bottom of the pack.

Beneficial Daypacks

Evaluation

The Hyperlite Elevate 22 is a Dyneema DCF daypack that’s a miniaturized model of Hyperlite’s multi-day roll-top backpacks. It has one giant predominant compartment, and small exterior pockets, with no closed pockets to prepare smaller gadgets or necessities. Being a roll high, we discover it awkward and sluggish to make use of for day climbing as a result of it takes so lengthy to open and discover gadgets and repack when day climbing, for on a regular basis use, or journey. We far want the Hyperlite Dawn 17 Backpack (whole quantity of 23L) for this function, with its clamshell zippered high opening and its significantly better organizational capabilities (see our overview). In the event you nonetheless desire a rolltop pack for day climbing our suggestion can be to make use of a Hyperlite Southwest 40 Backpack which has a a lot bigger entrance pocket, bigger aspect bottle pockets, and absolutely purposeful hip belt pockets. I used the Southwest for years this fashion and it’s well-suited for prolonged day hikes and in a single day journeys.

Disclosure: HMG donated a backpack for overview.

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