Hyperlite Mountain Gear Windrider 3400 Review
Weight: 30.3 oz (Size Small)
Pros: Lightweight, designed with purpose, unbeatable durability
Cons: Expensive, cuben fiber against your back can be uncomfortable in hot and humid conditions, mesh can tear in brush
Bottom line: Incredibly durable UL workhouse
“Did that pack used to white?”
This is the second time that week someone had asked me that question. The first was by a hiker I encountered on the way up Tecumseh, but this time it was Jay, manager of the Rattle River Hostel in Gorham, NH. He adds “I know what those packs look like when they’re new” before I can finish laughing and tell him he’s not the first person to ask me that this week. There’s a brand new Hyperlite hanging in the pack garage, so I hang mine next to it as a contrast.
Four months of summer/fall caretaking for the Green Mountain Club in Vermont, plus three more this spring for Randolph Mountain Club in NH, a continuous bike and hike journey over the 115 4000-footers in the Northeast,
Wear a pack for long enough and it feels like an extension of your body, to the point it doesn’t feel right if you’re not wearing it. My Windrider has been on my back for a little almost three years on adventures from summer/fall caretaking for the Green Mountain Club in Vermont, skiing and winter hiking in Colorado, spring caretaking for Randolph Mountain Club in New Hampshire, a continuous bike and hike journey over the 115 4000-footers in the Northeast, and five months of trail crew on Grays and Torreys in Colorado. It’s earned its dirt without fail. The mesh on the side pockets has been through a lot–the Junction would be a better choice for heavy brush.
The Windrider features a large main compartment with a mesh sleeve sized for a water bladder inside. There are two mesh water bottle pockets on the side and a larger mesh pocket on the back, totaling about 10 liters of external storage space. I have the 2018 version, which has small hip pockets. Newer versions will have larger hip pockets in response to customer feedback. The design is simple, with some exterior storage space for accessing items on the move. The ability to pull a 1L water bottle out of the side pocket without taking the pack off is an important feature to me and the Windrider passes this test. I find it to carry loads up to 50 pounds extremely well, but it can irritate my back when it’s hot and humid. The 3400 version holds about 55 liters of volume, which I find is usually enough for four-season use for me. Hyperlite designed it for three-season use, but I have also used it with decent results for ski touring. The straps on the sides aren’t made to hold up to metal ski edges rubbing against them, so I would recommend using the pack this way sparingly.
It’s my pack of choice when I have trips that feature long stretches without resupply, usually over six days. I find it to be minimalist and utilitarian, with everything I need and nothing I don’t. I’ll continue to push this pack until it doesn’t hold up anymore, but that doesn’t look to be anytime soon.
For 15% off HMG, click here and use code TAYLOR15.
