How much stuff can a Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Pack stuff?
Max Neale, a Review Editor for Outdoor Gear Lab, shares how he uses Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Pack.
I’ve been living traveling with and living out of Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Pack for the past six months. This started in late December when a gear swap with Hyperlite Mountain Gear Co-Founder Mike St. Pierre landed me four cuben fiber Stuff Packs. Two made of CF 11 and two from the cuben fiber/ nylon blend. I gave one away as a gift and have been loaning the others out to friends, and using them myself… nearly everyday. Throughout this time, and in hopes of answering the “how much stuff can a Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Pack stuff?” I’ve put the versatile devices to use for just about everything.
While traveling in Turkey for two months I used a CF 11 Stuff Pack as a daypack and to store clothes and my sleeping bag. Since returning stateside I’ve been living out my car, and out of Stuff Packs. They serve as exceptionally good stuff sacks; one houses my street clothes for looking decent in public and the other, a portion of my technical outerwear. Though not the most economical storage vessel, Stuff Packs have several advantages over duffel bags and large compression sacks: 1) they’re completely waterproof and can be set down in dirt, on wet ground, and left outside without spoiling the bag’s contents; 2) their shape (a square with rounded edges) and moderate size allows them to pack efficiently in a vehicle; 3) without any zippers or straps they slide easily over other things like backpacks, duffels, and other Stuff Packs; 4) their rolltop closure is waterproof, pickpocket-proof (someone would have to cut the bag in order to steal something), and the buckle provides an easy way to attach the bag to things like trees (for hanging food); and 5) their straps allow them to be used as a backpack, which has an infinite number of applications.
My most recent trip with the Stuff Pack was a bicycle tour down the California coast. A friend and I rode 450 some miles from San Francisco to Ventura (just north of Los Angeles). We approached the trip from the usual perspective: carry as little as possible, but instead of going fast, our goal was to go slow and see the as much of the coast as possible. Critically, all of my stuff fit inside a Stuff Pack.
How much stuff? Answer- I stuffed all of this stuff into one Stuff Pack:
- Shelter: Terra Nova Solar Photon 2 (lightest self-supporting tent in the world)
- Sleep: 2 Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite pads, Katabatic Gear Palisade quilt, Feathered Friends Rock Wren bag
- Cook: MSR Micro Rocket, MSR Titan 2.3L pot, Snow Peak Ti Sporks, bottled olive oil, salt, pepper, Aqua Mira, 4L MSR Dromedary
- Wear: Arcteryx Alpha FL hardshell, Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer down jacket, Ibex Hooded Indie wool shirt, DeFeet Aireator socks, jeans, long sleeve button down.
This was my first bike tour. It was a blast!! Unlike extended trips in the mountains, you can go to a grocery store at the end of a long day, and biking is so much faster than walking. Here are some photos:
Six months after my initial gear swap the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Packs are still going strong. What I thought would be a good gift has turned into piece of gear I use almost everyday. Whether packing a large sleeping bag, storing food, clothing, or carrying gear on a bike trip, the Stuff Pack has turned into a go-to piece. It’s one of the most versatile items I own.
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