NorthRim 70

I got a Hyperlite Northrim 4400 for a Denali expedition and absolutely love it! It's been great for mountaineering, summer backpacking, and winter hut trips. I got this pack for Denali because it was a lot more comfortable at 40-60lb of training weight for me & it's nearly waterproof & very light. It did great with pulling a sled & it was very helpful on wet snowy days because I didn't have to worry about my pack & puffy/insulated layers getting wet.

I debated whether to go with the 5400 Porter pack for Denali, but the Northrim 4400 ended up being plenty big & the external pockets/straps also added extra capacity so it worked well for me. The Northrim 4400 has also been a good size for winter hut trips & general summer backpacking trips as well.

Love: Super durable materials, waterproof (which was so nice for keeping stuff dry in the snow/elements), durable straps & extra buckles so you can add more straps & velcro ties, nice hip pockets for snacks/sunscreen/phone/etc, and large durable external pockets for avy shovel/ski skins/layers/gloves/water bottles/etc!

Wish-list: Would love to have a built-in hydration pocket like on the Southwest. Would also love a thin strip of rubber instead of velcro on the pack opening so it doesn't hook on my sleeves (like on the Sea-to-Summit dry sacks).

Knowing that my Gregory Palisade was too heavy for the 1st NoBo Section of the AT, I treated myself with the 4400. It worked great. I would like to understand why this was only available in white. After a week and 12 inches of rain, it is now a seasoned salt & pepper vs white. Others can definitely see you when all the trees and shrubs are green! Overall, good and tough. Thanks.

Been daily driving my SouthWest 3400 for for 7 years now and have no complaints what so ever. This year we have been starting longer family trips with lots of extra base camp gear. I upgraded to a 4400 ltr pack to handle the bulky items. The pack body is way tough and really well made, it just seems too big for the basic suspension that its attached to. My last trip with this pack I weighed in at 45lbs and my shoulders and hips really felt the weight. The big body can take on tons of gear, but after a point the suspension needs a good redesign to feel comfortable. Thinking I'll try the seek outside style packs for my heavy trips and run the 3400 southwest for lighter trips with less gear.

Just what I wanted

Like any other Hyperlite product I have, excellent quality & light as can be.

Solid as a rock & very comfortable with 35-40 lbs in it, but I'm sure it can handle way more, I just can't!!!