Porter

My go-to packraft bag. This is my trek miles into the forest searching out untouched waterways pack and it’s gonna hold everything. Bought the accessory pocket for the front which is worth it to add pouch to hold paddles and the extra loops are great for clipping my helmet and k-pump to the bag while hiking. Was able to stuff a kokopelli XPD (2023 model) into this bag along with all my extra gear and room to spare. I felt like the 55L is probably good for day trips but having the extra space makes this pack a perfect fit for up to a weekend pack rafting escape. Obviously a more compressible packraft will allow greater flexibility but working with what I have for now. Plan on using this for longer trekking trips as well…until I buy another HMG pack dedicated for just that. Holds up to the abuse that’s for sure.

Nice & lite

I'm diggin' it. Nice fit, nice carry. I see a 40l in my future too.

I really like this pack. I’ve used it on several desert backpacking and multi day ski traverses. I use the stuff pocket. For skiing this is great for skins, ski crampons, shovel and probe poles. Easily big enough for all of those. Would be OK for boot crampons too, in a bag of their own. Side straps are super for carrying skis in A frame mode when that’s required. The 55 is a little small for a week of skiing, especially if you’re using a bulky tent (UltaMid) so I paid the price and got a 70 for those trips going forward. I really would prefer to have a top pocket (aka a “brain”), above the roll top, or just with a drawstring closure. Years ago Hyperlite said “never”, but they’re coming around. Problem is, three side straps are better than 2 for skis etc, one rarely needs the heavy crampon holder on some of their climbing specific packs, and almost no one needs permanently attached oxygen bottle sleeves with big vents at the bottom that will let small things escape. Join me in asking for a Porter with a brain!

I got this cause I needed a bigger pack than my Southwest 70 for a 12 night trip that requires a large bear can. This is great but I really would like an internal water bladder holder and external pockets like the SW models. An internal water bladder holds the water weight at the perfect point, side positions not so much and I don't like shoulder strap weight too much either. But this is the largest pack at this weight point and carrying capacity that is available anyplace. And, like all Hyperlite packs it is surprisingly comfortable despite what are relatively thin shoulder pads and hip belts and lack of load lifters. I also like the increased width of this pack compared to all other Hyperlite packs and think this would be useful for all larger packs. That is, the narrow design of the SW etc. maybe useful in some conditions, but it puts the weight up pretty high for the 70 models when fully loaded. The Porter brings it down a bit, on a same volume comparison.