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 facet water bottle pockets, however they’re on the small facet making it tough to maintain incessantly used objects simply accessible or safe with out opening the roll high. Whereas the Elevate is made with waterproof Dyneema, the inside seams aren’t 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 so much 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 Really helpful 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 various totally different capabilities starting from climbing or biking to on a regular basis use and journey. It’s normally hydration appropriate and has quite a few pockets on the outside and hipbelt pockets so you’ll be able to 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 cause, most backpack producers make daypacks which have clamshell openings or present panel entry to inside pockets, include hipbelt pockets, or a high lid pocket to make it simpler to search out and retrieve objects. 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 will be in your approach. That is made worse by the truth that the Elevate has a really lengthy extension collar that creates lots of further materials that’s onerous to handle every time you open or shut the pack.
This wouldn’t be as a lot of a giant deal if the Elevate 22 had giant exterior pockets or hip belt pockets to stuff incessantly wanted gear. But it surely 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 facet 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 facet compression straps above them to safe taller objects. The inside of the pack has a grasp loop for suspending a hydration reservoir however no pocket, though there are two facet hose ports and elastic hose keeper straps on the shoulder straps.
Backpack Suspension
The Elevate 22 is a frameless backpack which implies 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, so that they’ll be extra snug for girls, with daisy chains sewn alongside the entrance making it simpler to connect accent pockets, together with Hyperlite’s wildly standard waterproof shoulder strap pocket.
The hipbelt can also 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 calmly 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 stunned 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 properly. Hyperlite doesn’t publish hip belt lengths for the Elevate.
That stated a hip belt will not be strictly crucial on a pack of this quantity, particularly because it’s frameless and never load-bearing. Its fundamental operate 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 facet 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 objects 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 normally 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.
Really helpful 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 fundamental compartment, and small exterior pockets, with no closed pockets to prepare smaller objects 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 objects and repack when day climbing, for on a regular basis use, or journey. We far favor the Hyperlite Dawn 17 Backpack (whole quantity of 23L) for this objective, with its clamshell zippered high opening and its significantly better organizational capabilities (see our evaluation). For those who nonetheless desire a rolltop pack for day climbing our suggestion could be to make use of a Hyperlite Southwest 40 Backpack which has a a lot bigger entrance pocket, bigger facet bottle pockets, and absolutely useful hip belt pockets. I used the Southwest for years this manner and it’s well-suited for prolonged day hikes and in a single day journeys.
Disclosure: HMG donated a backpack for evaluation.
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