So...I have spent months researching hyper light mountain gear backpacks. I have watched literally every single video on TH-cam that has anything to do with an HMG backpack. This is by far my favorite!!!!Thank you so much for sharing this!
Just finished thru hike of AT with 3400 southwest and only thing wrong with it is the bottom is scrapped up from sliding down rocks in white mountians in NH. Which is all my fault but after all those miles it's still in great condition.
@@Skinnykidsowell - you could connect Hyperlite and see what they can do... KAA902 - below said: "Never had a failure due to quality. I did place a few holes in the black Junction while sliding through a slot canyon, but Hyperlite replaced the bottom at no cost."
HMG is an awesome pack, but there is one better - LiteAF's Curve. Bungzy brags about the aluminum stays (which are adjustable on all such packs btw), but those stays have to fight the shape of the pack. Every pack except LiteAF cuts their side-panels straight, fighting the natural curve of the human back. LiteAF cuts and sews the pack to match the shape of one's back. This "Curve" makes all the difference in comfort, with or without aluminum-stays. Additionally, LiteAF has beefier shoulder straps with integrated, sewn-in stretchy mesh pockets. (more...) The main front-mesh pocket is the bigger and better stretch mesh Bungsy wished for too. Side pockets are solid, not mesh (HMG recently offered, but still isn't an option on their website). LiteAF's waist-belt is optional and beefier if one chooses it. There's a bottom mesh pocket option that most love too. HMG's a great pack. The second greatest pack on the market.
Thanks for the review, especially the bit about the pack being wider. Short framed person here who likes to do a bit of scrambling. Most packs on the market these days are too tall and skinny for me. Cant wait to go try this thing on!
I have a 2400 as my heavy carry, and to address your comments on being really skinny and thin, yes it does hurt a bit more than it should. I have to ratchet the hip belt so tight that I often get some discomfort after a few days, and the thin shoulder straps dig in much more than my smaller packs that have generous padding. It’s still a great bag but if they added an ounce of extra padding to the straps it might be close to perfect. (Side note that some cottage makers like LiteAF are now using that aluminum strut design in their framed packs...)
I have to agree with the support system review......I have two other name brand ultra light frameless packs and just couldnt get comfortable with them.....I purchased the HMG 2400 southwest......it weights one pound more than my other pack of same size......I swear it feels so much lighter and better when loaded with exact same weight......it feels so comfortable and stable......I could have saved a lot of money if I would have been able to try one earlier in my search.....!!!!
good review! i have this pack too and i agree with everything that you said (especially the price... bruh.). but! i know you've said that its a little bit overkill, and i've also seen this, especially when doing smaller trips or during the summer months, and it got me thinking about how if they had somehow made the hipbelts removable it would feel much more like some of those lighter carry packs (nero-kumo-burn-oranyofthepa'lantes). from an engineering stand point, i really have no clue if that's even possible to do and still keep that really sturdy feel it has already. but man, if they could it would be amazing like, it could be used for so much more than it already can be used for. it's already super versatile but this would just free it up - literally - to be used in so many more scenarios pat hiking. think backcountry skiing or even just as an everyday pack. idk. i might just be off on a tangent. ranting. it'd b tight if they could do that tho. idk why i'm writing this but if you're reading this in the comments while youre calmly dozing off to the beautiful monotone of bungzys reviews and wanna let me know what you think just say sum. cool. thanks for reading. bye.
Curious what backpack you are using today with the new Ultra 100/200/400 material making it’s way into the market. The Z Packs Arc Haul series looks amazing and looks as if Z Packs has learned from prior design failures. Looks like they have a winner for those that can afford it!
As always, that’s a great review, but you could place a potted plant in the lower left of the background to hide that outlet. I couldn’t stop looking at it, lol! I know, I’m being nit picky. Now you got me doing it!
This is an excellent overview, thank you! I've been using an old (very) Kelty White cloud that has a very similar strut system. It is fully woven dyneema and I like it a lot (feels good and bomb proof)...but it is not water proof and does not have the friendliest of pockets. I've almost bought an HMG pack a few times to replace it and always chicken out. What makes me wimp out is the lack of load lifters - obviously you don't seem to think they are necessary, can you elaborate on why that is. Cost aside, what are your thoughts on a custom variant of this in DCHW?
I love my HMG2400. The shorter/wider design of this pack was one of the main reasons I bought it. I went all out and bought the shoulder pocket for my phone, two large pods, and one small pod. I know it adds up to a lot of money, but man those pods have made things super simple for me in camp. I do wish HMG would make a pack to compete with the zpacks nero. In the warmer weather months the windrider is a bit overkill. I've been eyeing up the zpacks nero and gossamer gear murmur for the summer months. If hmg released something to compete with either of those packs I'd be all over it.
@@getlost3094 i am going with the nero simply because I like the shape, though I do think I'd be able to use a murmur. Theres an AT thru hiker that used a murmur this year. If a thru hiker can get away with it, so could I. I use a 40l pack right now and it's not even 3/4 the way full.
Louie a thru hike is nothing more than tons of section hikes back to back to back. You’re looking at what? 4-5 day stretches? Not much different than my hikes and I’m not a thru hiker. All the thru hikers I hiked with on the AT were not using tiny little packs. Especially in shoulder season. Cold gear and 4 days of food fills a pack pretty quickly. My 40 mile stretch through the smokies this spring was 4 days. And my Nero was pretty stuffed. That’s with about 7.5 lb base weight. Murmur gets u about 15 lbs carrying capacity comfortably. But hey it ain’t my hike or my gear so I can’t really make definitive comments but I do know the murmur is considerably smaller than the Nero
@@getlost3094 exactly. I'm a section hiker, so a murmur would be big enough for my gear. I get what your saying, but in my original comment I said I wanted it for warmer weather months. Like I said, I use a 40l hmg pack in the winter and it's not even close to being full. I've dialed in all of gear over the years, a murmur would be just fine. A lot of people use the murmur for 3 to 5 day stretches. It can definitely be used as a day pack because it's so light, but to me it's just a little too big for that. My day pack is 18l and I dont even need that much. The only reason I'm going with the Nero over the Murmur is first because of the shape and second because I think the dcf packs are a little more durable. The Murmur is notoriously thin.
Would it ever be considered to go with a 4400? Then you could have a bag big enough for through hikes, and roll it small enough for weekend hikes? I’m going to get one, just stuck on the size. Made in the USA = SOLD for me. I’ll pay extra to buy US made stuff any time.
@@Bungzy thanks, I am also considering the new LiteAf 40L with suspension, which seems to be like the HMG more durable than Zpacks but with maybe the suspension makes it a little more comfortable than HMG frameless. Any thoughts are welcome and thanks for your content.
@@barondavis5692 I ended up getting the 40L LiteAF, have not had a chance to use it much, just day hikes but so far it feels good. What is your experience?
Rudek Perez I’m a difficult size at 20.5”, which is in between a med and lg. I got the large and it feels too big. The Al stays and padding are above c7 vertebrae and ouch my head forwards causing headaches and it rides low so my lower back gets fatigued. I think it’s a good pack but I question the fit for me.
@@barondavis5692 that sucks! I am 17" so got the small and it fits well. Before I had an Osprey so at the beginning it was hard for me to get use to a minimalistic pack without as much padding, but I am getting use to it. Have you contacted Lite AF and see if they can switch for a med, maybe they have one returned that they can switch out.
I feel like the you don’t need supports narrative is a really male dominated perspective. I am a relatively petite woman and a 20 lb pack, with food and water, with no supports is actually going to be harder to carry in the long run than a 30 lb pack with supports. I just don’t have the upper body frame to carry much weight constantly, I can do it but it’s uncomfortable.
The material on the black is heavier. Same weight as what is on the bottom of the white one. But I’ve not heard of anyone having issues with the durability of the white one. So I think it would come down to whether you prefer black or white color. Either one seems to be super durable.
@@Bungzy have often you reuse the smart water bottle? I know most ultralight hiker do this method for their drinking system, but isn't that water bottle you purchased anywhere supposed to be use one time only? just curious.....
@@BungzyUltralight Agree! I used the Southwest 3400 for the CT then sold it..This year I have my eye on the PCT... a couple of questions: is there any difference between the Junction (seem like a good compromise) and the WR aside from pockets? And do you think I can do the PCT with the 2400, or should go for 3400 and take the 2 oz penalty? I never carried a bear cannister... my base wt is 12 lbs... thanks for your help!
Bungzy’s Ultralight I just bought the 2400 Junction. Which straps did you trim/cut. I see you are using the roll top strap with the Y strap. Did you cut the side compression straps-or does the windrider not have those?
Hi Guys and Gals. I am all the way down in South Africa, would like to get a HMG 2400 Windrider, two questions, 1) white or black, I understand the weight savings on white and toughness from black - but what's the right call? 2) 2400 or 3400 for through hikes. I see most using the 2400, is this enough space?
Jay Margolis fellow Saffer in UK. White is used in high temps like Southern California on PCT so depends when you’re hiking brother but in a lot of hot sun, go for white so your choco bars don’t melt! The size is about capacity but I have the 3400; I don’t carry a lot with a base weight less than 6.5 kgs. I like the extra space for bear canister when hiking in the US. If you don’t need the extra room, just roll it down China, compressed down really well. Great pack, recommended.
Good vid. When it comes to core gear I go a little heavier for reliability. Maybe all in all it’s a couple pounds heavier but piece of mind for just the extra weight of a water bottle is fine by me.
The higher the weight the more straight You can walk. There is no better looking backpacker than the one with a pack above he’s head, and nothing worse than the one with an old military style potato bag somewhere around he’s lower back. Everything to a certain adequate point of course. Multiple forum threads and videos about back health while backpacking can be found all over the internet. Mechanic is a good helper here. As a rule of thumb - max/good pack frame height is about from the bottom to the top of Your ear. If Your total pack weight is lower than, let’s say, 10kg You will feel less of a difference just because of a total body weight to pack weight ratio. For a skinnier people - less kg accordingly.
The difference between HMG and Zpacks packs is somewhat exemplified by the states in which they are manufactured. Zpacks is definitely a Florida pack. Flashy, overhyped, and not built to last. HMG is definitely a Mainer pack. Sturdy, practical, and no unnecessary extras. Btw HMG’s shoulder strap pocket is awesome. Well designed, roomy and virtually waterproof. My big ass iPhone 12 Pro Max fits in it perfectly with room to spare.
So...I have spent months researching hyper light mountain gear backpacks. I have watched literally every single video on TH-cam that has anything to do with an HMG backpack. This is by far my favorite!!!!Thank you so much for sharing this!
Sounds like me 🤣
Just finished thru hike of AT with 3400 southwest and only thing wrong with it is the bottom is scrapped up from sliding down rocks in white mountians in NH. Which is all my fault but after all those miles it's still in great condition.
How badly scraped up?
@@monicakim9143 2 spots maybe the size of a dime
@@Skinnykidsowell - you could connect Hyperlite and see what they can do... KAA902 - below said: "Never had a failure due to quality. I did place a few holes in the black Junction while sliding through a slot canyon, but Hyperlite replaced the bottom at no cost."
Just found your channel. Guilty of binge watching. Great review. Thanks.
HMG is an awesome pack, but there is one better - LiteAF's Curve. Bungzy brags about the aluminum stays (which are adjustable on all such packs btw), but those stays have to fight the shape of the pack. Every pack except LiteAF cuts their side-panels straight, fighting the natural curve of the human back. LiteAF cuts and sews the pack to match the shape of one's back. This "Curve" makes all the difference in comfort, with or without aluminum-stays. Additionally, LiteAF has beefier shoulder straps with integrated, sewn-in stretchy mesh pockets. (more...)
The main front-mesh pocket is the bigger and better stretch mesh Bungsy wished for too. Side pockets are solid, not mesh (HMG recently offered, but still isn't an option on their website). LiteAF's waist-belt is optional and beefier if one chooses it. There's a bottom mesh pocket option that most love too.
HMG's a great pack. The second greatest pack on the market.
The curve has the long skinny design… as mentioned in the video, and I personally don’t like that as much as the HMG design
The stays feel like they were custom made for my back , the 2400 is the most comfortable pack I have ever used,, I couldnt be happier
Keep doing these reviews sir. I really enjoy the deep dives on gear and everything outdoors 🤙
You pretty much sold me on this !!! I’m getting this in black for the AT in 2021 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks for the review, especially the bit about the pack being wider. Short framed person here who likes to do a bit of scrambling. Most packs on the market these days are too tall and skinny for me. Cant wait to go try this thing on!
I have a 2400 as my heavy carry, and to address your comments on being really skinny and thin, yes it does hurt a bit more than it should. I have to ratchet the hip belt so tight that I often get some discomfort after a few days, and the thin shoulder straps dig in much more than my smaller packs that have generous padding. It’s still a great bag but if they added an ounce of extra padding to the straps it might be close to perfect. (Side note that some cottage makers like LiteAF are now using that aluminum strut design in their framed packs...)
Great review👍 Been debating picking up the 2400 Junction. This review helps
I have to agree with the support system review......I have two other name brand ultra light frameless packs and just couldnt get comfortable with them.....I purchased the HMG 2400 southwest......it weights one pound more than my other pack of same size......I swear it feels so much lighter and better when loaded with exact same weight......it feels so comfortable and stable......I could have saved a lot of money if I would have been able to try one earlier in my search.....!!!!
good review! i have this pack too and i agree with everything that you said (especially the price... bruh.).
but!
i know you've said that its a little bit overkill, and i've also seen this, especially when doing smaller trips or during the summer months, and it got me thinking about how if they had somehow made the hipbelts removable it would feel much more like some of those lighter carry packs (nero-kumo-burn-oranyofthepa'lantes). from an engineering stand point, i really have no clue if that's even possible to do and still keep that really sturdy feel it has already.
but man, if they could it would be amazing like, it could be used for so much more than it already can be used for. it's already super versatile but this would just free it up - literally - to be used in so many more scenarios pat hiking. think backcountry skiing or even just as an everyday pack. idk. i might just be off on a tangent. ranting. it'd b tight if they could do that tho.
idk why i'm writing this but if you're reading this in the comments while youre calmly dozing off to the beautiful monotone of bungzys reviews and wanna let me know what you think just say sum. cool. thanks for reading. bye.
it'll happen just wait ... :)
Curious what backpack you are using today with the new Ultra 100/200/400 material making it’s way into the market. The Z Packs Arc Haul series looks amazing and looks as if Z Packs has learned from prior design failures. Looks like they have a winner for those that can afford it!
As always, that’s a great review, but you could place a potted plant in the lower left of the background to hide that outlet. I couldn’t stop looking at it, lol! I know, I’m being nit picky. Now you got me doing it!
That's funny. I kept looking at what looks like an award in a wood frame over his shoulder. :-)
... seriously?
This is an excellent overview, thank you! I've been using an old (very) Kelty White cloud that has a very similar strut system. It is fully woven dyneema and I like it a lot (feels good and bomb proof)...but it is not water proof and does not have the friendliest of pockets. I've almost bought an HMG pack a few times to replace it and always chicken out. What makes me wimp out is the lack of load lifters - obviously you don't seem to think they are necessary, can you elaborate on why that is. Cost aside, what are your thoughts on a custom variant of this in DCHW?
Thanks for the clear explanation - that makes a lot of sense...
I love my HMG2400. The shorter/wider design of this pack was one of the main reasons I bought it. I went all out and bought the shoulder pocket for my phone, two large pods, and one small pod. I know it adds up to a lot of money, but man those pods have made things super simple for me in camp.
I do wish HMG would make a pack to compete with the zpacks nero. In the warmer weather months the windrider is a bit overkill. I've been eyeing up the zpacks nero and gossamer gear murmur for the summer months. If hmg released something to compete with either of those packs I'd be all over it.
Nero would be better than murmur. The murmur is a daypack imo
@@getlost3094 i am going with the nero simply because I like the shape, though I do think I'd be able to use a murmur. Theres an AT thru hiker that used a murmur this year. If a thru hiker can get away with it, so could I. I use a 40l pack right now and it's not even 3/4 the way full.
Louie a thru hike is nothing more than tons of section hikes back to back to back.
You’re looking at what? 4-5 day stretches? Not much different than my hikes and I’m not a thru hiker.
All the thru hikers I hiked with on the AT were not using tiny little packs. Especially in shoulder season. Cold gear and 4 days of food fills a pack pretty quickly.
My 40 mile stretch through the smokies this spring was 4 days. And my Nero was pretty stuffed. That’s with about 7.5 lb base weight.
Murmur gets u about 15 lbs carrying capacity comfortably.
But hey it ain’t my hike or my gear so I can’t really make definitive comments but I do know the murmur is considerably smaller than the Nero
@@getlost3094 exactly. I'm a section hiker, so a murmur would be big enough for my gear. I get what your saying, but in my original comment I said I wanted it for warmer weather months. Like I said, I use a 40l hmg pack in the winter and it's not even close to being full. I've dialed in all of gear over the years, a murmur would be just fine. A lot of people use the murmur for 3 to 5 day stretches. It can definitely be used as a day pack because it's so light, but to me it's just a little too big for that. My day pack is 18l and I dont even need that much.
The only reason I'm going with the Nero over the Murmur is first because of the shape and second because I think the dcf packs are a little more durable. The Murmur is notoriously thin.
Louie ahhhh sorry i must have missed that. Yes for warm weather it would be nice. Being as slim as it. (The murmur).
Great review. Articulated nicely.
I subbed bc I love my HMG pack so much. This vid had great content!
Would it ever be considered to go with a 4400? Then you could have a bag big enough for through hikes, and roll it small enough for weekend hikes?
I’m going to get one, just stuck on the size.
Made in the USA = SOLD for me. I’ll pay extra to buy US made stuff any time.
Great review Bungzy!
What are some reasons why you chose not to get the 3400?
I get that it is more durable, but in your opinion, is it more comfortable than the zpacks?
@@Bungzy thanks, I am also considering the new LiteAf 40L with suspension, which seems to be like the HMG more durable than Zpacks but with maybe the suspension makes it a little more comfortable than HMG frameless. Any thoughts are welcome and thanks for your content.
Rudek Perez I have a 40L LiteAF and I’m looking at this review.
@@barondavis5692 I ended up getting the 40L LiteAF, have not had a chance to use it much, just day hikes but so far it feels good. What is your experience?
Rudek Perez I’m a difficult size at 20.5”, which is in between a med and lg. I got the large and it feels too big. The Al stays and padding are above c7 vertebrae and ouch my head forwards causing headaches and it rides low so my lower back gets fatigued. I think it’s a good pack but I question the fit for me.
@@barondavis5692 that sucks! I am 17" so got the small and it fits well. Before I had an Osprey so at the beginning it was hard for me to get use to a minimalistic pack without as much padding, but I am getting use to it. Have you contacted Lite AF and see if they can switch for a med, maybe they have one returned that they can switch out.
I feel like the you don’t need supports narrative is a really male dominated perspective. I am a relatively petite woman and a 20 lb pack, with food and water, with no supports is actually going to be harder to carry in the long run than a 30 lb pack with supports. I just don’t have the upper body frame to carry much weight constantly, I can do it but it’s uncomfortable.
Tbqh, I think the "don't need supports" narrative is also an ultralight fallacy, anything to get the baseweight down.
Tremendously informative and well done. Thank you. Just subscribed
Whats the difference between the black and white packs?
The material on the black is heavier. Same weight as what is on the bottom of the white one. But I’ve not heard of anyone having issues with the durability of the white one. So I think it would come down to whether you prefer black or white color. Either one seems to be super durable.
Thanks Bungzy, would you mind sharing your torso length and chosen pack size? I am 19-19.5" and chose L. Wondering if I could rock the Medium?
I love my granite gear virga 2 👍 6 jeahrs around the world and never had any problems with it. wheigt s only 504 gr.20.9 oz. I paid only 160 swiss
In your opinions is this pack big enough to use hiking the AT?
I am seriously befuddled as to how you don't have a million subs
@@Bungzy have often you reuse the smart water bottle? I know most ultralight hiker do this method for their drinking system, but isn't that water bottle you purchased anywhere supposed to be use one time only? just curious.....
Great review. Up to how much weight would you carry in this pack comfortably. Junction or the windrider?
@@BungzyUltralight Agree! I used the Southwest 3400 for the CT then sold it..This year I have my eye on the PCT... a couple of questions: is there any difference between the Junction (seem like a good compromise) and the WR aside from pockets? And do you think I can do the PCT with the 2400, or should go for 3400 and take the 2 oz penalty? I never carried a bear cannister... my base wt is 12 lbs... thanks for your help!
Bungzy’s Ultralight I just bought the 2400 Junction. Which straps did you trim/cut. I see you are using the roll top strap with the Y strap. Did you cut the side compression straps-or does the windrider not have those?
can you try liteAF CURVE FULL SUSPENSION
😂
I’d really like to see that too.
Thanks. Keep up the great work!
Great info. Thanks.
Great pack I concur; however, terrible water filter you had in it!
Remember to shave and clip your eyelashes
To save weight
Lol
Hi Guys and Gals. I am all the way down in South Africa, would like to get a HMG 2400 Windrider, two questions, 1) white or black, I understand the weight savings on white and toughness from black - but what's the right call? 2) 2400 or 3400 for through hikes. I see most using the 2400, is this enough space?
Jay Margolis fellow Saffer in UK. White is used in high temps like Southern California on PCT so depends when you’re hiking brother but in a lot of hot sun, go for white so your choco bars don’t melt! The size is about capacity but I have the 3400; I don’t carry a lot with a base weight less than 6.5 kgs. I like the extra space for bear canister when hiking in the US. If you don’t need the extra room, just roll it down China, compressed down really well. Great pack, recommended.
Good video 👏👍
Good vid. When it comes to core gear I go a little heavier for reliability. Maybe all in all it’s a couple pounds heavier but piece of mind for just the extra weight of a water bottle is fine by me.
One weak point, it doesn’t have any ventilation system! That’s why I choose ZPacks!
What do you mean by ventilation system?
Thanks a lot!
The higher the weight the more straight You can walk. There is no better looking backpacker than the one with a pack above he’s head, and nothing worse than the one with an old military style potato bag somewhere around he’s lower back. Everything to a certain adequate point of course. Multiple forum threads and videos about back health while backpacking can be found all over the internet. Mechanic is a good helper here. As a rule of thumb - max/good pack frame height is about from the bottom to the top of Your ear. If Your total pack weight is lower than, let’s say, 10kg You will feel less of a difference just because of a total body weight to pack weight ratio. For a skinnier people - less kg accordingly.
The difference between HMG and Zpacks packs is somewhat exemplified by the states in which they are manufactured. Zpacks is definitely a Florida pack. Flashy, overhyped, and not built to last. HMG is definitely a Mainer pack. Sturdy, practical, and no unnecessary extras.
Btw HMG’s shoulder strap pocket is awesome. Well designed, roomy and virtually waterproof. My big ass iPhone 12 Pro Max fits in it perfectly with room to spare.
Yeah boyyyyyyy
Those looking for guidance on a substantial outdoors investment should look no further for an honest and concise review.. Cheers!
SWD has almost the same aluminium stays in their backpacks
Not expensive? Sort of an overstatement,eh?
if you need padding in your shoulder straps, you are not carrying your backpack properly..