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The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Waypoint 35 is a Dyneema DCF daypack designed for rugged journey climbing, peak bagging, and backpacking with very low-volume ultralight masses. The Waypoint is a classically designed roll-top backpack with a stretch mesh entrance pocket, aspect water bottle pockets, hip belt pockets, and a pair of pockets on the shoulder straps for holding small water bottles, electronics, or snacks. Made with waterproof material and seam-taped, the Waypoint 35 has a single aluminum frame-stay and optionally detachable hip belt, able to carrying masses as much as 30 kilos with ease.

Specs at a look

Weight: 24.8 oz (703g) – measurement giant
Detachable hipbelt weight: 4.8 oz (136g) – measurement giant
Gender: Males’s
Inside Quantity: 35 Liters
Exterior Quantity: 6.5 Liters
Pockets: Predominant + 7
Load lifters: No
Hip belt Pockets: Sure
Hydration system suitable: No
Ice Axe Loop: Sure
Colours: White or Black
Supplies: Dyneema DCF, 100D Dyneema Gridstop, Dyeema Stretch Mesh
Most really helpful load: 40 lbs (we expect it’s nearer to 30 lbs)
Bear Canister Compatibility: BV425 and BV450 (horizontal), BV475 and BV500 (vertical)

Backpack Pockets and Storage

The Waypoint 35 is a water-resistant Dyneema DCF rolltop-style daypack with 35 liters of area making it good for all-day adventures, significantly people who require further clothes layers, meals, or further gear like winter traction aids or climbing gear. It’s made with Dyneema DCF, which is waterproof Dyneema material encased in polyester for improved abrasion and daylight resistance. The inside is seam-taped so rain received’t leak by means of the seams not like backpacks made with typical supplies like Robic or Cordura (nylon.)

The Waypoint 35 has a sturdy entrance stretch mesh pocket made with Dyneema for reinforcement.

The primary compartment has 35L of capability, together with the portion above the shoulder straps, which is normally known as an “extension collar.” Most mainstream backpack makers don’t embody this a part of the backpack after they cite inside quantity and solely rely the area as much as the highest of the body. It’s necessary to concentrate on this on the Waypoint as a result of it’s a really slim pack that’s solely 10″ large on the base with extra of its cupboard space within the higher half of the pack bag. This isn’t essentially dangerous so long as you pack heavier gadgets decrease down to forestall the pack from changing into too top-heavy, which may throw you off steadiness. However the slim width of the pack provides the Waypoint the nimble character of a climbing/ski pack, making it fairly agile to hold.

The rolltop has a stiffened higher edge with out a velcro closure.

As a roll-top backpack, you’ll be able to roll up the unused materials within the extension collar in case you don’t want the additional area otherwise you need to compress the pack’s contents from the highest down. The highest of the pack bag has a stiffener inserted to make it simpler to roll, however there’s no velcro to seal the sides, which Hyperlite beforehand used on their bigger quantity backpacks and had an inclination to fray with heavy use. The 2 ends of the dry bag fashion high may be clipped to themselves on the highest of the pack or to straps alongside the perimeters. If not wanted, the buckles on these aspect straps can join to at least one one other over the entrance mesh pocket, which is helpful for carrying gear like snowshoes in winter. (see under)

You’ll be able to buckle the ends of the roll high to webbing straps alongside the perimeters or clip the ends collectively on high of the pack.

The inside of the primary compartment doesn’t have a hydration pocket or a hook to hold a reservoir or hydration ports to run a hose system by means of, so that you’ll in all probability need to carry your water in open packets on the skin of the pack. There’s an inside pocket that holds a pre-curved aluminum body keep which is detachable however it’s too slim and small to carry a lot else.

The pack’s exterior has a modest entrance stretch mesh pocket made with sturdy Dyneema stretch mesh that’s good for storing unfastened layers or a moist water filter. It has a clip on the high to forestall gadgets from falling out and drainage ports within the backside corners. (It’s not sufficiently big to slip the underside of snowshoes into).

The pack has two open aspect pockets which can be good for holding water bottles. They’re angled on high to make it simpler to drag out bottles or exchange them when you’re strolling and have an elastic cinch wire operating alongside the highest to safe gadgets inside. The pockets even have drain holes within the corners.

The Waypark has aspect pockets which have adjustable elastic cords operating alongside the highest to carry gadgets, together with water bottles, securely. Be aware the cord-based “compression” strap above the pocket for securing taller gadgets.

The shoulder straps include sewn-on Dyneema mesh pockets. These can be utilized to carry small water bottles, electronics, sun shades, or snacks. I take advantage of one to tuck away my iReach Mini2 so it’s not dangling from a shoulder strap.

Lastly, the hipbelt additionally comes with stable exterior pockets. These are solid-faced for sturdiness and have waterproof zippers on high. They’re an honest measurement for holding small electronics and snacks – not big – however acceptable.

Every shoulder strap has a Dyneema mesh pocket sewn to the entrance to carry bottles, electronics, or snacks.

Backpack Body and Suspension

The Waypoint 35 has a single, pre-shaped aluminum body keep that runs down the center of the inside compartment. The body keep terminates behind the lumbar pad which holds the detachable hipbelt in place, so that you get an honest quantity of load switch from it. You additionally don’t really feel the body keep when sporting the pack as a result of the pack’s again, behind the shoulder straps, is evenly padded. Hyperlite charges the max really helpful load of the Waypoint at 40 lbs which appears a bit beneficiant to us however I suppose it’s doable if you’re prepared to suck it up. We expect the max “comfy” load is nearer to 30 lbs.

The one inner body keep terminates behind the lumbar pad and the detachable hipbelt.

The hipbelt is optionally detachable on the Waypoint. It’s additionally obtainable in a number of sizes so you will get a great match. Hyperlite doesn’t have a measurement chart on the Waypoint product web page for hipbelt sizing as a result of it’s buried in an FAQ, however right here’s what you need to know.

Waypoint 35 Hipbelt Waist Sizing

Small: 26.5” – 49”
Medium: 27.5” – 50”
Giant: 29.5” – 52”
Tall: 29.5” – 52”

The shoulder straps and the hip belt on the Waypoint will not be curved or flared in any approach to accommodate girls’s dimensions. An increasing number of producers are transferring to make actually unisex backpacks with S-shaped shoulder straps, together with ultralight gear producers, so it’s somewhat stunning that the Waypoint 35 is barely designed for males and never clearly gender impartial.

The shoulder straps are primarily straight and J-shaped, and finest fitted to use by males.

The pack is barely obtainable in a white or a black shade. Whereas the outside of the white pack does get dirtier quicker, it’s simpler to search out issues inside as a result of the inside is white and never black. On Hyperlite’s bigger backpacks, additionally obtainable in white or black, the black material is considerably extra sturdy than the white material, however the two are equal on the Waypoint 35.

The Waypoint’s hip belt pockets (2) have waterproof zippers and are giant sufficient to retailer snack bars and small electronics.

Exterior Attachment Level and Compression

Many daypacks have one tier of compression straps and never two, as is usually discovered on higher-volume backpacks. That’s the case with the Waypoint which has one side-compression “wire” above the aspect bottle pockets to assist shrink the pack’s quantity or safe gadgets to the aspect of the backpack. I’m not a fan of the usage of cords for aspect compression and far want the usage of webbing straps with glove-compatible buckles when attaching cumbersome objects to the skin of the backpack, if just for the straightforward indisputable fact that they don’t freeze in snow or freezing temperatures.

There are 6 small webbing loops across the perimeter if the entrance stretch pocket.

However Hyperlite has executed one thing distinctive in designing the cord-based attachment and compression system. First off, they’ve added 6 small webbing loops across the perimeter of the entrance Dyneema stretch mesh pocket so you’ll be able to connect gear to the skin of the backpack utilizing static or elastic wire. A lot of different distributors do that too.

The Waypoint’s single side-compression “wire” is tied at one finish to the highest webbing loop and on the different finish to a buckle that has two features: it’s a line loc tensioner at one finish and a buckle you’ll be able to squeeze open on the different. Sadly, the buckle finish can solely be connected to at least one level alongside the entrance nook of the pack and never a number of factors.

The plastic {hardware} on the finish of the aspect compression wire is a mix lineloc and squeeze buckle.

The wire that ships with the pack isn’t lengthy sufficient to safe something very giant, like a foam pad to the aspect of the pack or snowshoes, however it’s simply changed. Nonetheless, it’s completely appropriate for securing thinner objects like a Smartwater bottle with a Sawyer water filter connected, a Tenkara fishing rod, or trekking poles, supplied they relaxation contained in the aspect pockets. The buckle simply makes it simpler to take away longer gadgets from below the wire.

You’ll be able to carry snowshoes by operating the rolltop straps across the entrance of the pack since they buckle collectively and safe the tops with the Y-strap.

The pack comes with a high Y-strap which can be utilized to strap cumbersome gear to the highest of the Waypoint like a folding foam pad. It will also be used to safe bigger gadgets like snowshoes to the entrance of the pack together with the webbing straps used to carry down the ends of the rolltop in the event that they’re threaded across the pack’s entrance.

Suggestion

The Hyperlite Moutain Gear Waypoint 35 is positioned as a daypack, however as you’ll be able to see above it will probably simply be used for winter climbing and even ultralight backpacking with small compact masses. It’s a water-resistant backpack that’s seam-taped and made with Dyneema DCF material which may take lots of abuse when climbing each on or off path. Whereas it’s a surprisingly slim pack, I’ve discovered that makes it fairly nimble and responsive to hold. With 7 pockets, together with two on the shoulder straps, it’s loaded with options that make it handy and lots of enjoyable to make use of. If you happen to’re searching for a hardy backpack within the 30L-40L vary, it’s undoubtedly a contender and value a severe look.

Store at Hyperlite Mtn Gear

Disclosure: HMG donated a backpack for evaluate.

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