Homegrown pack design
Gear design is an empirical process and each new pack, sleeping bag or tent reflects the advancements, innovations and precedents present in gear that preceded it. Radical ideas are typically abandoned because they don't fit the conventional wisdom surrounding a particular type of gear. Often, true gear innovations arise from homegrown efforts by people who gave a distinct vision for what they truly need their gear to do and how they use it.
In the world of outdoor recreation, ultralight backpacking and camping enthusiasts are more willing to experiment with radical new ideas and designs than the adherents of other sports —all in the name of cutting weight. Ultralight hikers focus on necessity and efficiency when buying gear or —increasingly when building their own gear— eschewing comfort and luxury for speed minimalism. The result is gear that is often unconventional and highly specific, allowing hikers to pack remarkably light to facilitate longer distances and faster ascents.
In 2008, Mike St. Pierre was an ultralight enthusiast living in New York City who would head to north to the Adirondack mountains whenever he could. He wanted to built his own gear to cut weight, so he studied product design and manufacturing to learn about fabrics and smart design. St. Pierre began experimenting with high-tech materials like Spectra, Dyneema and Cuben Fiber, which all boast incredible strength, abrasion resistance and durability at surprisingly low weights. He constructed his first prototype, a minimalist hiking pack using some of these materials, then hit the mountains. Other hikers and campers that he met were in awe of his creation and St. Pierre knew that he had an awesome product on his hands and decided to move home to Maine to produce his packs. His packs have since become immensely popular with thru hikers and climbers who want to travel quickly with a lightweight, durable pack.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear has pushed pack design into the future and established a new paradigm for lightweight packs!
Better technology, better packs
Hyperlite Mountain Gear is a different kind of pack and gear brand because they combine extreme minimalism with super-premium materials. Their packs don't look like the high end packs from other brands, since style and flash are second to performance and weight savings. Mike St. Pierre took a materials-first approach when he built the first HMG prototype, and that focus continues in their packs today. Some of the key materials in HMG packs are:
Cuben Fiber-
Originally designed as a revolutionary yacht sail fabric for America
3, the winner of the 1992 America's Cup sailing race, Cuben Fiber is made from the lamination of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers like Dyneema or Spectra between polyester layers. Cuben Fiber is 50-70 % lighter than Kevlar and 4 times stronger. It is also naturally UV resistant and fully waterproof. Nearly all of
Hyperlite Mountain Gear's packs are made from a rip-stop Cuben Fiber/Polyester hybrid that increases the fabric's resistance to strain and deforming under weight, while remaining ultra-lightweight, waterproof and durable. HMG uses Cuben Fiber alone in products that  their shelters, tarps and stuff sacks.
Spectra Hardline-
Hyperlite Mountain Gear uses Spectra Hardline in their pack straps and waist belts, as well as for the exterior stuff pouch on their Southwest Pack models and the crampon pouch on their Ice Pack models. Spectra Hardline is a burly, yet lightweight fabric that combines 210 denier nylon with Dyneema reinforcement. The result is a super strong, durable fabric for key parts of the pack where abrasion resistance and strength are more important than weight savings.
By utilizing the most technologically advanced fabrics available, as well as focusing on intuitive design and minimalism,
Hyperlite Mountain Gear has set a new standard for ultralight performance.
