Hyperlite Mountain Gear

Max Neale, a Review Editor for Outdoor Gear Lab, shares some tips for how to choose a good campsite.

A good campsite can make or break your wilderness experience. When traveling long distances or through remote areas I break the campsite selection process into two steps. At the macro level I look at maps and identify- based on my average speed and the desired time I want to bed down for the night- a general area to sleep. Here, I look for an area that is: off trail, so you don’t interfere with other people’s wilderness experience; flat, where you’re most likely to find a level place to lay down; near resources such as water and firewood; If the bugs are bad, in a breezy area away from breeding grounds such as swamps and slow moving water; not in the bottom of a valley where the air will be colder and the dew and frost will be greater; not near animal paths or their ideal habitat, which might lead to an unwelcome nighttime guest; and finally, away from natural hazards such as flash floods and avalanches.

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Echo II Shelter at 13,000 ft. in the Sierra.

Once I’ve identified a site at the macro level I zoom in and focus on the micro level details. Specifically, I look for a campsite that’s: dry, because wet ground is more thermally conductive and can promote condensation in your shelter; on a surface that’s not prone to being flooded by rising groundwater during rain; covered in soft materials like leaves, pine needles, sand, or moss, which will be more comfortable and warmer than compact ground (note that it’s also important to camp and travel on durable surfaces. Weigh your comfort with your potential impacts: in a high use area camp in established sites); next to or under something that will act as a windbreak and reflect heat back to your shelter- trees, bushes, and rocks can work well.

Along Chilean Patagonia's Pacific Coast you can be forced to camp on tiny beaches that get flooded.

Once I identify a potential site I lie down and mark the location of my head and feet with a rock, and pitch the shelter above that spot.

Protected from the wind in Lamark Col, High Sierra.

HMG just heard back from Marko Pujic who tested the HMG Ice Pack on a 30 day trip to Nepal. Here’s what he had to say:

Just before I took off to Nepal in the end of last January, Nick from ProLite hit me up and asked if I’d want to take one of your packs on my trip. I’ve taken a look at your packs in their shop a couple times and was curious. Now I had a chance to try one out so I was stoked. The pack arrived to Bozeman the day before my trip. I packed up and flew to Kathmandu, gathered the supplies I would need over the next month, took a bus to a town we would start a four day trek from. By the time we reached our village high in the mountains I had a good feeling about the pack. Over the next month I would test the pack, as well as mind a body, and find that the pack is truly fast and light, designed for people pushing their limits of possibility. The HMG Ice Pack is essential. Everything you need is there and highly functional; all the other crap has been left out. This is the essence of alpinism itself!

Photography: Tim Stabio

I was rather bummed to part ways with a pack that treated me so well, but unfortunately with my schedule lately there hasn’t been any time for me to get out. Actually I was able to crag one day and I took out my old pack; wow, what a disappointment it was! It never used to feel cumbersome and useless before. Anyways, I hope that I was able to put the wear on it you were looking for. I wore it about 30 days while in Nepal and just a few immediately when I got back to Bozeman. There was 7 trekking days with the pack; the rest was ice and alpine climbing. We started trekking from the humid and dusty jungle and days later wound up in the high valleys in full winter conditions. We stayed in a village called Bedding located in the Rolwaling valley. Even though we brought tents and overnight gear we stayed in the Sherpa house every night and only did day trips from there. The farthest ice we climbed was just a 2 hour approach so there was no need to bring overnight gear and even the peak we climbed we did in a single push from our house. On the way back to Kathmandu it was much warmer yet through the lower jungles, and dusty as ever. Its final test was being put into a small compartment on the bus which sat right above the engine, where it survived being cooked and bashed around for 14 hours down dusty mountain roads.

Photography: Tim Stabio

Let’s talk about the pack’s feature set. Now I typically hate most bells and whistles you find on packs because I see them mainly as added weight, not as added function. However, there are a few features that are important. If you have any features on an ice/alpine pack that must be dialed, it is how the crampons and tools are attached to the pack. When I’m on the move I don’t want to spend time taking crampons off and on or fiddling around with ice tool attachment. I want the tools or crampons on, or I want them off, no fuss. It can seem like a hassle sometimes just having to stop to change modes set on a pack. The HMG Ice Pack is dialed for quick attach and release of your ice tools and crampons, minimizing time spent messing with gear, and getting you back to movement on the mountain sooner. There was a learning curve with the crampon bungee, but it proved to be efficient and reliable once you got the hang of it. When I got the pack from you I noticed the little plastic tab that acted like a gate on the bungee hook had already been cut off. It’s exactly what I would have done. When under tension there is no need for that tab. The pack also carries tools real well. The bungees are quick to tighten and release, and the pick pocket holds the tools snug. I was just given another ultralight pack this winter and the biggest complaint I had was how badly it dropped the ball on the function of these two simple and common features.  Having found a true top-end pack now, I was happy to pass along their pack to someone else.

The roll-top design goes right along with the highly functional bare essentials idea. I don’t need a lid with all my tidbits a zipper pull away all the time. If I’m cragging with the pack I’m not stopping just to grab a Gu or pair of shades. The crag is probably not too far away and those things are already in a pant or shirt pocket so I don’t have to stop. If I’m on a long alpine route and I need to grab water or a bar, chances are I’m stopping for more than just 3 minutes and I’ll be getting into the pack for a puffy jacket anyways. The roll top compresses really well for when the pack is only half full and has just enough compression straps. The 3-way strap on top of the pack is highly functional. It holds a helmet really well, compresses to a low profile when the pack is half empty, and holds a rather large load when over-loaded. On our trek out of the Rolwaling Valley we were looking to make good time. My partner and I took the heaviest and densest items to give our porters the lightest load possible. Even with a loaded pack, the 3-way strap was able to secure a rope, tent, and small summit pack on top.

The pack is undoubtedly the lightest out there for its size and function. The stripped weight of the lightest packs on the market is what your max weight is on the HMG Ice Pack! This pack is called Ice Pack, and it crags real well as an ice climbing pack, but I see its unique potential as an elitist’s alpine pack as well. I see this pack as being most valuable for people who are climbing in alpine style on huge routes. These people are going lighter, faster, and farther than the rest. They cut out anything that isn’t absolutely essential, and then cut out a bit more. We trimmed our kit down to bare essentials, cutting even our rack down to half of what would have been. Normally taking about 3 days to climb the peak, our style allowed us to travel much quicker and we completed it in just over 30 hours. The pack was essential to assist in this style of climbing. I’ve taken good packs and cut pockets, fabric flaps and miscellaneous straps off, ripped padding out, and left behind lids, just to try and get to the essentials. The HMG Ice Pack already does that, but it’s equipped with the highest performance fabrics as well. It is made for serious alpine pursuit.

Photography: Tim Stabio

When I get a new piece of gear I try it out for a few outings, and then typically modify a few things to make it fit my needs. On the Ice Pack I didn’t come up with much, but I will be making two mods to it. The first of two fixes will be the inner mesh pocket, and I’ll change two things about it. One, the pocket is far too deep for what its function is. The way I see it, it’s meant for a few items you might have floating around you might want easy access to, a bladder (I never use them in ice or alpine), pair of gloves, a few bars, that sort of thing. The depth of the pocket lets those things slide to the bottom of the pack and I find that you have to take half the stuff out of the pack to be able to squeeze your arm into it to reach those things anyway. If the pocket was only half or a third as deep, those items would be at the top of the pack making it functional. Because of its current design I never used the pocket and it felt like I was carrying one of those useless bells and whistles I typically cut out. The other adjustment on the pocket I’d make is a small Velcro tab in the middle of the opening. I know there is an elastic strip on the top of the pocket, but the pack doesn’t usually stand perfectly stretched out to keep it flat. When loading things into the pack I was catching and fighting the top of that pocket. I think a Velcro tab would keep the slack out of the way making loading that much easier.

The second adjustment I would make for the Ice Pack would be making the foam pad removable. This is an elitist pack after all; the people looking for a piece of gear like this have stripped down every last piece of gear in their kit, and if you could pull the pad and integrate it with the sleeping kit, it would be that much more part of that elitist kit. I would add a Velcro strip along the top of the compartment housing the pad. As a part of my kit, I’m even thinking of having two different foam pads for it, one for day trips and one for multi-day trips. For day trips I’d use the pad that comes with the pack as a part of the frame. For multi-day trips I would replace that pad with one that was bigger, having it folded once or twice to fit. This extra size would double as a bivy pad and eliminate the need for a separate one altogether. There would also be the stripped down mode with no pad, getting it even lighter and turning into a stuff-able summit bag. Using Velcro for this function wouldn’t add much weight, and keeping the elitist in mind, wouldn’t be a gimmicky feature. Imagine the stripped down weight of the pack without the pad!

Mike, I’m so happy to have had a chance to use your pack and become a new believer. If you can’t tell by now, I’ve definitely found my new favorite fast pack! I’ve been showing it off to everyone I have a chance to and have received great feedback. The HMG Ice Pack has quickly earned its place in my essentials kit and will remain for a long time. I love the direction you’re going with HMG and would love to be a part of this. I’m definitely bringing HMG on my next trip.

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We are very please to announce that the HMG Ice Pack has found itself among some great products and companies in Climbing Magazine’s 2012 Gear Guide!  Be sure to pick up a copy of Climbing Magazine if you don’t already have one.  We’d like to send a huge thanks to the editors of Climbing Magazine and to their contributors for this distinct honor.  Below is the cover and the HMG write-up.  Enjoy!

Last summer I spent a chunk of time grinding my way from southern Idaho northbound to Canada. The rhythm of traveling through across varied ecosystems–rivers, deserts, mountains–was cathartic. It was also exhausting! We were going so light, that forgetting even the smallest item could yield punishment 10-fold. Simple tasks became burdensome and we chewed precious time double, triple checking our preflight list.

To cut weight, we chose to bring titanium shepherd hook stakes–nearly 1/2 the weight (and much stronger) than their aluminum counterparts. But we lost one breaking camp after the first night, leaving us to improvise every night thereafter. I’ve since found several options that help me keep track of my stakes.

Paint

Dull grey titanium looks like every other small twig in Idaho–great for low profile, but useless when trying to find them. To help contrast, I’ve started painting my stakes. I’ll start with a primer and then spray two coats of fluorescent orange or pink (both colors that are unnatural hues). Because the stake portion will be scraping in and out of the soil twice a day, I only paint the hook. Sure, they will eventually scrape and you may need to repaint after a few trips, but in general it works well.

Tape

As a climber, I’ll often carry wands on remote routes, helping me navigate off weather-soaked slopes. A wand is usually a 2-3 foot bamboo shoot with a section of fluorescent flagging tied to it…a total God-send during alpine fright-shows. The same idea can be used with stakes (sans fright-show). Tying a 3-inch strip of tape to the hook costs little weight but will exponentially increase their visibility. Take care when pulling the stakes, as the tie can pull off.

Another option (which can avoid the pull-off scenario) is to tape strips of bright orange duck tape to the stake directly. To save weight, cut the tape into thin strips and double them over the hook.

A Case Against Stakes

In the end, we were fine without the stake. Every evening I improvised with a stick, rock, titanim-spoon…whatever widget I could find to pin the odd corner down. And it raises the question if you really need them.

If traveling for a night or two, I can usually find a spot between trees to off-load the lions-share of the tarp’s tensile stress, using rocks or sticks as secondary tie-outs. A set of four stakes might be a good policy of insurance mixed with ‘found’ tie-outs.

When winter camping, I’ll purposely leave the stakes at home and tie-out my shelter with skis, poles, shovel, snow-filled stuff sacks or pickets. They are much stronger in a true gale and accommodate for variable snow/ice/crud.

Either way, having options provides one less worry when your focus is on moving.

Looking to lighten your load? Check out Therm-a-Rest’s brand new NeoAir XLite sleeping pad. Weighing 12 ounces in regular size, the XLite is 15% lighter and 28% warmer than the original NeoAir. It’s better than all other ultralight inflatable pads, the Klymit Inertia X Frame and Nemo Zor in particular, because it’s warmer, more comfortable, and more versatile. Check out a review of the XLite on Outdoor Gear Lab here.

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite

Pair a small NeoAir XLite (8 oz) with a HMG Echo II Shelter (29.5 oz) and Feathered Friends Hummingbird 20 sleeping bag (25 oz) and your whole shelter and sleep system will weigh less than four pounds, and be very comfortable too!! For comparison purposes, this setup includes a spacious and strong double wall tent and a top quality sleeping bag and sleeping pad all for less than the weight the MSR Hubba Hubba, a “standard backpacking tent.” Thanks to Therm-a-Rest, and the new NeoAir XLite, going light just got lighter and more comfortable.

Max Neale has been climbing and traveling in Turkey for the past two months. Here’s an update with his experience using the Stuff Pack.

It’s a waterproof stuff sack, it’s a backpack, and it weighs only 3.8 ounces!! The Stuff Pack is a dream come true for international travel. I’ve spent the past two months on a sport climbing and travel trip throughout Turkey. An old college friend, Anna, and I have been zooming between climbing and tourist destinations by bus, train, and ferry. We’re carrying climbing gear (a 70m rope, 20 quickdraws, belay devices, shoes, etc.) and camping gear (tent, sleeping bags, sleping pads, stove, pot, etc.) in 60L backpacks. Despite having lightweight and compact gear, space in our packs is limited and every ounce is accounted for. Thus, instead of bringing a traditional daypack that weighs more than a pound and consumes 4-5 liters of space, I’ve been travelling with Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s Stuff Pack. It carries both climbing gear to and from the steep limestone crags and totes daytrip essentials for exploring historic cities. The Anatolian peninsula is, after all, one of the planet’s oldest continually inhabited regions of the world. The Stuff Pack has accompanied me to some of Turkey’s most famous ancient sites. The Hagia Sofia, a church built in 532 AD, and the ancient city of Troy, the setting of the Trojan war.

Hagia Sofia

When not employed as a backpack, the Stuff Pack serves as a waterproof container for my clothes or sleeping bag. It compresses so small that it fits inside my back pocket. This is great for exploring a city because you can depart with it in you pocket and return, perhaps with souvenirs or food, with it on your back.

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The best part about the Stuff Pack, however, is that it’s better than all other similar ultralight packs. Many other companies make lightweight packs from DWR treated ripstop nylon, but the Stuff Packs’ Cuben Fiber is stronger, more durable, and and functionally waterproof. The other nylon packs I’ve used aren’t waterproof, get trashed by the slightest abrasion, and have heavy and bulky zippers and straps. The Stuff Pack takes ultralight compressible packs to the next level. Though the folks at Hyperlite Mountain Gear designed the Stuff Pack for long distance hiking resupplies (where you leave your primary pack at the trail and go fast and light into town), it also works brilliantly for international travel.

Starting the day off right is crucial for extended ultralight adventures. Waking up, your body is deprived of protein and carbohydrates and needs nourishment for the day ahead. Two of my favorite ultralight backcountry breakfasts are hot chocolate oatmeal (ideal for cold weather and slower starts) and energy bars (for hitting the trail quickly).

Hot Chocolate Oatmeal

This sweet, calorie rich, and hydrating breakfast gets you going in any condition. Ingredients: instant oatmeal, hot chocolate mix, dehydrated milk, walnuts.Directions: boil 12 oz of water, stir in several tablespoons of dehydrated milk, mix in oatmeal, mix in hot chocolate, and top with a handful of walnuts for added protein and fat.

Choosing a good type of instant oatmeal is important.  I prefer Nature’s Path Organic, but Safeway’s Regular Flavor and Trader Joe’s Flax Seed are also nutritious and aren’t too mushy. 12 oz water makes the mix runny, but also gives you enough water to get hydrated. Substituting a tea bag for hot chocolate is good for those who like caffeine and it’s slightly lighter, too. Hot Chocolate Oatmeal is my favorite ultralight breakfast. It’s quick to prepare, warms you up, and provides a good dose of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Assuming you’re eating out of the pot, it’s also more efficient than boiling water for both hot chocolate and oatmeal.

Energy Bars

Energy bars are ideal for getting on the trail super fast. Start with a meal replacement bar and then move on to a granola bar. Pro Bars are my favorite meal replacement bar because they have almost 400 calories, are mostly organic, and mostly raw (easier to digest than baked food items like original style Clif Bars).  As for granola bars, I prefer the Clif Mojo because they’re sweet, salty, and crunchy. Pro Bars weight about 85g or 3 oz. each and take up 6.2 cu in, or 0.1 Liter. Most granola bars are about half the size and weight of a ProBar.

Although chocolate oatmeal is warmer, more nutritious, and hydrating, energy bars are lighter and pack smaller. Are you planning an extended trip? Tell your favorite bar maker about it and they’ll likely hook you up with a volume discount.

What’s your favorite ultralight backcountry breakfast?

The team at HMG really loves when we get to see our products in action.  We have recently been in touch with Luc Mehl, an outdoor enthusiast and multi-sport wilderness blogger from Alaska.  Luc just got back from traversing the rivers and mountains around Tennessee with some great stories and some great footage.  His blog, http://thingstolucat.com/ features his packrafting trip on 6 rivers in the American Southeast.  Luc wore his HMG Porter Pack underneath his dry suit for his trip down the Horsepasture, in North Carolina.

Great footage.  Great Music. Great Trip.

To see all the photos from this trip, visit: http://thingstolucat.com/dixie/

Be sure to visit Luc’s blog and learn more about his adventures.  Do you have packrafting stories, pictures, or videos that you would like to share? Contact us at info@hyperlitemountaingear.com and tell us what you’ve been up to!

Here’s a closer look at the pack Luc relied on to get him through his adventures in the Southeast. The HMG Porter’s roll-top closure, compression straps, versatile attachment points, and waterproof Cuben Fiber/Polyester material make it a perfect companion on any packrafting trip.  Click the picture to learn more.

http://thingstolucat.com/

http://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/

http://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/products/packs/hmg-porter-pack.html

Rock and alpine climbs from remote base pose a dilemma for climbers. Do you bring two backpacks or one?  Traditional style, large packs hump heavy loads well, but weigh a lot and climb poorly. So do you bring along a summit pack or struggle up technical terrain with a behemoth pack on your back?

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ice Pack presents a cure to this dilemma. Being able to hump loads and rip up technical terrain, the Ice Pack offers the best of both worlds. It’s 40L capacity is ideal for multi-day alpine climbs and the pack is light enough (a mere 26.5 ounces) to accompany you when the terrain gets technical and steep. Besides being able to carry two tools and crampons, the Ice Pack is distinct from the Windrider in that its waist belt and shoulder straps have extra padding. I recently took the pack up the Cilley-Barber, one of New England’s finest ice climbs, an ideal application for the Ice Pack.

The Ice Pack fully loaded on the hike in.

The Cilley-Barber follows one of the most natural lines up Mt. Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak and the focal point of Baxter State Park. The route was one of the boldest ascents in the country when done in 1973. Even today the route is very committing. Getting to its base involves a long drive from anywhere in the Northeast and a 12-mile ski into basecamp at Chimney Pond. From there the route ascends roughly 2500 ft. of snow and ice (IX WI 4) to Baxter Peak, elevation 5,268 ft. An old-school north-woods ethic pervades in the park: there’s no guidebook, no pins, no tat, no fixed anything. Rock and Ice Magazine calls Katahdin the Beast of the East.

Max Neale with the Ice Pack on the Cilley-Barber

The Ice Pack totally aced the Cilley-Barber. I carried in tons of food, fuel, ice gear, rock gear, a rope, and sleeping necessities. The pack carries well even when overflowing with gear and feels as light as a hummingbird with daytrip essentials inside. The Ice Pack moves with your body better than most (I took the aluminum stays out for the route) and the roll top closure and waterproof Cuben Fiber body keep dripping water, ice, and spindrift out of the pack at belays. Multi-day trips like the Cilley-Barber represent one of many applications for the Ice Pack.

The Ice Pack on top of Baxter Peak, Mt. Katahdin.