Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Southwest 55L Backpack for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

I'm in love with this pack. The material is super durable. The build quality is amazing. I love the versatility of the roll top. There are two small things I don't like about it, which I wouldn't knock it for, as these things might work fine for some people. 1) The port for the hydration reservoir tube is slightly low and the pack is large so you need a really long tube. 2) The addition of one top stow pocket for quick access items like your keys or headlamp would have made it perfect. You can use the belt pouches but I would have liked one more pocket. Overall though, great pack. Super light and comfy.

I'm in my 3rd season with the Southwest 3400 and am still stoked on it! I had been trending lighter in my setup for awhile but some low back issues prompted me to attack the Big 4 hard. I was a little concerned about the lack of padding in the shoulders and hips (I've had issues there before), but whether due to the overall decrease in my pack weight or just brilliance in engineering, I haven't had any problems. In fact, the overall fit and comfort of this pack surpasses all the other expensive, overkill packs I've had. I've adapted to the minimalist aspect of no internal pockets/organization. The external pockets are quality, and I don't mind the slight uptick in weight for their durability vs mesh alternatives. The 3400 is a great size. I haven't gone beyond a 4 day trip in it, but I have no doubt I could go much longer. On my typical 3-4 day solo outings, I don't have to lash anything to it and have extra space inside the roll-top. I keep my 5-section Z-lite on one side pocket with my Tenkara rod, my river/camp sandals and daily snacks/needs in the back pocket, my Be-Free filter fits into one hip pocket and my extras/phone (Sony xperia compact; probably won't fit much larger) in the other. I added a water bottle sleeve (from Zpacks) to the shoulder strap and now I have one side pocket for more goodies! I don't carry a daypack anymore because the SW can roll and strap down small enough (and its more comfortable than some cheap sack!) to make a summit run or daytrip with ease! Weather: Best test yet was a thunderstorm this year. I hit a couple cells without much coverage and no moisture got inside at all. It also rained that night (unexpectedly), and I awoke in the early AM with the SW in a small puddle in my vestibule; again, no moisture inside. No regrets! Highly Recommend!

WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT PACK LIGHT, THIS BAG IS NOT FOR YOU!!! Ok, that being said, let's talk about the best bag on the market... I've used this Hyperlite bag for years. From overnight trips to massive traverses, the 55L is all I need. I've put over a thousands of miles on it and it still looks pretty damn new. No rips, tears, cuts, loose threads...nothing. The kangaroo pockets are excellent for gear you need to access throughout the day. The compartment has plenty of room and even a net inside I use for a camelbak bladder with a small hole to allow the hose to come out and rest on my shoulder strap. As you continue throughout your journey and you have less food or you're only going on a short trip and don't fill the bag, the rolltop feature and compression straps allow this bag to shrink down so your stuff isn't jostling around. Really allows for versatility. To top it off, it's extremely water resistant (almost waterproof) so I never have to use a rain cover or internal drybags for my gear, unless I'm canyoneering. If you're unsure if you're packing light or not, here's an idea of the gear I'm bringing: Big Agnes Flume 30 - 1lb 6oz Big Agnes AXL Air - 10.7oz Big Agnes Fly Creek HV1 Carbon Tent - 1lb Jetboil MicroMo - 12oz Sawyer 16oz Water Filter - 2.5oz Petzl E-Lite Headlamp - .9oz SOG Reactor Multi-Tool - 4oz = 4.25lbs in gear. Now add lightweight food, gas, minimal clothing, and a small flask of whiskey (because duh, you need that) and we're not talking more than 10-15lbs total, and that's for multi-day. I did the Sierra High Route with roughly that using this pack and it was awesome. Even more hardcore ultralight packers can go lighter by using a tarp (like the one Hyperlite makes) and a foam pad, but I'm pretty damn stoked on how light my setup is and it's also comfortable. This pack can obviously carry more weight than that, but realize it doesn't have a stiff frame or waist strap (which is why it's so light) so buyer beware if you have big heavy gear. So if you're wanting to round out your lightweight setup, this is the pack!

This is truly a great pack. I've had several experiences with this pack and its a keeper. Tried a bladder and worked well. 2.5 liter each time. Also shifted some gear around inside, no problem. Once the straps that adjust the weight and your body are completed, its done. The outside straps seemed to much, however, I ended up utilizing all of them in some fashion as the load became lighter or different gear was utilized. The only downside is the bottom can seep in water on wet ground so put a garbage bag on the bottom. I would like to strap my tent on the outside and its wet sometimes in morning, but solved it with waterproof sack so no other gear would get moist. . Just a very complete pack. Almost wished I had got the 2400.

I had my old backpacking bag stolen so I decided to upgrade to this bag and see if it was worth all of the hype. Right away I was impressed with the weight of the bag and the minimalistic style of design. It has all the features you need and gets rid of anything that you don't. It's simple but functional. I have only been able to take it on a few trips but already I'm impressed by the durability of the material. I brought it to southern Utah and it held up with a lot of abuse from the slick rock. And having destroyed many backpacks from sandstone, I was especially impressed with how little wear there was on this pack. Another thing I love is that the pack is water resistant and seam sealed so that I don't need to also carry a rain cover like most packs. Overall, I'm incredibly satisfied with this purchase. I can't wait to take this thing on many more adventures.

I usually carry 30 lbs or more when I go back packing and was excited to carry a lighter backpack. To my dismay, this backpack made by 40 miles journey painful. I would have been happier with a heavier backpack instead. This backpack kept pulling all the weight back, applying more pressure on my tail bone and pulling my shoulders back. Regular backpacks have straps to pull the weight forward to balance the load. This bag doesn't. I had shoulder pain through out my trip. Paying a hefty amount to buy a lighter pack won't necessary mean you are making your life easier. I tried rearranging my load in multiple way to keep the bag straight on my back, but I failed. I started with heavier items at the bottom. I can deal with no organizational compartments in this pack, but every time I opened the bag to access things, my hair would get stuck in the velcro and I always braid my hair on the trail. I'm going back to my old Deuter backpack for painless backpacking experience.

I took this pack for a 6-month journey across the Balkans, and it has seen some incredibly varied abuse, but looking at it today, it looks as indestructsble as the first day I got it! This bag survived daily use packed full of all my stuff (tech to tent, cooking to clothes), which is way more than most bags see in years. I threw it on airplanes, trains, buses, back of trucks, and otherwise had it on my back. It was fine in Swedish snow at (-25C), to the blistering sun of Nevada and Utah, the rain of Scotland, and high humidity of Albania. Two small issues with the bag: first, as I anticipated, packing order is very important since there will be no access to the bottom after it is packed. Second, there is a recurring issue of my water bladder hose getting bound-up when the pack is fully loaded. It is such s simple bag, which I love and I wouldn’t change anything to address these issues, but after so many months these are the only problems I had. I can highly recommend, despite its price, but I must stress that it is for proper hiking, camping, backcountry, so for casual users, there are more affordable options out there.

After loving my Granite Gear Blaze to death (including a thru-hike on the AT), I finally decided it was time for a new pack. The 3400 Southwest checked all the boxes and made the most sense so I picked it up and took it to the desert to test it out. First, the 3400 is a great size if you are going to be carrying a bear canister - which is the main reason I went with it. I packed a BV500 vertically and easily compartmentalized my gear around it. If you are carrying less, sweet, it rolls down and compresses nicely. I also opted to take the whole kit and caboodle to see how well it carried with weight. At around 40 pounds, I can say the pack carried really well with the pack staying securely in place. Anymore than that and I'm not sure, but I'm usually carrying about half that weight, so yeah! Durability - seems amazing and I can't wait to try and beat the heck out of it. I didn't get to test it in weather but am super confident that everything would stay nice and dry with the roll top and material. External pockets - I put water my water bottles on the sides and packed my rain shell and insulation layer, along with my filter and topo map in the bigger pocket - fit nicely and securely. Conclusion - I think it's a super versatile pack that will be great for 4 season use, both because of volume and materials.

Excellent pack. Functions great as a large and medium size pack, crazy light, high quality, durable, water proof, and carries a S...load of gear. This packed replaced a 6 year old Gregory Baltoro pack also a great pack; just to heavy and to many straps and compartments. Paul R

I debated a long time before making the jump to make this purchase due to it's price tag but it's proved to be a solid purchase. You can't beat the durability or the lightweight component of this backpack. I worried about how comfortable this bag would be fully packed and weighted but it is just as, if not more comfortable than most of my backpacking backpacks. It is now my go-to overnight backpack. For the trips where I need to leave most of my belongings at base camp it comfortably sizes down to a smaller size to use as a day pack. Well done Hyperlite.

I struggled with this purchase; read reviews, forums, cross checked and did all that a couple of times over. I was concerned with this packs capabilities with the lack of a thick waist strap and without side adjustment straps, not to mention lacking load lifters and some type of "breathable" back panel etc., etc., etc. Tried on a couple of packs @ REI with good reviews and at the right weight point (or at least close). Basically these packs had way too many straps, adjustments, buckles and finicky compression straps that got in my way; I was looking for simplicity. Took the leap of faith and ordered this pack (thanks to their generous return policy) along with another well regarded pack to cross try. While the other pack would have worked just fine (light, simple, less expensive and a favorite by others), I really was drawn to the Hyperlight. Took it on a long weekend and was amazed at how comfortable this pack was, all without the things I was worried about it lacking. Simple, streamlined, form and function! We'll see how it holds up over time, but I'm pretty careful with my gear so don't expect it to be an issue. Love it.... tho can't justify the price for their mids.

I recently returned to REI my Gregory Baltoro pack. Nothing against the Baltoro, its a stellar piece. However after carrying it several times in the BC it really started to feel like a monster on my back. And the bigger the pack, inevitably the more crap you seem to find you absolutely need to bring with you. This started me down the road a lightweight packing. I tried several of the lightweight packs that are out there. When I finally settled on the HMG Southwest I found a used 2400. What I found was the 3400 will become the 2400 if you just roll it down. Great design.... When I finally got it loaded up with all my gear I would need for a 4 day trek, I took it for a little walk around hilly So Cal. Let™s just say, amazeballs. Feels like there is way less weight on my shoulders. Carries to my hip belt the way I thought a pack should. Without tons of extra straps and pockets and lids and whatever else you don't really need the Southwest is truly the backpackers dream machine. I'd be letting you down if I didn't also talk a little about their stuff sacks and PODS. By far the best again. The PODS make such great use of the space within there is zero dead spots. Another great idea. Buy this pack. You will not be disappointed.

I have used this pack a few times now. A few day trips and one overnight backpacking trip. The things I like about it. It can go from day pack size to backpack size due to it fold down top and strapping. I found it very comfortable when fulling loaded. The material seems much more durable then my heaver pack. The main reason why I bought it was for the weight savings and it's high water resistance. No need to carry a back cover and mess with that. This will be my go to back for all occasions.