 This Product
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 40 | |||||
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| Awards |  Best for Long Distance Thru-Hikes |  Best Overall Ultralight Backpack |  Best Bang For Your Buck | Best High-Capacity Pack | Best Full-Featured UL Pack |
| Price | $369 List $369.00 at Hyperlite Mountain Gear | $315 List | $275 List | $275 List $275.00 at Amazon | Check Price at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | An excellent lightweight pack with a multitude of external storage space options to complement its main pack compartment | As an all-around great pack, it can carry large and light loads with ease, has plenty of external storage options, and is super comfortable | One of our favorites that scores highly in all metrics, is comfortable and versatile, and has just enough features for a reasonable cost | This ultralight pack shines for carrying large loads, especially when comfort is paramount | This ultralight option doesn't leave out all the fantastic features found in packs at higher weight classes |
| Rating Categories | Hyperlite Mountain... | Gossamer Gear Marip... | Gossamer Gear Goril... | Six Moon Designs Sw... | Osprey Exos Pro 55 |
| Comfort (40%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (25%) | |||||
| Weight-to-Volume Ratio (20%) | |||||
| Adjustability (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Hyperlite Mountain... | Gossamer Gear Marip... | Gossamer Gear Goril... | Six Moon Designs Sw... | Osprey Exos Pro 55 |
| Measured weight | 34.6 oz | 32.6 oz | 31.1 oz | 38.0 oz | 33.2 oz |
| Weight per liter (full pack) | 0.87 oz/L | 0.54 oz/L | 0.62 oz/L | 0.76 0z/L | 0.60 oz/L |
| Advertised volume | 40 L | 60 L | 50 L | 50 L | 55 L |
| Stripped weight | 26.0 oz | 18.0 oz | 17.2 oz | 27.8 oz | 30.4 oz |
| Measured volume (main compartment) | 35 L | 42 L | 39 L | 55 L | 33 L |
| Organization compartments | Side pockets, center pocket, dual zippered pockets on hip belt, bottom stash pocket, main compartment | Lid, side pockets, center pocket, dual zippered pockets on hip belt, main compartment | Lid, side pockets, center pocket, dual zippered pockets on hip belt, main compartment | Main compartment, stretchy side pockets, stretchy center pocket, dual hip belt pockets, running vest pockets, internal water resevoir pocket | Lid, mesh side pockets, center pocket, dual zippered pockets on hip belt, main compartment |
| Hydration compatible? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Single side pocket 700ml Smartwater capacity | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Single hip belt pocket capacity | 6 Clif Bars | 5 Clif Bars | 5 Clif Bars | 8 Clif Bars | 4 Clif Bars |
| Able to strip off frame and hip belt? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Whistle on sternum strap? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| BearVault BV500 compatibility | Ok | Good | Ok | Good | Good |
| Sizes available | Torso: S, M, L, Tall Hip Belt: M (S & L sold separately) |
Torso: S, M, L Hip Belt: S/M curved (M/L curved and S, M, and L straight sold separately) |
Torso: S, M, L Hip Belt: S/M curved (M/L curved and S, M, and L straight sold separately) |
Torso: Adjustable, 4 lengths Hip Belt: S, M, L Shoulder Straps: Vest, Classic Shoulder, S-Curve Shoulder |
Torso: S/M, L/XL |
| Frame type | 1 removable aluminum stay, embedded, non-removable foam pad | SitLight foam pad / removable stay | SitLight foam pad / removable stay | Delrin hoop stay frame | 3.5 mm powder-coated LightWire frame |
| Fabric | 150D DCH fabric, Dyneema Stretch Mesh, Hardline with Dyneema | 100D & 200D Robic nylon | 100D & 70D Robic nylon | Main body: 100D Robic nylon, Pockets: Ultra Stretch |
NanoFly: 100D nylon x 200D UHMWPE ripstop |
The Hyperlight Mountain Gear Unbound 40 is an ultralight wonder that stands out as one of our favorite packs to take on trips that span days to many weeks. We adore all the well-designed external pockets that securely keep gear we didn't want to pack inside its cavernous main compartment safe.
Comfort is rarely king in ultralight packs, which usually make compromises on their quest for a lower scale number, but we found the comfort of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 40 quite princely. Back, lumbar, hip belt, and shoulder straps all have just the right amount of embedded foam padding to ease the strain from our heavy loadouts. The interior-shaped metal stay facilitates the delivery of a pack load off already strained shoulders towards the hip belt, where it can be born more easily.
Several features can be found on the Unbound 40 to dial in the fit. J-shaped shoulder straps allow you to cinch down a load tightly to your body, and the single sternum strap can be easily adjusted up and down via the ribbon of bar-tacked webbing on each strap. The hip belt can be independently adjusted from each side by the hip pockets to really dial in the load distribution. Minimal elastic cinches on the side of the pack can be employed to flatten the main compartment and help minimize bouncing and jostling for less-than-full loads. There are no load lifters on the top side of the pack, but the pack's design has the rolltop end at the shoulders, so these wouldn't be effective. We didn't miss them ourselves, and we are comfortable with 40+lb loads, but if you rely on these, note they're not available on the Unbound 40.
Employing the thick, tough, 150-denier-faced DCF in the black version of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 40 helps the roll top stay open without flopping around, making loading up the main compartment of this pack easy. Even when we make some interesting shopping choices at the grocers, the larger-than-most center and side pockets do a great job of swallowing up our gastronomic provisions.
Lashing a bear canister using the top y-strap works well and is secure. The approx. width of the Unbound 40 is 14 inches, so a smaller canister like our BV 450 will fit inside lengthwise, but a taller canister may not.
We found the center pocket's secondary bottom flap and opening really useful for grabbing gear like sunscreen that naturally finds its way to the bottom.
We also really fell in love with the bottom stash pocket, which can be used as yet another place to put often used gear. The trash port embedded in its side also helps us organize as we go through all our snack packs. The side, bottom, and hip pockets can also be easily accessed by us one-handed — something we just can't say worked quite as well for all the packs we've tested. That usability really compounds after days/weeks on the trail.
We weighed up the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 40 at 34.6 oz/981 grams with all the accoutrements attached, and 26.0 oz/737 grams stripped of its hip belt, back stay, and optional cinch straps.
Weight per liter is around 0.87 oz/L, making this one of the heavier packs for the volume it holds, but certainly still quite featherweight, all things considered.
The Unbound 40 is one of the more feature-rich packs in HMG's lineup. Much of what we adore about this pack: the large center and side pockets, the comfy back paneling, and the use of a very tough DCF variant do all add up to the heftier total weight.
If the weight of your pack is the most important attribute you're looking to minimize, the Unbound 40 won't be your best choice.
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 40 is reasonably modular. If you're carrying a lighter load for just an overnighter or want to go on a day hike, you can drop a few ounces by taking off the hip belt. The roll top is extremely generous and, for carrying smaller loads, can be rolled all the way down to the top of the shoulder straps, and elastic side cinches can help with any jostling. The pack sizes offered are Small, Medium, Large, and Tall.
The Unbound 40 comes with sewn-on shoulder straps, so if the J-shaped straps don't work or are too long/short, there aren't any options to easily customize them, nor are there other strap designs available. The hip belt size is also tied to the torso length, so a Medium pack will also get a Medium hip belt. Specific hip belts to the Unbound 40 are available to order separately, as is a hip belt extender strap — both at a reasonable price.
If you're planning on a classic, long-distance backpacking route — like the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Colorado Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, or something else of a similar ilk — the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 40 makes more than a worthy trail buddy you won't try to drop a few days in. Its impressively durable and very comfortable, and all those pockets will help you easily organize your gear. That way, you can fully enjoy your time moving through whichever wide-open, impressionistic painting-like landscapes you may find yourself in on a calm, cool summer day.
If comfort is important to you, the Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 is another excellent pack designed with comfort in mind. The Six Moon Designs Swift V is also very comfortable to carry, with a design that keeps much of the pack's back away from yours.
