Doubling Down on Dyneema®: A Deep Dive Into Our New Pack Fabric

For over a decade, our design philosophy has been uncompromising: build the best, most durable, and lightest gear possible. The heart of this pursuit has always been Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™. It’s the material that has allowed us to create packs trusted by elite adventurers on the longest trails and in the harshest conditions imaginable.

So, how do you improve on the best? You listen, you test, and you never stop innovating.

After two years of relentless research and development by Dyneema® - and extensive field testing by the Hyperlite team and our extended network of athletes - we're proud to share in the announcement of a significant evolution in material science. Our core packs—the Windrider, Junction, and Southwest—will now feature a brand-new, next-generation Dyneema® composite material. This isn't just an update; it's a leap forward.

Meet Dyneema® Woven Composite.

Before we dive into the technical details, see the new material in action. Watch our launch video for a close-up look at the fabric's construction, its incredible durability, and why we're so excited to build our next generation of packs with it.

For those who want to geek out on the science, let's get into the specifics of how we're building these new packs.

How We're Building the Next Generation of Packs

To understand why this new material is so revolutionary, you have to understand its construction.

The classic Dyneema® core forms the foundation of our packs—layers of Dyneema® fibers bonded in a 0° and 90° orientation. This cross-ply structure is what prevents the material from stretching or deforming under load, giving our packs their legendary dimensional stability.

Then, Dyneema® adds the innovation. They take more Dyneema® fiber, craft it into a lightweight woven textile, and bond this woven face fabric to the original Dyneema® core.

Simply put: Dyneema® Woven Composites use the world's strongest fiber™ on both the internal and external layers of the fabric, literally doubling the Dyneema®.

This dual-layer structure is the key. The woven Dyneema® face fabric provides an exponential increase in strength and abrasion resistance. This is combined with the structural integrity, dimensional stability, and lightweight waterproof properties of the classic Dyneema® composite core. The result is a material that's dramatically more durable, even under the significant stress and prolonged use that define serious backcountry adventures.

Eliminating "Crimp" for Rock-Solid Stability

For the true gear nerds, let's talk about "crimp." In any traditional woven fabric, individual yarns bend as they are woven over and under each other. This is called crimp. Under heavy loads, these thousands of tiny bends can slowly stretch and sag, causing the material to lose its shape.

Dyneema® Woven Composites virtually eliminate this problem. By bonding a 100% woven Dyneema® face fabric directly to the rock-solid Dyneema® core, the entire construction is locked in place. The result is almost zero crimp, ensuring your pack maintains its shape and durability season after season.

Proven Performance: Beyond the Lab and Into the Wild

Every Dyneema® material we consider undergoes a battery of punishing laboratory tests to ensure it meets industry standards.

• Tensile testing (pulling it apart)
• Tear testing (ripping it)
• Puncture testing (stabbing it)
• Taber abrasion testing (grinding it)
• Hydrostatic head testing (pressurizing it with water)

But to validate Dyneema® Woven Composite, the lab wasn't enough. The material was subjected to thousands of cycles of the Gelbo Flex test—the same rigorous system used to test materials for aerospace and inflatable structures. It was a level of scrutiny that goes far beyond industry standards.

Of course, the ultimate test isn't in a lab. With the help of our partners at Dyneema®, we put prototype packs into the hands of elite athletes and mountaineers. They used them for months-long expeditions on some of the world's most demanding trails. Their feedback was instrumental in perfecting this next-generation material.

Durability Is The New Sustainability

In an industry filled with conversations about sustainability, we believe the most impactful action is to create gear that lasts. The single greatest contributor to waste is the need to replace gear that has failed. Our design philosophy is rooted in the idea of buying it once. By engineering a fabric that is exponentially more durable and abrasion-resistant, we are extending the functional life of our packs by a massive margin. A pack that stays on the trail and out of the landfill is the most sustainable product there is. This new Dyneema® Woven Composite isn't just a performance upgrade; it's a commitment to a longer-lasting product and a lighter footprint on the planet.

Performance Benefits at a Glance:

• Superior Abrasion Resistance: Withstands friction, rough surfaces, and the general abuse of the trail better than ever before.
• Exceptional Dimensional Stability: Maintains its form and structural integrity under heavy mechanical stress and temperature changes.
• Outstanding Durability: By utilizing the strength of Dyneema® in both internal and external layers and eliminating crimp, it delivers truly long-lasting performance.
• High-Quality Waterproof Protection: Keeps your gear dry without a weight penalty.
• Excellent Resistance to Repeated Mechanical Stress: Resists continuous bending, stretching, and impact while maintaining its integrity.

And it does all this while remaining significantly lighter than traditional woven nylon equivalents.

For the Spec-Obsessed: The Data

We know our audience appreciates the fine details. Here’s a look at how the new Dyneema® Woven Composites (available in 100D and 200D grades) stack up against previous fabrics.

Dyneema® Woven Composite vs. Existing Fabrics

Technical Specifications Overview

A Note on The New Fabric Naming Convention

You'll notice we're talking about the fabrics in our packs a bit differently. As Dyneema® continues to innovate, it’s important to be as clear as possible about the materials in use. The new naming system is more descriptive and directly references the material construction and its weight. This helps you know, at a glance, exactly what your pack is made of.

The new Dyneema® Woven Composite are the latest addition to our packs, but the names for our existing Dyneema® Composite Hybrids and Fabrics have also been updated.

Here is a helpful translation key for the Dyneema® fabrics used across our product lines:

Note: The new Dyneema® Woven Composite 3.9 featured in our core packs is a brand-new material and does not have a direct predecessor.

This isn't just a new fabric. It's a new chapter in our story of partnership with Dyneema® and relentless innovation. It’s a tangible upgrade in durability and performance that you will feel and appreciate on every single trip.

Explore the updated Windrider, Junction, and Southwest packs today and experience the next evolution of ultralight.