Quick Summary
- Our friends Tristan and Rylie, aka Rolling Tides, are 8 months into a surfpacking / bikepacking / backpacking adventure through the Americas. They brought along our Elevate 22 day hiking and multisport pack for its versatility and, at times, its willingness to go above and beyond its job description.
Words and Photos by Rylie and Tristan, @rollingtides.rt
Amidst the bustling fray of online backpack shopping, things can get overwhelming real quick. There are hundreds of brands to choose from, and each has a fleet of bags designed to hold all manner of things! Special sleeves for laptops, loose bananas and zippy pockets galore. Peering past all the bells and whistles, the question must be asked: “What use will this pack serve?” Sometimes, we need an ultralight 40 litre for a thru hike, or a rugged ski pack with slots for avalanche gear. Sometimes, we just want a dang good bag that can do it all, from grocery runs to the trailhead. Enter the Elevate 22. This has been our only pack for the past 8 months while bikepacking, and we aim to shed some light on this often-overlooked master of versatility. We recently pushed it to its limits on a frosty overnighter hike up on Acatenango Volcano in Guatemala, to see just how much you can squeeze in there.
Our lives for the past this past year have been characterized by packing and unpacking. In September, we set off on a bikepacking journey from Canada, with Tristan aiming to cycle all the way to Patagonia. Adding to the packing madness, we’ve been towing surfboards through Central America in our old-school BOB trailer. On a journey like this, gear we can trust helps save time, space, weight and energy. Day in day out, our gear makes a difference. That’s why we’ve hopped on the Dyneema train- it’s light, strong and waterproof and allows us to pack everything we need for life on the road inside a few little bike bags. Hyperlite’s CrossPeak 2, Elevate 22 backpacks, Versa hip packs and numerous stuff sacks have helped keep our systems dialled and weatherproof. We’ll be focusing on the Elevate bag in this article, which we carry on the bikes strapped to our front rack or stuffed in our handlebar bags.
CAPACITY
Capacity is maybe the most important aspect of choosing the right pack. How much stuff do you need to carry? While a 22l capacity is way off the mark for prolonged time in the backcountry, this specific pack is much more than your average day bag. The roll top allows you to overstuff it when you really need. We estimate to be able to squeeze at least another 10 litres of gear in there beyond its stated capacity. Of course, this isn’t really recommended, as when we do this we put more strain on seams and buckles. Also, the pack becomes less rain resistant if the top isn’t rolled at least a few times. But when a day pack can become a lil backpacking beast, that’s pretty dang cool!
The pictures in this article mostly show it stuffed to the absolute max. Being on a multi-year bikepacking journey, we usually try to carry only what we need for a specific climate. Coming from the blistering Mexican heat, we were somewhat unprepared layer-wise for our night up above 12 000 feet. Not finding appropriate sleeping bags to rent or borrow, we ended up thrifting a variety of bulky layers at the local market. Surprisingly, it all managed to squeeze into our little packs along with our titanium pot, CrossPeak 2 tent, food, and 4+ litres of water each. If we had some 20 degree quilts on hand, I bet the bags wouldn’t have been overstuffed!
Some key features of the pack include:
WATER BOTTLE POCKETS
These can comfortably fit Nalgenes, or thinner water bottles with some room to spare. To keep things tight, there’s a little elastic cinch. We love backpacks with external pockets, as it makes fuelling much more efficient on trail. We usually rock our 1.5L Nalgenes in these pockets and they stay snug as a bug.
MESH POUCH AND ELASTIC CHORD
The mesh is quite tight, so I don’t always feel safe putting bananas or avocados in there. But when I’m running downhill, I’m thankful for how secure things are held. Nothing moves at all, and it feels quite durable and strong, I’m not scared to slice it on rocks when setting the pack down.
SIDE STRAPS
If you’re putting tent poles, stakes or other stuff on the side, the G hook is handy to keep things safe n’ sound.
DAISY CHAINS
A very handy feature! The daisy chains run on either side of the external mesh pouch. I use these to ski-strap the pack on top of my back rack while bikepacking when I need extra water storage. You could also clip carabiners of extra items in a pinch, and tuck them under the elastic straps so they don’t flap around.
REMOVABLE HIP BELT
We’ve taken ours off for packability’s sake, but when we used it, it was quite comfy.
For this impromptu volcano adventure we knew we’d be carrying considerably more weight and wanted to improvise a hip belt. While not recommended over the standard belt, our Versa Hyperlite Fanny Pack worked in a pinch. It was nice to have items like phones, snacks and do-nacks easily accessible. Also the Dyneema construction makes it a light, waterproof, trustworthy companion.
FOAM BACKING
This integrated 1/4” foam back panel is incredibly comfortable and well worth its weight. It also makes for a great sit pad on less derrière-friendly surfaces.
TOP COMPRESSION STRAP
Keeping things extra snug, the compression strap loops over the top of the bag. The G hook that loops it in place is secure and quick to release. You could strap a climbing rope with this for approaches to the crag.
LOOPS
A handy dandy loop for your ice axe during spring strike missions.
PACKABILITY
We chose this pack knowing it would spend more days rolled up and strapped to our bikes than actually on our backs. Thanks to its frameless design, it can be folded on itself and maintain a relatively low profile. However, we’re suckers for comfort, and the foam back panelling makes it less packable than others in the Hyperlite arsenal. Coming in at 17.7oz or 502g, its weight feels like a good balance of ultralight and usability. Taking off the removable hip belt helps remove some bulk, but if you’re looking for pure packability, take a look at the Summit 30 or Stuff Pack 30.
COMFORT
You’d think that overstuffing a bag like this would make it top heavy and terribly uncomfortable. That’s what we thought too. As it turns out, we finished our overnight hike with even more respect for this bag than we already had. The foam-panelled backing and straps felt quite cozy, and I never felt the need to “Get this thing off me!” as I’m sure we’ve all experienced with a heavy load. As we are travelling without the hip belt, and improvised with our fanny packs, the weight was sitting more so on the shoulders. Still, the bag felt stable and comfortable. They do come in different sizes. I’m 5’11” and the Medium size feels perfect. The chest strap can also be moved up or down to accommodate preferences or body types.
ZIPPERS OR ROLL-TOP
One thing I love about Hyperlite’s fleet of backpacks is the use, or lack, of zippers. I often find them a cause for concern due to the way I abuse them with dirt, dust and sand. All my packs of the past have met an unfortunate early end to their lives due to busted zippers, and it’s usually more of a hassle (not to mention expensive) to replace them. Zippers however do well for specific functions, like for photographers carrying lots of equipment, a camera bag with a zipped back panel makes a lot of sense. The roll top nature of Hyperlite bags took some getting used to at first, but makes so much sense when you break it down. It can be more difficult to access items at the bottom of the bag, yet you gain durability, easy repairs, water resistance and extra volume.
Fellow bikepacker Diego Marin is also riding from Canada to Patagonia. He’s riding mountain bike trails the whole way while wearing the Elevate 22 on his back. When asked about the pack, Diego responded- “I love it. I use it everyday.” This is coming from a man who has pedalled over 15 000 km of rugged trails with this bag on. Short and sweet, he loves it. I probed him for more about why this was his choice pack, and he said, “It’s light, waterproof, and I love the outside pockets. Also, it’s comfy.” We think Diego sums this pack up perfectly, it has everything you need, and nothing you don’t.
The Elevate 22 surpasses expectations for a simple day pack. We’ll be using it for years to come in all manner of adventures. It can be a backcountry fast pack, crag bag, grocery runner, study stuffer and bikepack carrier. And that's just the beginning of it.
Follow along with Tristan and Rylie's ambitious journey in Part 1 HERE, Part 2 HERE, Part 3 HERE, Part 4 HERE, Part 5 HERE, Part 6 HERE, and Part 7 HERE. Tune in each month to see how it's going.
