Wingnut Gear Hyper 3.0
Hydration Packs. For over ten years, They’ve been the disdain… the necessary evil of off-road riding. Why you might ask? To put it succinctly; THEY SUCK. In actuality, it seems that once the invention of hydration reservoirs occurred, the thinking on pack design stopped as if that was all that was needed to make a basic backpack into a legitimate cycling utility… and it wasn’t. Hydration packs, since their invention those years ago, have never been designed specifically for riding other than the tube. They are uncomfortable, clumsy monkeys blended between genius (the tube) and status quo; high riding bulky cavities of useless wit. But now, enter New Sun Production’s Wingnut line of hydration packs. Benson hooked me into the loop of these packs a couple of years ago and they are the much needed evolution to current cycling hydration pack design. In fact, I almost can’t believe how good they are and how obvious the idea is. For this review, I tested their Wingnut Hyper 3.0.
Details:
- Cost: $120.00 according to their site.
- Size: 800 cubic inch, 3liter (max) hydration sleeve.
- weight: 17 ounces empty
- “3D” Mesh shoulder straps
- Seam sealed zippers
- waterproof “SailCloth” construction
- Emergency Whistle - For when that Urban Cougar pounces.
- eight models ranging in size from 300 c.u. to a whopping 25oo c.u. multi compartment unit.
- MADE IN THE USA - Muy Importante!
What’s Killer:
Again, this is the only hydration pack that I have ever used that I have not at least mumbled hateful thoughts about on a long rides. Most current mtb hydration packs on the market ride high like a school backpack forcing more pressure on the hands and upper back. With these setups - especially on longer rides with more weight - I’ll find myself adjusting the pack throughout the ride to alleviate one discomfort which only seems to creates another somewhere else.
The Salvation: By intentional design, the Wingnut Hyper 3.0 pack is intended to ride low (as with all their models) around the hips causing substantially less pressure on the shoulders. While this makes simple logical sense, it’s also the most important feature/aspect of the design which makes it far superior to all other contemporary hydration packs that I am aware of. Once the extra long shoulder straps are set-up properly for individual size, almost all the weight & pressure is displaced, away from the upper body, alleviating almost all hand and neck pain. As an added bonus and almost as important in regards to riding comfort, since the bulk of the pack rides low, the external pockets are located low as well allowing one to reach into the side-pockets while on (or off) the bike without completely dislocating their shoulder. On traditional packs designed to ride high, one either has to slack out the shoulder straps to have the same effect, there by instigating high potential for dead sailor manuvers, or stop to grab the logical products that don’t necessarily need a full stop (or removal of the pack all together) to retrieve: Gels, food, dankums, PBRs, camera, whatever… Because of this, and because the side-pockets are nice and big, having both mesh outers, and zippered- more secure internal pockets (for a total of 2 on each side) all day rides are possible without a stop other than flats, food breaks and clothing adjustments… Yea, that makes a HUGE difference in my book. All non-essentials go in the main pocket which has ample room for pumps, clothing and burritos surrounded by a bright orange interior so you can see your stash. Top it off with external webbing for any additional light-weight, bulky gear items and this pack is one of the most ideal off-road backpacks ever design. The one weird (although not a fault) design aspects of the pack is the hydration tube routing - instead of over the shoulder routing, it pops out of the side of the pack about midway and comes around the front of the torso by the ribs and up to the cake-hole. This actually makes the tube easier to suck on, but it’s weird after ten+ years of being told that my tube must go over the shoulder. Now, no more swatting at my shoulder blades trying to find the hoser. Hey! it’s right here by my sore nipple. Awesome!
What else?
- Absolutely killer construction.
- Made to order.
- Color Choices. Remember Vans shoes from back in the day?
- Any hydration reservoir can be used with it.
What can be improved?
Not much, but… After running a Deuter Air Race pack for the past couple of years, Their ventilation design works and I’ve come to like the Aircomfort hammock-webbing-whatever-you-call-it. Considering the witty craftsmanship of the Wingnut, I’m sure they could make their pack even more comfy by modeling the Deuter system to some degree to allow for more cooling FLOW.
Each of these packs are made to order (if I understand it correctly). Mine, being a demo non-custom deal, only took 1.5 weeks to arrive. That ain’t no big when there’s 2 feet of snow outside, but most peeps these days like things now, or even yesterday. A small inconvenience sure, but it doesn’t help Wingnut sell more… not that it should be about growth as much as it should be about SUSTAINING… so maybe this is a moot point.
It is bicycles after all.
Conclusion:
If you’re tired of the same old discomfort that your current pack and generally all of the other models on the market provide, don’t just by another version of the same song hoping it will work. Instead, put some serious consideration into purchasing the Wingnut Hyper 3.0 or any of their eight pack offerings. The Hyper 3.0 is a good mid-level pack that will work for most situations from racing to long minimalistic multi (2 to 3 day max) day rides. If long tours are your gig, or racing, they have other models that will accommodate any distance. I can all but guarantee that any one of the Wingnut hydration packs will be the last pack you will ever buy.