Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak 17 Backpack Review
Reading Time: 7 minutes The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak is a compact day-hiking backpack (or commuter backpack) from a company primarily known for ultralight packs and shelters made with Dyneema Composite Fabric (and the high price points that accompany these items).
This 17-liter pack has three exterior pockets (one front and two side), a zippered interior pocket, and an interior (laptop) sleeve. It’s available in a single size, two colors (white or black), and has features that leave me wondering whether it’s meant for commuting, the backcountry, or both. I’ve been using it for a little over a year for day hikes, travel, and as something to bring with me when I need another fabric sack to drag through the woods.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak 17 Backpack.
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Pros and Cons
+ Durable: The Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCH150) is tough, and durable.
+ Water Resistance: The pack’s zippers and fabric are highly water-resistant (but not waterproof).
+ Stowable Hip Belt: The hip belt that can be stowed if not being used.
+ Large Exterior Pockets: Great for quickly storing away bulky or dirty gear.
+ Zippered Interior Pocket: So you don’t lose the car keys (or your wallet).
– Price: At over $200, it’s costly for what it is.
– Limited Organization: The large, single interior compartment makes organizing gear inside the pack difficult.
– Ventilation: The foam back panel offers minimal airflow, allowing sweat to penetrate the interior of the pack.
– One Size: It comes in a single size, which means it won’t be a great fit for everyone.
– Practicality: Why does it have a laptop sleeve and an ice axe loop?
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak Specs
- Weight: 20.9 oz / 593 g
- Volume: 17L
- External volume: 6L
- Materials: DCH150
- Load capacity: 25 lb / 11.3 kg
- Back width: 11. in / 27.9 cm
- Bottom width: 6.5 in / 16.5 cm
- Bottom length: 11 in / 27.9 cm
- Height: 21 in / 53.3 cm
- Hip belt: Lightly padded 1.5 in / 3.8 cm
- Closure: Zipper
- External pockets: 3
- External loops: 2 (ice axe and grab)
- Internal pockets: One 7 x 5 in / 17.8 x 12.7 cm zippered
- Internal sleeve: Fits a 13″ laptop
- Sternum strap: Yes (with whistle)
- Country of manufacture: Mexico
- Colors: White, Black
- MSRP: $229
Photo Gallery
The Good
The Durability
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak Backpack is primarily constructed from Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCH150), a material popular in the ultralight backpacking world due to its exceptional strength-to-weight ratio. It’s also a surprisingly durable material and not one that’s prone to snagging on branches while bushwhacking or tearing against rocks on a break. I take little care when throwing my Daybreak onto the ground or smashing it into the back of a fully loaded car. Overall, it’s a fairly durable pack – not bombproof, but solid – and I’ve yet to notice any significant wear on the main body, the straps, or even the shock cord on the front.
The Water Resistance
The Daybreak is water resistant thanks to its fabric and zipper, but it’s important to note that it’s not waterproof. In a light rain, you can rest easy that your gear will stay dry, but you wouldn’t want to trust it to keep your gear dry on a river trip. Its zipper (which extends deep onto each of the two sides of the pack) will keep water out for a bit, but if you’re going. to be out in extended wet conditions, I would recommend packing your gear in drybags or using a pack liner (if you’re using the Daybreak).
The Weight
I’m not sure how vital weight is as a consideration when discussing a non-technical pack like the Daybreak, but it’s still noteworthy that the Daybreak is refreshingly light. Its materials and the lack of extraneous additions, such as zippers or straps (for the most part), mean that the pack is bogged down by unnecessary “features” you won’t use (or that you don’t need). The pack weighs 20.9 oz / 593 g in total and can support a (recommended) load of up to 25 lb / 11.3 kg (although you’re free to put more than that in the pack and be probably uncomfortable while lugging it around).
The Okay
The Fit
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak Backpack is available in a single size. This means it’s not going to be a great fit for everyone and if you’re planning on using this for anything beyond casual hikes or commutes, you’re going to have to hope that you fit the one that’s available. Each strap is adjustable and there’s also a hip belt and a sternum strap, but each of these only offers a limited range of adjustability. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend using this pack on all-day adventures, but as is the case with the recommended load capacity, if you’re comfortable with some discomfort, then maybe the fit won’t be much of an issue for you.
The Hipbelt
For a daypack not designed to hold more than 25 lb / 11.3 kg, it’s unclear why such a substantial hipbelt would be included on a pack that is otherwise “ultralight.” This is just one of multiple conundrums offered up by the Daybreak as it attempts to be too many things at once while not really excelling at any. You can stow the hipbelt when you ultimately decide not to use it, but there’s not way to remove it (besides cutting it off). That said, it’s comfortable, but I typically find the sternum strap to be more than enough for carrying around the Daybreak.
The Interior
The minimalist design of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak Backpack offers one large interior pocket that features a laptop sleeve and a separate zippered pocket. It’s small stash pocket is suitable for keys, cards, or other small items, but it won’t come close to holding any larger gear (it doesn’t even fit my phone). You can use the laptop sleeve as a sort of divider within the pack to keep some of your gear separate (like your sweaty or dirty clothes), but the single large interior pocket lacks most of organizational features that are typcally offered in day packs. Sometimes I feel like I loose items inside the main compartment and I find myself digging through it looking for smaller items.
The Bad
The Side Pockets
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak Backpack has two side pockets and each is large enough for a Nalgene, a shoe (maybe even shoes depending on what they are), or whatever else you can dream up. That said, there are no side simpression straps so there’s no way to hold longer items (which would also get in the way of the zipper), and there are no cinches on the tops of the pockets (although the tops are elasticized). Items in them run the risk of falling out if the pocket isn’t filled up or if the backpack isn’t full and providing some bulk to hold your side pocket items in place. They are slightly deeper than your typical side pocket which makes up slightly for the lack of side compression, but overall, the side pockets aren’t a feature I love on his pack.
The Purpose
The Daybreak Backpack is, at the name (and the size) suggests, intended to be used as a day pack. That said, packs that feature both a laptop sleeve and an ince axe loop have always struck me as strange. Like when are you going to be needing both of these things? It would seem that the inclusion of one should preclude the existance of the other, but I guess not. I guess I’d make a horrible product designer. Honestly, the best argument for getting a Daybreak might be that you simply want a daypack from Hyperlite Mountain Gear. If that’s what you’re looking for, this is the pack for you.
The Price
Perhaps the worst feature of the Daybreak is its price. At over $200 (at the time of publication, $229) it represents a silly investment for a pack that may or may not be a great fit for a single use (and that’s certainly not as versatile as you would like in a pack that’s a master of none). If you’re looking for a lightweight day pack, for this price you might be better off looking at some ultralight frameless backpacking packs. They’ll probably pack down better and be more functional than the Daybreak, and would likely end up being more versatile as well. But as I said before, if you want a daypack from Hyperlite Mountain Gear, you already know what you’re signing up for when it comes to the cost.
Wrap Up
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak Backpack is a daypack made from premium materials from a company known for its expensive packs and shelters.
It’s lightweight, durable, and funcational enough to bring along on a variety of adventures, but at its price point and with features seemingly at odds with one another – not to mention the single size – I’m not entirely sure whether it’s a compelling choice for many would-be users out there.
Do you have questions, comments, or personal experience with the Daybreak? Leave a comment below or get in touch, and let me know!
Check out the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak Backpack here.
