Daybreak 22

A good pack with very disappointing waterproofing

This pack has been my EDC for just over 7 months now, and I had a stellar experience until about a week ago. I've been a fan of HMG gear for years (my southwest is still my ride or die for backpacking) and this pack was more of the same, until I took it out in the wet. On my way back for a camping trip it wound up sitting in a shallow puddle in the back of the car (water cube leaked) and water soaked through the bottom (the pack was upright and the zipper was totally clear of the water, it soaked in through the seams.) Then this week, I had it out in the rain for 10 minutes and the zipper leaked, again soaking the contents. Both times the fabric trapped water in the bottom of the Pack, which was actually pretty counterproductive. I guess I could use a pack liner in future, but honestly this one will probably just stay in the gear closet. Real disappointing, as it's otherwise a very nice pack.

This is a nice light pack that definitely leans more towards EDC daypack versus hiking pack. Took it on a quick 4 mile hike, pros- it holds everything you need for a day hike and is light to carry. Cons- you can’t get at water bottle without dropping the shoulder straps loose so it falls lower or taking pack off. This is not unusual for day packs that tend to ride higher on your back. Other issue was if you tighten the cinch straps on the back to hold on extra gear it basically shrinks in the back of the pack and then it was hard to unzip without loosening. I was borderline going to return it because I really was looking for a quick hike pack more than EDC but it is nice quality and I can see taking it on trips where I need both EDC and ability to do a quick hike.

Delighted with my purchase. Great design features, superb Quality and materials. It will go nicely with my increasing stash of HMG Gear 😃