Bottom line, I like the Unbound 40 in terms of wearability, comfort, and overall useful features. I like the external seams which makes for a clean, smooth interior. The front external dyneem stretch mesh pocket is great, as are the ample side pockets. I am 5'8" with jelly rolls weighing around 190 lbs but I have a large 22"-23" torso, so I orderd the Tall with Large hip belt The empty pack sits as if it is too large, but once weighed down it sits perfectly for my torso length. The hip belt is comfortable. So, why only 3 star rating.For the first week, every time I wore the packet I just found nits to dislike. My initial impressions were negative, at least quality control wise, since my pack was missing one side bungee, one side pocket bungee wasn't routed through ... MoreBottom line, I like the Unbound 40 in terms of wearability, comfort, and overall useful features. I like the external seams which makes for a clean, smooth interior. The front external dyneem stretch mesh pocket is great, as are the ample side pockets. I am 5'8" with jelly rolls weighing around 190 lbs but I have a large 22"-23" torso, so I orderd the Tall with Large hip belt The empty pack sits as if it is too large, but once weighed down it sits perfectly for my torso length. The hip belt is comfortable. So, why only 3 star rating.For the first week, every time I wore the packet I just found nits to dislike. My initial impressions were negative, at least quality control wise, since my pack was missing one side bungee, one side pocket bungee wasn't routed through the cord lock, and the cord lock pull tab ends seem to constantly pop undone for no reason. For its part, HMG did reimburse shipping and evidently the missing side bungee is in the mail. The hip belt buckle male end is flimsy, so I replaced the buckle with a beefier one, at least as beefy as it can be to fit 1" webbing. The hip belt pockets are not one hand operation friendly since there is no structure to the pockets. I find I need two hands to close that last bit or at times to unzip. The roll top side compression straps double back but the ends are not folded over and sewn like all the other straps. So, I found the straps tended to slip through even though double backed through the buckle and fell off the pack. I thought I had found an extra strap on the ground until I noticed the side roll top compression strap was missing. I ended up folding over the end and sewing it down to mirror all the other straps. This has prevented any slip throughs, although I probably voided the warranty by sewing something that HMG should have done by design to begin with.The vertical compression strap for the Y-strap is anchored inside the exterior front pocket, which I find annoying and gets in the way when using the exterior front pocket, expecially when the strap is unbuckled and falls inside the pocket. HMG does anchor other packs above the pocket, which is what they should have done with the Unbound 40. The smaller front exterior pocket is oddly shaped, so you lose capacity since one side is 3cm shorter than the other. It is just odd and makes for a shallower, less useful pocket than necessary. As far as I can tell, there is no actual purpose or use to having one side 3cm shorter. The bottom access to the main front exterior pocket is still possible without the angle of the smaller pocket. It's also really annoying for insane people like me who need symmetry in life.The HMG logo patch on the shoulder strap is sewn over the daisy chain loop I need to position the sternum strap correctly, so I had to cut that off and probably voiding the warranty in the process of being able to access the daisy chain loop. I also feel the shoulder straps are also spaced a bit too narrow since I have broad shoulders. I feel the straps lay too close to my neck.The bottom exterior pocket is another mystery to me. It does not extend all the way across the bottom. I get that having one end closed and one end open is useful for some things, but not if you want to stuff something longer than the width. The intent is to be a stuff pocket, but HMG adds a small opening on the other end marketing it as a place you could also stuff trash on the go. However, it facilitates leaving traces behind, since if there isn't anything stuffed blocking the wide, loose open end, then your trash will fall out. If you do stuff say a jacket in there and use the smaller opening to stuff trash, you will invariably pull trash out along with your jacket, or the trash will just fall out of the wide open end.Another mystery is the side seam daisy chains that are mismatched in length. The back one extends higher than the front one, but the front one extends lower than the back one. It would have been useful to have both extend the same length up so you could route bungee/compression higher to hold ends of longer items better. There is no daisy chain webbing on the outside (front) of the side seam, so you have to use the same daisy chain loops as the side routed bungee if you want to add something like an ice axe/pole bungee tie down. I sewed a two loop daisy chain webbing to the exterior front seam so I could attach ice axe/pole bungee tie, and added loops to the existing horizontal daisy chain webbing on the bottom front. This avoids having to waste side pocket space and entangling side bungee cords. So, I probably voided the warranty again.I think the poor quality control, the sum of all the tweaks I had to make, and odd design choices warrant my average 3 star out of 5 star rating review of the Unbound 40.

As a long time owner of the HMG SW backpack I’m very fond of it after using it on my PCT Thru and many other thousands of miles. Despite my fondness I've been looking for some solutions.The extra large water bottle pockets is one of those solutions. The Unbound 40 allows me to carry a 1.5 L and a 1 L bottle in each pocket. Thus allowing me to carry 5 liters.Previously I would have to strapped a 2 liter CNOC bag to the top of the SW backpack. Weight up this high is awkward.The stretchy bottom pocket is another one of those solutions allowing me to carry the day’s food and avoiding opening my bag.Finally HMG solved the biggest headache of the SW which was the back mesh pocket. The stretchy material on the Unbound 40’s back pocket is a dream. Easy to stuff grab ... MoreAs a long time owner of the HMG SW backpack I’m very fond of it after using it on my PCT Thru and many other thousands of miles. Despite my fondness I've been looking for some solutions.The extra large water bottle pockets is one of those solutions. The Unbound 40 allows me to carry a 1.5 L and a 1 L bottle in each pocket. Thus allowing me to carry 5 liters.Previously I would have to strapped a 2 liter CNOC bag to the top of the SW backpack. Weight up this high is awkward.The stretchy bottom pocket is another one of those solutions allowing me to carry the day’s food and avoiding opening my bag.Finally HMG solved the biggest headache of the SW which was the back mesh pocket. The stretchy material on the Unbound 40’s back pocket is a dream. Easy to stuff grab and use the stored contents.The mini pocket is great for misc items such as tent stakes, wind jacket or other small items.The hips pockets are small in size compared to other packs but as a long time Fanny pack user I just carry my medial/hygiene in one hip pocket and my electronics charging cables/outlet block in the other.The new buckle design is great but unfortunately it leaves a long leash of fabric dangling if you are a thin hiker.The shoulder pocket from my SW works great on this backpack.A couple of things I wish the pack had:1. Ice axe loop off centered.2. A loop higher above the mesh back pocket and below the mesh for strapping a foam sleeping pad vertically.3. A little more padding in the hips.All in all super stoked to get this pack on the CDT in April.

I have done about 200 miles with the Unbound 40 and am super impressed. The side pouches can fit so much gear, water, or snacks and the shock cord is genius. The only issue I have had is the stitching that holds the shock cord does not handle a ton of gear so I would recommend reinforcing the stitching on the side pockets! Besides that this pack has had no issues with snow, water, and has been scraped up in lots of bush whacking without issue. The mesh has no rips and avoids snags really well. While hiking part of the JMT, I actually found I could fit a BV500 in the mesh pocket which I tried for a few days (not my favorite but it was super convenient to access food). The bottom mesh pouch it great for trash or snacks and with all the mesh, even after overloading it ... MoreI have done about 200 miles with the Unbound 40 and am super impressed. The side pouches can fit so much gear, water, or snacks and the shock cord is genius. The only issue I have had is the stitching that holds the shock cord does not handle a ton of gear so I would recommend reinforcing the stitching on the side pockets! Besides that this pack has had no issues with snow, water, and has been scraped up in lots of bush whacking without issue. The mesh has no rips and avoids snags really well. While hiking part of the JMT, I actually found I could fit a BV500 in the mesh pocket which I tried for a few days (not my favorite but it was super convenient to access food). The bottom mesh pouch it great for trash or snacks and with all the mesh, even after overloading it and stretching it out, it has kept its form and does not sag. The daisy chains are nice to attach gear wherever you like and the hip belt is actually really comfortable when used correctly. I would definitely suggest this pack for three season hiking if you are trying to stay light on gear and want a pack that rewards that hiking method.