Hip packs have become ever more popular with the trail and enduro crowd – but is there really a need to carry so much gear when you have a bottle on the bike? The Dakine Stealth Hip Pack is a hip pack designed to carry the kit you need on the trail to stay fueled, stay functional and to get out of trouble – all without the bulky size of a hydration bladder. We put their minimalist hip pack to the test….
By Mike Branch
Product: Dakine Hot Laps Stealth Waist Bag
RRP: $49.95 AUD, $40 USD
Available at: All good bike stores
The Nitty Gritty
The Dakine Stealth Hip Pack is made from 100% 450D ripstop Recycled Polyester (rPET) exterior.
Features:
- Limited Lifetime Warranty.
- Under-jersey storage solution.
- Breathable air mesh back panel with Polygiene anti-microbial.
- Internal fleece lined phone pocket.
- Tool, tire lever, C02, and tube specific storage.
- Dual side pockets.
Test Results
We put the Dakine Stealth Hip Pack to test over 3 months and have certainly got some miles in the legs with the minimalist setup. The pack is light, comfortable and feels like it is barely there – all positive attributes for a hip pack. We opted to keep the tube on the bike via a strap, but carried everything else in the hip pack, inclusive of a GoPro and mounts at times.
The pack was roomy enough to carry the minimum kit required to race or to get you out of trouble on the trail, this included trail snacks, multi-tool, tire levers, chain breaker, CO2 and a few other items of goodness. The pocket setup is great for the most part and the multiple tool slots to keep you organized was a good touch, but it was not without fault.
The main issue we found with the Dakine Hot Laps Stealth Hip Pack was the mobile phone pocket size – something that was way too small for the modern i-phone. We found that our phone wouldn’t fit in the phone section of the pack and instead had to lay horizontally across the pack, potentially hampering the protection. For us this wasn’t a deal breaker but certainly something that should be revisited on the next edition of this bit of kit.
The Final Word
It’s small, it’s compact and it’s minimalistic – but we found our time with the Dakine Hot Laps Stealth Hip Bag pleasant and grew to love the idea of it. With a few minor changes this could be a great bit of kit to get all your gear out of your pockets and stowed behind your back. The biggest down fall is the small phone section and hopefully they change that in future designs. Is it enough to put us off? Maybe not, but it’s certainly a consideration…..
