Hyperlite Mountain Gear Contour 35 Backpack vs Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 40
Weight and specs compared for 2026 — and which one to choose.
Ultralight 35L frameless backpack with Dyneema DCF fabric for thru-hiking. Weighs only 16.2oz with 6 external pockets.
Bombproof DCF frameless backpack built for off-trail travel. 40L capacity with roll-top closure and durable Dyneema fabric for all-weather adventures.
Building a pack? Add either one to your HikeLoad list, or drop its weight into the base weight calculator, and see what it does to your total weight.
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Hyperlite Mountain Gear Contour 35 Backpack vs Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 40: which should you buy?
If saving weight is your priority, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Contour 35 Backpack wins — at 459 g it is 338 g (42%) lighter than the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 40 (797 g). That said, the heavier option may justify the extra grams with more capacity, durability or comfort, so weigh the trade-off against how you'll use it.
See where both rank against everything else in this category on the lightest backpack page, or browse the full gear weight database.