High Above Supernatural Vest Pack
Stated Volume: 6L total capacity (2L water, 4L cargo)
Stated Weight: 565 g (including reservoir)
Blister’s Measured Weight:
- Pack: 406 g
- Bladder: 154 g
- Total: 560 g
Materials: 400D Challenge EPX Shell Fabric, 210D Liner Fabric, UHWMPE Reinforced Stretch pockets
MSRP: $240 USD
Test Locations: Washington, British Columbia
Reviewers:
- Zack Henderson: 6’, 165 lbs / 183 cm, 74.8 kg
- David Golay: 6’, 160 lbs / 183 cm, 72.6 kg
Test Duration: 6 months
Intro
High Above can be given a lot of credit for being an early mover on the hip pack trend that now seems almost ubiquitous in mountain biking. The Pacific Northwest-based brand has expanded to offer several different designs along with other thoughtfully made accessories, all made right here in the US. Our Bike team here at Blister has tried and loved several of their variants, including the Lookout, Venture, and the now-discontinued Nova. The durability and quality of those items have meant that they’re still in regular rotation.
While lots of riders graduated from the hydration packs of yore to fanny packs, or to carrying everything on our bikes thanks to all sorts of attachments and internal storage options, there are still plenty of times when a hydration pack’s ability to carry a bunch of water, snacks, and gear is appreciated, but where the added bulk of conventional designs is not. A few companies have started to take queues from the running world with the advent of vest packs, which use a lean form factor and more torso-hugging fit to prevent bouncing and otherwise unwanted movement while still offering the ability to carry a water bladder.
High Above has officially jumped onto the vest pack movement with their Supernatural pack, and in classic High Above form, it takes a slightly novel approach to the genre. Let’s see what they’ve come up with.
Design
Followers of High Above’s social media and newsletter will likely have caught hints of the Supernatural’s development in recent months, and High Above says that over 50 prototype iterations were made before landing on the final design.
[We also talked with High Above about the prototyping of the Supernatural and a whole bunch more in Ep.244 of Bikes & Big Ideas.]
The inspiration from running vests is readily apparent when looking at many of the Supernatural’s features. On the front, the straps have elasticated chest pockets for carrying snacks and small other items you might want to have handy, and the left one has an extra top flap closure to keep phones secure. The double sternum straps have elastic sections to keep even tension, helping to keep the fit as bounce-free as possible. The included double baffled 2L Hydrapak reservoir also comes with a magnetic hose retainer clip, which fastens to the shoulder strap.
The main body of the pack is rather low profile, with an external bungee for easy stashing of extra layers — think knee pads, jackets, etc. A weather-resistant zipper reveals the inner reservoir pocket along with several other internal pockets. The larger zippered pocket has an internal key clip, there are two stretch pockets for tools and other small items, and two pump holders too to help keep things organized.
Long rides with big descents can sometimes warrant a full-face helmet, but climbing with one is a drag in warm weather. High Above agrees, and they’ve also created a full-face carrying system that uses a nylon strap attached to three anchor points.
Mountain biking inevitably beats up on gear, and High Above emphasizes the Supernatural’s burly fabrics as being suited to a life of hard use. The Supernatural is also designed to be repairable in case of damage.
Some Questions / Things We’re Curious About
(1) Most importantly, how comfortable is the Supernatural on an average ride, and does it achieve the promised “bounce-free” fit?
(2) How well does the Supernatural match up against other popular vest packs on the market?
Full Review
Time really is a flat circle. Fanny packs (or hip packs, for those avoiding the less fashionable but original association) re-emerged from their 80s roots with a vengeance among the mountain bike crowd, and lots of folks haven’t looked back since. Hydration packs could carry lots of stuff, but they were sweaty, bounced a lot on descents, and with water bottles on frames, the bulk of a bladder system didn’t feel necessary. Hip packs are small, bounce around a lot less, and can carry just the essentials in a captivatingly simple way. Hip packs are, in my opinion, unquestionably dorky, but mountain bikers are famously (1) practical over fashionable in many of our choices, and (2) also dorky. Regardless of your views on their nerd factor, hip pack popularity exploded.
While there are lots of great hip pack designs on the market, things have arguably started to go a bit too far in the past couple of years. Hip packs started getting bigger because people realized they needed to carry more stuff on certain rides. And then they started coming with bladders. And then all of that added weight meant that they started bouncing around more again, with all of that weight concentrated through a single waist belt.
Some folks started taking note of the vest pack trend from the running world, which aimed to make more minimalist and form-fitting hydration pack options that focus less on big capacity and more on a torso-hugging fit. A few brands started to bring that design ethos into mountain biking, and High Above jumped into the vest pack game earlier this year with their Supernatural vest pack.
We’ve had two reviewers riding the Supernatural through the grim heart of winter into the balmy days of spring. While both of them happily shed the hydration packs years ago in favor of less bulky hip packs, the Supernatural has made a strong case for itself.
Fit
Zack Henderson (6’, 165 lbs / 183 cm, 74.8 kg): Before getting into the fit elements, I think it’s important to explain what makes a vest pack different from a typical hydration backpack, as the design determines why the fit is unique. Looking at the main body of the pack, it’s pretty clear that the vest pack is quite a bit shorter in length than a traditional backpack, primarily resting on the upper and mid back but leaving the lower back largely uncovered. Less back coverage means less sweat, which is a major perk over older hydration backpack designs.
That shorter shape also opens up creative options for strap design. On a traditional backpack, the shoulder straps are anchored to the bottom of the pack, and the adjustments really only impact the length of those straps. That design often relied on a waist belt to keep things steady while descending, and even well-designed waist belts are not all that comfortable when bent over in a riding position. With most vest pack designs, the adjusters at the bottom of each shoulder strap focus less on the length of the shoulder straps and more on how tightly the pack wraps around the lower part of the wearer’s rib cage. Because those straps handle torso-hugging duties to provide stability, a waist belt is no longer needed, though many vest packs (including the Supernatural) use two chest straps to help brace the chest area a bit more for further stability.
Because of those layout differences, a vest pack works best when worn quite snug around the torso. Unlike a normal pack where I often feel the shoulder straps bearing the weight, the Supernatural (and other vest packs I’ve tried) seem to distribute loads much more effectively, helping them feel a lot less intrusive and lighter even when loaded up. The ability to distribute loads is especially superior when comparing the vest pack design to a hip pack. I’ve carried a small DSLR camera and tools without any of the pinching, sagging, or general discomfort that comes with trying to do that with a hip pack.
I have perhaps a slightly bigger-than-average chest for my waist size (38’’ chest and 32’’ waist), but my shoulders aren’t particularly broad. In my case, the Supernatural fits great, and I had plenty of adjustment room to get it cinched down and snug. One snugged up, it hugs my torso nicely without any uneven spots or tightness. The shoulder straps are fairly wide, which works fine for me, but I’d urge notably petite riders or those with small shoulders to try the pack on and confirm that the straps don’t interfere or rub the fronts of the shoulders with arms extended in a riding position.
The dual chest straps do a nice job of helping with the secure fit, and both have elastic sections to take up slack and keep things snug during dynamic movements. The flexible and highly breathable back panel conforms easily to my back, though its lack of any internal structure means that bulkier items (cameras, jackets, etc.) can alter the shape and be felt slightly.
David Golay (6’, 160 lb / 183 cm, 72.6 kg): Zack covered things well, and the fit of the Supernatural works great for me, too. There’s ample room for adjustment in both directions on all the straps, and I’ve had an easy time getting the Supernatural to sit very snugly against my back without feeling too tight or restrictive.
On the Trail
Zack: The merits of the vest pack design and High Above’s patterning skills make the Supernatural impressively unobtrusive on the bike. Unlike a hip pack, there’s no strap and buckle to dig into your waist while in a riding position, and the combination of straps creates an effective torso wrap that keeps things impressively secure. Even with a bladder full of water, the Supernatural never felt like it was shifting around on my back — easily my number one complaint with carrying a backpack. It also runs far, far cooler than most backpacks thanks to its high-and-tight fit and airy mesh back panel. While it was a bit warmer than a hip pack, it was never so hot as to be stifling on warm days.
The pockets of the Supernatural also provide a huge range of storage options for complex packing needs. Internally, velcro strips sewn into the back panel can be fixed around a hand pump, and two open pockets and a single larger zipped one keep tools and snacks organized. The large internal volume could easily handle a rain jacket in case of weather, but I also found myself making frequent use of the elastic netting on the outside to hold wet or muddy layers. Speaking of weather, while I tested a limited edition version of the Supernatural made with a fancy Dyneema shell, all production versions use waterproof fabrics, the simple outer shell leaves few seams for water to work into, and the burly waterproof main zipper did an admirable job of keeping the elements at bay.
My most-used pockets were the ones on the fronts of the shoulder straps. I’d often shove an energy bar or chews into the one with the open top, while the one with the flap on the top provided extra security for my phone. I love exploring new zones but hate the process of pulling out my phone from a zippered pocket or hip pack for navigating, and having it right on my chest reduced some of that annoyance.
I don’t often ride with a full face outside of the bike park, but the full face carry system deploys quickly and is plenty stable for the climb up to the top of a nasty descent.
David: I’ve tried a few different vest-style MTB packs over the years, and, at least on my body, the Supernatural is the most stable and comfortable of the bunch. The patterning and strap arrangement are particularly dialed, and the Supernatural does an especially good job of sitting flat and snug against my back without bunching up or moving around.
I think the fact that the shoulder straps on the Supernatural split and anchor at two spots at the bottom of the pack goes a long way there. I’ve found some other vest-style packs (e.g., the Evoc Hydro Pro 6) to bow out away from my back in the middle if I really cinch the shoulder straps down, which can lead to some movement as that portion of the pack bounces slightly. I’ve had no such issues with the Supernatural.
The baffled Hydrapak bladder that High Above uses in the Supernatural deserves particular praise. I’ve found that the bladders in a lot of other packs wind up very cylindrical when full, which in turn means they don’t sit flat against my back, and make the pack far less stable until I drink enough water that the bladder flattens out. The baffled design goes a long way toward keeping the bladder flatter and conforming to my back better. It also helps that it’s a relatively large two-liter bladder, which means that I don’t need to completely fill it for a lot of rides — any bladder sits flatter and feels better if it’s not stuffed to the gills.
I like the internal storage arrangement in the Supernatural, too. The pocket layout strikes a nice balance between offering enough dividers to keep things organized while leaving the bulk of the interior space available for bulkier items like a jacket, and the small velcro straps on the sides of the main pocket work well for securing long, cylindrical items like a pump or saw. I’ve mostly used them to hold a tire pump on one side and a shock pump on the other.
The elastic pockets on the front of the chest straps are also super useful. Like Zack, I’ve used them for snacks a fair bit; in the cooler, wetter months, I also used them to make gloves readily accessible. The one on the left side also has a top flap to secure your phone if you want to store it there, though I’ve mostly preferred to keep mine in my pocket.
As we’ve come to expect from High Above, the materials and construction of the Supernatural feel top-notch. I’ve been testing the standard version of the Supernatural, rather than the fancier limited edition version Zack has, and it’s quite water-resistant, seems to be extremely durable so far, and, like all of High Above’s products, it carries a lifetime warranty.
Bottom Line
Zack: When I first started testing the Supernatural, I found myself wondering how often I’d realistically be using it, given my existing collection of hip packs and recent preference to go packless on shorter rides. Months later, I find myself reaching for the Supernatural multiple times each week, even when I don’t plan to carry any water in it. It does a great job of disappearing in use, and while it of course has appeal for longer rides, it’s also handy when a jacket might be needed, or when exploring new zones requires pulling out a phone more than I might like, and it’s great for both running and hiking, too. In the simplest terms, if I lost mine, I’d buy another.
David: I really don’t like riding with a backpack if I can help it, so the fact that I like the Supernatural as much as I do says a lot. It is, by far, the most dialed vest-style riding pack I’ve tried to date, and I’ve found myself wearing it even on rides where I could get away with a smaller hip pack. It’s truly excellent.
Fanny packs became much more acceptable in our local crew once we began calling them Shred Packs and then everyone had to have one . What kind of similar marketing can we do for vest packs? Braaap Packs might make us feel we don’t look like ultra runners.
The tight carry and the convenience of the storage on the shoulder straps seem nice and this thing might fit well under a ski jacket for chair riding with hydration and easy snack access. But then Stealth Pack?
Great review and super intriguing pack.
One size fits most?
Yep, one size fits most, but the adjustment range is pretty broad it seems.