In the world of business, there’s a concept called the Law of Diminishing Returns. Basically, the idea is that there’s a point where increasing or improving a particular aspect of a product or service results in fewer and fewer sales, profits and so on.
In the world of product design, a similar thing can happen. For instance, a few years ago, Dyneema — a synthetic fabric roughly 10-15 times stronger than steel by weight — was all the rage. However, it got to a point where it didn’t have anywhere else to go — it wasn’t being improved or innovated upon — so interest has somewhat waned.
Well, Hyperlite Mountain Gear may have just cracked the code to the fabric’s next frontier with its reimagined Dyneema Packs. Already among the best outdoor bags, period, this trio is now better than ever before.
The wizardry’s in the weave
While it would be a stretch to call it Mythril-like (in reference to the elven chainmail Frodo and Bilbo wear in The Lord of the Rings books), Dyneema is, by all accounts, a pretty marvelous synthetic fabric. As mentioned, it boasts 10-15 times the strength of steel by weight.
The problem with improving this fabric is that, to add additional durability, you typically have to add more weight. However, its lightness is also one of its superpowers, so making it heavier detracts from its value.
