USWE Hajker Pro 24 Pack– No Dancing Monkey

Andrew Piotrowski

The USWE Hajker Pro 24 Pack is a very well-designed pack that can carry much more than the stated 24L. It kept the cargo in place on some epic adventures too!

I had never heard of USWE prior to testing out this pack, but I am so grateful that I was able to give this pack a try. As a background, USWE is a Swedish Company that got its start after its founders got sick of their packs bouncing around while riding dirt bikes.

USWE Hajker Pro 24 Pack

Now they specialize in no bounce packs by employing their NDM ( No Dancing Monkey) technology. Over the past couple of years, I have been working on expanding my range when it comes to ultra-running and hiking, as the miles and time changes the gear equation only gets harder. Often times one of the big dilemmas that I run into is which pack to take.

Go too small and your pack will be bursting at the seams. Go too big and your pack will be bouncy, noisy, and look extra silly. I selected the Hajker Pro24L to test based on the 24L having plenty of space for extra-long days in the mountains. Additionally, the no-bounce claims felt like a super bold statement as many companies have tried to solve this issue over the years. However, after some extensive testing, I found the no-bounce claims to be 100% accurate. 

USWE Hajker Pro 24 Pack

I ran and hiked with this pack on some of the East Coast (USA) gnarliest terrain. One of those runs was on the rock-covered and hilly Appalachian trail in Duncannon Pennsylvania. In this section, you can’t go more than a couple of feet without having to change your stride and carefully step over the rocks. (insert rock picture).

USWE Hajker Pro 24 Pack

While my legs and arms bounced up and down the steep hills, I found the Hajker pack to have very little if any movement. I also tested the pack fully loaded on a 19-hour hike across ten mountains in the Adirondack high peaks. I had the pack loaded down with my standard kit and many additional comfort and safety items for other members of my group.

The pack did not bounce at all and proved to be a perfect choice of ultra-length speed hiking. This pack is big enough and more than capable to be used for a multi-day high alpine traverse. It is designed for speed hiking, biking, running, and anything fast. In my opinion, it would also work great for a climbing or ski pack.

USWE Hajker Pro 24 Pack

Key Features: Outside of the excellent NDM technology there are a host of other features that make this an excellent pack:

Pockets: All of the pockets on this pack make a ton of sense and are very useful. On the hip belt, there are two water-resistant side zip pockets. I really enjoyed these as they are easy to get in and out of and perfect for snacks, phones, and anything you need in hand quickly.

USWE Hajker Pro 24 Pack

There is a smaller zip pocket in the back of the pack that is perfect for a medkit. There are also two side zip pockets and one waterproof ID/passport zip pocket. The pockets make organization super easy and quick. There are also two non-zip mesh pockets on the outside of the pack, these work great to hold spare hiking poles and any wet gear.

Waterproof Main Compartment: the main compartment of the pack incorporates a waterproof dry bag system. This cuts back on the ancient process of putting all your dry gear in trash bags. The dry bag is easy to use and can be rolled down inside of the pack. 

Buckles: I really like the buckle on the sternum strap. The push-button/circle design allows for this to be easily opened, even when wearing heavy gloves.

Helmet Carrier: typically, my climbing helmet is the last thing that gets wedged in my pack or clipped to the outside. This is often a royal pain in the ass as they either bounce around or are hard to fit inside. The Hajker Pro 24 comes with a really nice helmet-carrying system that can be easily removed when not in use. This makes storing the helmet straightforward and very easy.

Insulated Bladder Pouch: the pack comes with a removable and insulated bladder pouch. It does a nice job of keeping the bladder in place and keeps your water cold.

Durable Material and build – The pack’s main fabric is super durable nylon that stands up to a ton of abuse. USWE calls this fabric: ROBIC + UHMWPE EXTREEMA NYLON.  As I mentioned in the video I put a small hole in this pocket but sliding down the rock on a 19-hour traverse in the Adirondack Mountains. However, that was due to me using jagged jock as a sliding board when the terrain was too steep to walk down on tired legs. 

MSRP: $269.95