Dakine Hot Laps Hip Pack 2L

Review by Erin Trail

The Dakine Hot Laps Hip Pack 2L is the perfect pack for when you want to carry just enough for your cycling adventures.

Details

• Breathable air mesh back panel
• 25 mm padded hip belt
• 2 deployable side water bottle pockets
• Internal organization
• Padded, fleece-lined zippered phone pocket
• External carry straps
• Reflective zipper pulls
• 100% recycled polyester
• Weight: 0.77 lbs

Fit and Function

I like a hip pack for cycling for a variety of situations:

• Bike park days
• Shorter MTB rides (usually around 1 hour or demo laps at bike events)
• Gravel rides where I need a little extra storage but I don’t want to wear a full hydration pack

For these situations, I don’t need a lot of room.  I also find that larger volume hip packs almost overwhelm my 5’4″ stature and I don’t need a bladder or a ton of storage.  The 2L size is just enough to hold my emergency tool kit, a small rechargeable tire inflator, my epi pen and inhaler, snacks, and my phone.  It also has modular functionality, with the ability to hold 2 standard sized bike bottles and an external strap system for carrying pads or a jacket.

The interior of the Dakine Hot Laps Hip Pack 2L is well sized and designed for storage.  There’s also a clip for your keys, giving you a safe interior spot for storage.  The top zipper pocket is smaller than the main pocket and is intended for sunglasses or your phone.  The inside of this pocket has a nice fuzzy lining and is plenty big enough to store a phone.

The inner main pocket has larger drop in pocket and two smaller pockets that close with hook-and-loop closure to help keep the small space organized.  There’s also elastic webbing that’s placed such that it can hold a hand pump, or in my case, an epi-pen.

In my testing of the Dakine Hot Laps Hip Pack 2L, I’ve worn it on gravel rides up to 4.5 hours long, shorter MTB rides, and a day at Trestle Bike Park.

The most cargo I’ve stored in the Dakine Hot Laps Hip Pack 2L was on my long gravel ride.  I have 2 bike bottle cages and a handlebar bag on my gravel bike.  My handlebar bag was full (drone for filming group ride content) and I needed a spot for a 3rd water bottle and my usual tools and snacks.

The water bottle pockets are smartly designed. When in “stealth mode”, they snap down onto the pack webbing so they stay tucked out of the way.  When you need to use them, simply unsnap and unfurl the stretch webbing and *bam* you have extra water storage capacity.

I only needed to carry 1 bottle (24 oz) in the Dakine Hot Laps Hip Pack 2L.  It held the uneven weight nicely, never feeling like it was unbalanced.  I wore the pack with cycling bibs and a party shirt, and occasionally, I did notice the front waistbelt digging into my mid-section.  I do wish that the front strap was a little wider or more forgiving to alleviate the slight discomfort I noticed.  This issue was limited to my cycling bibs.  When I wore the pack with my MTB shorts or pants, I didn’t experience any waistband discomfort, likely because my MTB kit is more substantial in weight and thickness than my bibs.  I do like that the clip is placed on the side of the pack, instead of dead center, removing an additional discomfort point.

Also impressive is how the pack doesn’t bounce when you wear it.  On my gravel ride, we had tooth loosening washboard for large stretches of road.  The pack felt stable and secure.  I never once worried about my bottle launching out of the pack and the main body of the pack didn’t bounce around.  On singletrack and bike park trails, the pack also performed well with minimal bouncing.

For MTB rides, the Dakine Hot Laps Hip Pack 2L is low profile and easily fits under a jersey shirt or a jacket.  And for bike park lift rides, the pack doesn’t pitch you forward on the chairlift.  It’s also super simple to spin around to your front side for lift-side snack access.

In addition to the stealthy water bottle holders, the bottom of the Dakine Hot Laps Hip Pack 2L offers modular storage. There’s looped webbing on the bottom, making it easy to strap larger things to the rear of the pack, connecting hook-and-loop or MOLLE straps from the bottom strap to the top handle.  The bottom of the pack has 2 adjustable straps for extra cargo storage, which is the perfect spot to stow a jacket or pads.

Closing Thoughts

The Dakine Hot Laps Hip Pack 2L is a thoughtfully designed hip pack for those who want to carry a streamlined set of repair tools and snacks without bulk or bounce.  The pack is compact but big on versatility.

The Dakine Hot Laps Hip Pack 2L comes in 5 colorways.

Erin Trail

Trail Boss of Stoke

Erin Trail on her mountain bike at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race

Erin Trail on her running at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race