Review

SOURCE Hipster Ultra 5L on review – a worthy successor

27.03.2020
by

If the compact dimensions of the SOURCE Hipster put you off from getting one, you should read on. Its successor goes by the name of Hipster Ultra 5l. The new version is very similar but has a lot more volume.

Price: € 79,99 (incl. 1.5 liter bladder) | Weight: 337 g (+190 g bladder) | Volume: 5 litre

With the brand new Source Hipster Ultra 5L, the Israelis fixed pretty much everything we have criticised about its predecessor. They removed the superfluous harness and added extra storage room, especially in the form of a dedicated tool compartment. All materials are of much better quality and also processed better. Thanks to the completely revised back section, even the climate has improved – more ventilation and no sweat absorption.

As far as workmanship quality goes, the SOURCE Hipster Ultra 5L makes a significantly better impression than its predecessor, the Hipster 1.5L.
The Source Ultra 5L has larger pockets on the hip fins.
Like with the Hipster 1.5L, the two front pockets are made of stretchy mesh.

In addition, the Hipster Ultra offers a lot more storage room than its predecessor – although we question the manufacturer’s specified capacity of 5 litres (i.e. 1.5 liters of water + 3.5 liters of residual volume). While the five-pocket layout is still the same, the three middle pockets are significantly bigger. The mini compartments with Velcro straps are replaced by a zippered compartment on the left and one with an overlapping, free opening on the right. In the middle, there’s a large flap that attaches to the bottom with two hooks. These can be adjusted in length, which means you could attach any type of jacket under the lid.

A jacket or a jersey can be strapped under the adjustable front flap.
The lid hides a flat compartment, i.e. for a mobile phone, and a spacious, well-partitioned tool compartment right underneath it.

The side zipper gives you access to a flat compartment under the lid. This is a good place, albeit unpadded, to store a mobile phone of any size. Underneath there’s a spacious tool compartment with three pockets, a key hook and one more zippered pocket. The square shape of the compartment makes it difficult to store a pump but has enough space to store your tools, small bits and a CO2 cartridge.

If you don’t use the hydration bladder, there’s extra room for all items that don’t fit in the tool compartment. While the Hipster Ultra 5L will fit a pump there, it feels uncomfortable.
SOURCE’s Widepac hydration pack is the best in the entire test field and is also found in the new Hipster Ultra 5L.

The Hipster Ultra inherits the snug and comfortable fit of the Hipster 1.5L – although the older model might still be slightly more comfortable. Because of the stiffer back wall, the updated Hipster pack can’t wrap around the hips as snugly as its predecessor with a full water reservoir. With the bladder only half full, the Hipster Ultra provides the highest level of comfort though. Of course, you can also use the pack without the hydration bladder and utilise the extra room for other items.

Compared to the older version, the padding of the updated version offers significantly better climate with almost the same comfort.
The closure system is identical and tucks the excess straps in the mesh pockets.

However, that would be a shame because the hydration bladder itself, which is the same you get with the older version, is by far the best water reservoir in the entire test field. The smooth, stable side walls are easy to clean through the large opening, the detachable hose is heavily braided and the mouthpiece provides good flow and is easy to use with the smooth twist lock.

Comfort

  1. uncomfortable
  11. unobtrusive

Stability

  1. low
  11. high

Compartment Layout

  1. poor
  11. excellent

Climate

  1. unpleasant
  11. pleasant

Ease of Use

  1. fiddly
  11. straight forward

Price/Performance

  1. poor
  11. very good

Conclusions

The Hipster Ultra 5L is a very good alternative for everyone who appreciates the comfort and stability of the previous Hipster 1.5L, but needs a little more storage room. Because that’s exactly what you’ll get, together with a better climate and overall higher quality. For the sake of comfort, you should avoid filling up the water bladder to the brim though. All in all, a very worthy successor.

Tops

  • Super comfortable
  • Very stable
  • High wearing comfort
  • Good capacity

Flops

  • Reduced comfort with full bladder
  • Slower access to inner compartments

For more information head to sourceoutdoor.com

The test field

Click here for an overview of the best MTB hip pack in test

All hip packs in review: Bedrock Bags Greysill Hip Pack (Click for review) | Bontrager Rapid Pack (Click for review) | CamelBak Podium Flow (Click for review) | CamelBak Repack LR 4 (Click for review) | Dakine Hot Laps 5L (Click for review) | Dakine Hot Laps 2L (Click for review) | Dakine Hot Laps Stealth (Click for review) | Deuter Pulse 3 (Click for review) | Deuter Pulse 2 (Click for review) | EVOC HIP PACK PRO 3l (Click for review) | EVOC HIP PACK RACE 3l (Click for review) | EVOC HIP POUCH 1l (Click for review) | EVOC RACE BELT (Click for review) | High Above Cascadia (Click for review) | High Above Lookout (Click for review) | High Above Das Radpack (Click for review) | ION Hipbag Traze 3 (Click for review) | Leatt Hydration Core 2.0 (Click for review) | Mavic XA 3L Belt (Click for review) | Mavic Crossride Belt (Click for review) | Mavic Deemax Belt (Click for review) | Race Face Rip Strip (Click for review) | SOURCE Hipster 1.5L (Click for review) | SOURCE Hipster Ultra 5L

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Words: Photos: Andreas Maschke, Christoph Bayer

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