The box showed up looking more like a shoe delivery than a hiking pack, a plain kraft box with the Water Buffalo bull logo stamped on top and “Sherpa 22L Hydration Backpack” printed underneath. No wasted plastic, no oversized packaging. Just a snug box that told us the pack inside wasn’t rattling around during shipping.
What Is Actually in the Box
Cracking the lid, the Sherpa 22L was vacuum sealed tight in a clear poly bag with the Water Buffalo hang tag still attached, the kind of factory fresh presentation that makes you trust the brand a little more before you have even touched the fabric. I picked up the Canopy colorway, a muted olive green that photographs darker than it looks in hand.
No loose parts to lose track of here. It is just the pack itself with the 2L hydration bladder already tucked into its sleeve, hose coiled and clipped through the shoulder strap. Simple.
First Feel Coming Out of the Bag
Pulling it out of the plastic, the first thing you notice is the fabric. The 150D ripstop and 420D jacquard nylon combo has that slightly stiff, brand new hand feel that softens up after a few wears, but it does not feel thin or flimsy in the meantime. The stitching around the shoulder straps and the compression webbing on the front looked clean, no loose threads pulling at the seams.
The bungee lacing across the front pocket is a nice touch. It is the kind of detail that seems small until you are trying to strap a wet rain jacket to the outside of your pack three miles in. The reflective strips on the front pocket also stood out right away, a genuinely useful add for anyone doing early morning or dusk starts on trail.
I have not put this on a real trail yet, but the early read is promising. It feels like a pack built by people who actually hike, not just a generic bag with a bladder stuffed inside. The next test is getting it dirty, loaded up, and out on something like the Lone Star Trail to see how the straps hold up over real miles and how that bladder performs once it has been refilled a few times.
Full trail review coming soon. For now, watch the unboxing above.
