Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > GVP G4 Pack > Owner Review by Dennis Shubitowski

Owner Review - GVP Gear G4 Backpack

Report Outline

    Personal Information
    Product Information
    Initial Impressions
    Field Use
    Conclusions

Personal Information <back to top>

Born, raised, and currently live in Michigan. I have been camping with family since I was a young tot (and probably before that) along with scouting activities. I have been backpacking since the early 1990s and have gotten out much more over the last two years as life has settled down. I also hunt, geocache, horseback ride, ski, orienteer, and canoe. I backpack in every season - rain, snow, or shine. My hiking philosophy is definitely slid somewhere between ultra- and lightweight backpacking over the past couple years from my "backbreaker" days. This includes a homemade tarptent shelter (although those hammocks are starting to look inviting!), a frameless backpack, homemade alcohol and Esbit stoves, and cooking in a WalMart grease pot.

Product Information <back to top>

Initial Impressions <back to top>

I ordered one stock size large pack online on July 26, 2002 through the GVP Gear website and payed via PayPal. At the time I placed my order, Glen (the owner) was unavailable and would not return until July 31. Upon his return, I received an e-mail from him stating that he did not have any size large packs as the shipment never arrived but asked that I take a medium as there is very little difference between them. I replied that it would be fine, and three days later I received one large G4 pack via express USPS mail! Glen was able to dig one up for me, which quite pleased me because I have a long torso at around 21" (53 cm) and was concerned about the fit of a medium pack.

The USPS box was incredibly light and contained the pack, a section of closed-cell foam if I desired to cut out the forms for the hip belt and shoulder straps instead of using clothing, several pages of instructions most of which are reprinted from the information on the GVP Gear website, the sales slip, and a short religious pamphlet. The pack was much larger than I had been expecting volume-wise for an advertised sub 14 oz (400 g) backpack. The pack is constructed with excellent craftsmanship with even, professional stitching. I did not notice any flaws in the fabrics or missed stitches. From the GVP Gear website: "The back and bottom are constructed of polyurethane-coated 200 denier nylon oxford for strength and abrasion resistance. The rest of the pack is constructed of polyurethane-coated 70 denier 2.2 oz. (62 g) ripstop nylon. Shoulder straps are 3.5 in (8.9 cm) "hollow" oxford to allow insertion of socks or foam for padding. Waistbelt is 1.5 in (3.8 cm) webbing with "hollow" oxford sides to add gloves/socks or foam for padding. Back is set up for six to eight sections of Z-Rest pad that is the standard 20 in (51 cm) width." Claimed capacities are 3100 cu in (51 L) for the main pack body, 600 cu in (10 L) for the extension collar, and 900 cu in (15 L) for the external mesh pockets. I have not measured the claimed capacities but they appear to be accurate.

I will use this pack with the 8-section Z Rest as the back support; eight sections of Z Rest is about the same length as a standard 3/4 length sleeping pad. Since I also use the homemade version of Henry Shires' TarpTent, I will use the 18" (46 cm) tarp pole sections within the folds of the Z Rest to act as "stays." The rear pole is one section of 18" (46 cm), and the front pole is two 18" (46 cm) sections shock-corded together. I also cut out the closed-cell foam patterns to insert into the hip belt and shoulder straps instead of using clothing items. I loaded the pack as recommended with most of what I would be taking for my next trip (see the Field Use) for initial impressions. The pack was lined with a trash compactor bag, a The North Face Cornice 3D 20º F (-7º C) sleeping bag in the bottom, clothing on top, food bag with 3 lb (1.4 kg) of food, and cooking gear all went into the pack in that order. The pack can then be closed in two ways - either by a roll top/wet bag type enclosure with hook and loop flaps or by an elastic band that can be cinched like a stuff sack and hooked to the bottom of the pack. It was definitely not clear to me how the second type of enclosure would work, so I used the roll-top method. In the main, outside rear pocket went the homemade TarpTent, stakes, and ground cloth with room to spare. A Camelbak 70 oz (2 L) Unbottle went into the one side pocket and essential personal items in a silnylon stuff sack and miscellaneous ZipLoc bags went into the other side pocket. Finally, the 8-section Z Rest with tarp poles was inserted into the mesh pockets on the back of the pack to provide support. Total weight was about 20 lb (9 kg) according to my bathroom scale. The pack looked "full," clean, and neat with the roll top enclosure. I tried the elastic band enclosure method, but the top of the bag did not close completely and hooking onto the bottom loop did not seem very secure. This method is recommended for quick and easy access to the pack, but when the pack is on my back there in no quick access unless by a member in the hiking group. Even then, essential items would be kept in the large mesh pockets on the sides, and "unrolling" the roll top is not a huge hassle. I do not see myself using this feature to close the pack.

The pack is easy to lift with the hoist strap and everything felt sturdy although not so sturdy that I would treat this pack roughly. In general, I am very easy on equipment and will not have a problem "babying" this pack as is recommended. The pack goes on easily and was unbelievably comfortable. The hip belt closed directly over my hips and the pack hugs my back very nicely but not overly tight. On initial feel, I am glad I cut the foam inserts as I do not think I would be as comfortable with socks and other clothing in place of these inserts. I had room to tip my head back. I am not concerned with my measured pack weight at almost 16 oz (450 g) being over the specified 14 oz (400 g) weight. I did not cut down any straps or remove extraneous loops as is recommended in the instructions nor use clothing for padding. Good enough for me right now - I will take this pack out for a three day trip in a little over a week.

Field Use <back to top>

Hoist Lakes Foot Travel Area in northeastern lower Michigan is comprised of over 10,000 acres (40 km²) and over 20 miles (32 km) of hiking trails in Huron-Manistee National Forest. The area is comprised of numerous pothole lakes, meadows, marshes, maple, birch, aspen, and pine forests that are actively logged. The terrain is not exceptionally difficult (nothing over 1979 ft (603 m) in Michigan), but there are some difficult sections of trail as rated for cross country skiers. My trip was three days and two nights over the weekend of August 16-18, 2002. Total weight of everything carried for this trip was about 20 lb (9 kg) as listed above.

I carried the G4 fully loaded to hike in to base camp destination which was about a 2.5 miles (4 km) walk. This was my first extended walk with the G4 and I fidgeted with it quite a bit initially to get the proper feel. The first thing I noticed is that I will probably add a sternum strap to this pack and would recommend it as an option if you do not want to sew it on yourself. After final adjustments my initial feelings from inspection still held true and I found this pack to carry exceptionally well and be very comfortable. I did find myself using the thumb loops on the shoulder straps as I do not currently hike with trekking poles; this may have been because of the absence of a sternum strap but it was not a big deal at all. The pack did not bounce or feel off center and carried hugged to my back as I expected.

For the remaining weekend we would do long day hikes and leave our base camp set up at our current location. This brought up my first dilemma with the G4 pack. I realized that this pack is made to be carried full and is not conducive to be a day hiking pack. The bottom of the pack must be occupied by the sleeping bag or quilt to provide lift to get the center of gravity up instead of riding down by the hips in order to be comfortable. So for day hiking, I loaded the pack in order with my sleeping bag, extra clothing, set my Unbottle along the back on the inside vertically, and set my water filter on top of the clothing. The 8-section Z rest went into the mesh back pockets without the tarp poles as the tarp was set up. Personal items, essentials and food to be consumed went into the various mesh outside pockets and the pack was closed with the roll top enclosure. I immediately noticed that the pack feels different when not packed full, but since I used my sleeping bag the center of gravity still felt fine. I did not feel the presence or absence of the tarp poles made much of a difference in the suspension at this weight. The pack was carried with this load for a day hike of probably around 10 miles (16 km). This was more weight than I would normally carry for a day hike but was necessary because of the configuration of the G4. I was still very pleased with how the pack carried with what I would estimate to be around 13-15 lb (6-7 kg). I especially liked the fact that the 8-section Z Rest is easily removed to use as a seating pad or to stretch out and take a nap by a lake as I did. I normally would not take my pad on a day hike but this turned out to be an unexpected pleasure. I was quite careful when removing and reshouldering the pack because of the lighter materials used in construction, but this was not a negative for the pack in my opinion. The pack was carried fully loaded back out to the trailhead at the end of weekend and I found I have grown increasingly comfortable with how the pack carries on my back.

Conclusions <back to top>

The craftsmanship on the pack is excellent. The pack is well described on the GVP Gear website with full documentation and Glen was prompt and courteous with his correspondence. The instructions are quite detailed on the website so I recommend careful reading of them if you are considering purchasing this pack. I would add a sternum strap to the pack, and I would include slightly more detailed instructions on using the elastic band enclosure as it is still not totally clear to me. The hook and loop enclosure for the roll top could be either longer or placed slightly lower on the pack - I found the top being held with often only a few millimeters of hook and loop but it did not give or pop open. I do not think I will have any problems with long term use with this pack as long as it is not treated roughly.

Be certain that you are comfortable sleeping on a short sectioned Z Rest as it is pretty integral to this pack. It would also be possible to use a 6-section Z Rest and carry a normal sleep pad or to simply fold the sleep pad into the mesh pockets on the back if it will fit. Carrying a second sleep pad somewhat defeats the purpose of this pack. When I included my Unbottle inside the pack, I ran the hose along with the roll top and out the side which worked reasonably well. An option might be for a button hole in the back of the pack for a hydration hose to run through although I would not want that option for my pack. This pack also functions best when fully loaded. This is an ideal pack for a distance hike with resupplies or a point-to-point hike instead of a basecamp-type hike. If I use this pack again for the type of hike as outline in the field report, I will probably carry a day pack in with me to use for the day hikes. The weight would not be all that much extra and would be the size of pack for what I would normally carry on a day hike. I am very pleased with this pack and recommend it without reservations for the person who is aware of the limitations of this type of pack. The pack will become my choice three season backpack replacing my much heavier, larger, and older Osprey internal frame pack.

Update <back to top>

February 2004:

My backpacking style has continued to evolve since first purchasing this pack. I have found the G4 fits a niche in my backpacking style but I no longer use it as my main pack. When I carry my homemade tarptent and use the aluminum poles as "stays" in between the sheets of my sleeping pad, the pack carries wonderfully. Since this report was written, my shelters of choice now include simple tarps and hammocks in addition to the tarptent. These shelters do not require the aluminum poles (but trekking poles instead), and I have carried the G4 without the stays when using these shelters. I find that my shoulders really suffer at weights around 20 to 25 lb (9 to 11 kg) - it is just plain uncomfortable. My shoulders take the brunt of the weight and there are no load lifters or adjusters to move weight back and forth between my hips and shoulders to ease the load back and forth. As pack weight moves closer to 15 lb (7 kg), the G4 again carries much better and more comfortably like it does when the "stays" are used. For most of my hiking, I have found my pack weight stabilizing around 22 lb (10 kg) from the skin out (including food and water). This puts the G4 a little out of range for a comfortable carry and I now use others packs. When my intent is to go as minimal a possible (which I still do on a number of hikes), I continue to carry the G4 simply because the weight to comfort factor is not matched in any other pack I own (it is easily over 1.5 lb (700 g) lighter than my next lightest pack). Also, the pack still continues to look as new as it did when purchased (well, except for a sap stain here or there), and there are no quality issues whatsoever with the construction.

Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > GVP G4 Pack > Owner Review by Dennis Shubitowski