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Long Term Report - Gregory Halo
November 11, 2004
Name: David Sowards-Emmerd
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 8'' (1.73 m)
Weight: 155 lb (70 kg)
Email Address: drunken_marmotATyahooDOTcom
Los Altos, California, USA
Date: November 11, 2004
Backpacking Background:
I began backpacking semi-frequently about four years ago, soon
after moving to California. I generally take weekend (1 night)
trips, and occasionally take 3-4 day trips. Most of my
backpacking experience is at moderate altitude, 6,000'-12,000'
(1,800-3,650 m), in conditions ranging from dry desert to hail/heavy
snow in the mountains. In winter and spring I split time between
Southern California (SoCal) deserts and snowshoeing/skiing/snowcamping in
the Sierra/Cascades. Summer and fall I tend to stick to the high country.
I have reduced my packweight down to less than 50 lb (23 kg) over
the past year - including food/water and a bear barrel. I'm trying to
include more mountaineering, climbing and bouldering in my trips.
Product Specifications:
Manufacturer: Gregory Mountain Products
www.gregorypacks.com
Model: Halo
Model year: 2004
Size: Small/X-small
Color: Harvest Yellow
MSRP: $129
Manufacturer's Specifications:
Volume: 1600 cubic inches / 26 l
Weight: 3 lb 3 oz / 1.4 kg
As measured by tester:
Weight: 3.0 lb / 1.36 kg
Product Description:
The Gregory Halo is a front-access technical daypack with a
framesheet and removeable waistbelt. For a detailed description
of the pack, see my Initial Report.
Field Use:
For a detailed description of use of the Halo during the initial field testing
period, see my Field Report
More Field Use:
During the long term reporting period, I used the Halo another two dozen
plus times for commuting to work, carried it up Black Mountain a few
more times, carried it on a few local geocaching trips with my wife in the
Santa Cruz mountains (CA), and for some dayhikes in the Eastern Sierra near
Bishop, CA. Three other trips are described in more detail below:
July 25, 2004
Location: Castle Rock State Park, CA
I carried snacks, water, a comfortable harness, assorted climbing gear,
shoes etc. in the morning for roped climbing. Then in the afternoon, I
carried a bit less gear in the Halo and additionally carried two crash
pads for some bouldering.
Unfortunately, the bouldering pads were more awkward to carry by hand
than the Halo was, so it didn't see any more climbing use since all my
other climbing trips this summer and fall were focused on bouldering.
August 12-15, 2004
Location: Phoenix, AZ to Las Vegas, NV road trip
On this trip, I just used the Halo to carry around a laptop, MP3 jukebox,
GPS, guidebooks, camera and snacks. The first thing that I notice is that
a panel access daypack is far from ideal for carrying a laptop. Getting
the laptop out was not too much of a chore, but repacking it was
a real pain when the pack was nearly full. The standard top
zip pack access works much better in my opinion. The hydration pocket
was convenient for maps and papers, but not always easy to get to
when the laptop was not positioned just right.
November 6, 2004
Location: Tioga Road and Tuolomne Grove, Yosemite National Park, CA
As a warmup in the morning, I headed in to Tuolomne Grove, hoping for
lots of snow. I ended up skiing for a little less than 200 yds / 180 m
and had to carry the skis the rest of the hike. The Halo does not have
pass-through side pockets (as suggested by mfg) but the two side
compression straps kept the skis relatively stable. I removed the two
ice axe hook and loop fasteners from the Halo and connected them
together (one alone was not long enough to wrap around the skis) and
used this to hold the ski tips together. This worked pretty well for
the rest of the hike.
After that, I skied in to Gin Flat along an old dirt road, frequently
taking off skis due to snow melt. The pack was very comfortable for
skiing and I did not have any balance problems with it (this was my
first ski trip of the season). The Halo is just the right size for
me for backcountry skiing daypack, so long as I do not need to carry
a shovel. Shovel blades obviously conflict with the panel access,
whether strapped to the outside of the pack or just inside the front
of the pack.
Wear and Tear:
- The bottom of the pack is starting to show signs of wear but there
aren't any holes visible yet.
- The cord connecting the panel access zippers is worn through the
sheath. Turns out it is core/sheath cord so it is still fully
functional, although I'll be removing it when done testing so that
I can open just one side of the panel.
Other Observations:
I figured out what the hole in the side stretch pocket is for - it allows
the lower side compression straps to be connected inside the pocket. This
makes putting water bottles and other things into the side pockets much
easier. The down side is that it is more difficult to snug up the compression
straps inside the pockets than over the pockets. Below, are photos showing
these configurations.
Several of my trips biking to work involved a bit of rain. Overall, the
Halo did a decent job of keeping its contents dry, but anything near the
seams, especially near the bottom of the pack, tended to get wet. On
one trip, the pants I was bringing in to work which were in the bottom
of the pack got pretty well soaked.
Summary:
Overall, I've been happy with the Halo. It is a very versatile
pack that carries a moderate load well, although it is a bit on
the heavy side. My likes and dislikes have not changed from those
noted in my Field Report.
Future Use:
The Halo will still remain in my arsenal of daypacks for loads
under 20 lb / 9 kg. It will
definitely see more use as a ski daypack. In addition to the
standard strap trimming modifications, I will also be removing
the cord connecting the panel access zippers with two individual
pull cords and I'll be removing the buckle at the top of the
daisy chain.
Read more reviews of Gregory gear
Read more gear reviews by David Sowards-Emmerd
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