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Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Gregory Halo > Kelli Wise > Field ReportGregory Mountain Products Halo All Terrain Pack - Field Report July 20, 2004 Personal biographical information Backpacking background: I've been car camping and dayhiking for 20 years and sport climbing for 10 years, and have begun backpacking over the last year. My backpacking style is lightweight but not ultralight. I am striving for a suitable compromise between safety and comfort. The majority of my hiking experience is in Western Washington. Field information: Most of my dayhiking for the Field Report has been in western Washington, forested lowlands and mountain hiking below 5000’ (1524 m). Product Information Listed weight: 3 lbs 3 oz (1.4 kg) Color: Harvest Yellow Features: The listed features include:
Field Report: During the summer months, there is also ample rock to climb - sandstone slabs at Peshastin Pinnacles, basalt columns of the Columbia River gorge, Exit 38, Leavenworth. The sport climbing possibilities seem nearly endless. Heading out for an afternoon of climbing with a couple of friends requires a rope, rack, slings, lunch, and a pack rugged enough to carry a heavy load. After 8 years of use, my trusty, old daypack has reached the end of its useful life and I was searching for a replacement when the opportunity to test the Gregory Halo Technical Daypack came my way. The things that I was looking for: a real suspension system that takes most of the load off my shoulders, pockets for water bottles or hydration bladder compatibility, a pocket to store my car keys and Driver’s License, total volume of about 1600 cu in (26 L), and lightweight. I also wanted a daypack that is rugged enough to hold my modest climbing rack. Climbing gear is very dense and many of the pieces of protection have sharp, pointy metal bits that will tear thin fabrics apart. What I was looking for is commonly called a “technical daypack.” The Gregory Halo seemed to meet most of the items on my wish list. The advertised weight was a little heavier than I originally wanted and I was concerned that I would be unhappy with a 2 lb 15.6 oz (1.35 kg) daypack, but the Halo had all of the other features I was looking for in a pack. In the Initial Report, I only had the opportunity to take the pack out for one quick hike with a fairly light load. In the past two months, I have used the Gregory Halo on at least 8 hikes with a variety of loads. I am happy to say that I am very pleased with the pack. My first two hikes were at a local state park with moderate ups and downs, all forested and a well groomed trail. I loaded the pack up with my normal dayhiking gear: 10 essentials, snack, and a full 70 oz (2 L) CamelBak water bladder. I also carry hiking poles when hiking this trail primarily as protection against dogs and to push stinging nettle out of the way. For these two hikes, I carried one of the poles in the side pocket, strapped into place with the hook-and-loop keeper straps. I use two section hiking poles, which do not collapse as small as three section poles, but the extra length did not snag the brush or get in the way. My total pack weight for these two hikes was 10 lbs (4.5 kg) and 12 lbs (5.4 kg), and the hike lengths were 3 miles (4.8 km) and 4 miles (6.4 km), respectively. My next trip with the pack was a 6 mile (9.7 km) dayhike carrying 15 lbs (6.8 kg). Total elevation gain for this hike was less than 1000’ (305 m), so it was a pretty easy dayhike. In my pack were my normal dayhike gear consisting of the 10 essentials, lunch, a closed cell sit pad, an extra jacket brought because the weather looked dicey, and the full 70 oz (2 L) Camelbak bladder. There were a couple of blow downs on the trail one of which could be climbed over but the other necessitated scrambling around it. The Halo did not get in the way of getting by these obstacles. I had both of my hiking partners try the pack on so that I could see how the Auto-Cant harness would adjust to their bodies. Both of my hiking partners were women. One is 5’ 8” (1.7 m) tall with broad shoulders and the other is 5’ 4” (1.6 m) tall with narrow shoulders. Both women commented that the pack felt lighter while worn and that the shoulder straps did not pinch or pull anywhere. I looked closely at the Auto-Cant system for each wearer and the shoulder straps did rotate sufficiently to accommodate both of my friends. The fourth trip with the pack was a 4 mile dayhike at a local ski area carrying 10 lbs. Total elevation gain for this hike was less than 1000’ (305 m). Much of the hike was in alpine meadows and the day was quite warm. The chimney vented back and the Exo-Frame did help allow some air to flow between the pack and my back, but I was still pretty sweaty at the end of the day. The padding on the back of the pack does absorb some of the sweat and I’m not sure if this is good or bad. The advantage is that it absorbs some of the sweat off of my back but the disadvantage is that it would also absorb rain, making the pack heavier. After these first 4 trips, I was extremely pleased with how the Gregory Halo carried a 10 to 15 lb (4.5 to 6.8 kg) load. After lifting the pack on and adjusting the hip belt, shoulder straps, load lifters and stabilizers, the Halo felt much lighter on my back than it did when lifting it into place. For an extremely light load such as the one I used on my initial hike, 5 lbs (2.3 kg), the Halo frame feels stiff - almost like I’m wearing a back brace. At 10 to 15 lbs (4.5 to 6.8 kg), the Exo-Frame and Auto-Cant harness work to make the pack feel like a part of my body. The pack moves with me but the suspension is stiff enough that the load doesn’t sway or sag throwing me off balance. With all of the adjustability at my disposal, I purposely adjusted the pack to shift the load from my hips to my shoulders and back again. For long hikes, this is a great feature since it allows me to give my hips or shoulders a break. One bad habit that the Halo has broken me from is wearing my pack too low on my hips. With its prominent lumbar pad, the Halo will not allow me to wear it too low. One of the other testers commented on his experience when loading the pack to its 25 lbs (11.3 kg) limit. I was curious to see how the Gregory Halo would handle a heavy load, so I dragged my climbing gear out of the closet and loaded up the pack. See Photo for how the load packs. In the pack, I placed my rope, in a rope bag, a stuff sack with my protection (hexes, cams, and the like), another stuff sack with slings and carabiners, a stuff sack with my first aid kit, a full water bladder, my sunglasses in the sunglass pouch, and a digital camera on the hip belt. Total weight of the pack, water, and climbing gear was 28 lbs (12.7 kg). This is a pretty modest climbing rack and I would normally add lunch and a small sit pad. The next time I hiked without the camera and first aid kit which brought the pack weight to 25 lbs (11.3 kg). For both hikes, I again headed to one of the local state parks and hiked 2 to 4 miles (3.2 to 6.4 km).
The heavier load caused the shoulder straps to pull against my shoulders and I had to tighten the sternum strap a bit to counteract this. The pack did not carry as well with the heavier load and the stability suffered some but, I hate to admit this, it actually was as comfortable as my backpack is when loaded with 28 lbs (12.7 kg) of gear. The hip belt, however, could use a bit more padding for a load this heavy. This is a very dense load and everything fit inside the 1600 cu in (26 L) pack without anything being lashed to the outside of the pack. After an hour of hiking, neither my shoulders nor hips were sore. At no time could I feel any of the climbing gear poking me in the back. On one of my hikes, I did trip and fall, landing on my side and the side of the Halo. A thorough inspection of the pack afterwards yielded nothing but some dirt and a scuff mark on the ripstop nylon. All of the seams and fabric remained undamaged. The sunglasses pocket has provided quite a bit of protection for my sunglasses even when the pack was filled to capacity. The pocket fabric has enough tension to prevent the load in the main pack body from intruding into its space. The compression straps are in the correct location to cinch the load down tight and keep it stable. The load lifter straps are noticeably effective in pulling the load closer to my back. So what don’t I like about the pack? The biggest downside has been access of the hydration bladder when the pack is full. If I want to refill the bladder, I have to partially unpack the pack to slide the full water bladder back into the hydration sleeve. The next issue is with the dual zipper pull. There is a plastic encased nylon strap that connects both zippers so that both zippers open and close together. With the pack body stuffed full, I find it difficult to sometimes get the panel zipped closed. I have to fiddle with the zippers, sliding one up a bit, then the other, back and forth until the panel is zipped shut. In use, I haven’t found a really good advantage of this arrangement except in speed when the pack is not completely filled. I also like a panel loading pack for dayhiking. I can access just the item I want without emptying the pack completely. However, the panel on the Gregory Halo is awfully narrow and loading large items into the pack body can be difficult. My climbing rope in its rope bag is a good example of an item that has to be fiddled with to load. A sit pad is also difficult to get into the pack with such a small opening. The hip belt pocket is really too small for much more than a lip balm or a single car key. The hip belt padding is more than adequate for a moderate load but at 28 lbs (12.7 kg), I don’t think it would be enough to protect my hip bones during an extended hike. Over the next few months, the Gregory Halo will see a lot more trail miles as I have several dayhikes planned. I will be taking note of the durability of the pack, its comfort in hot weather, and its comfort during long, steep hikes. Summary:
Cons:
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Gregory Mountain Products and Backpack Gear Test for the opportunity to test this pack.
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