Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Gregory Halo > Kelli Wise > Initial Report

Gregory Mountain Products Halo All Terrain Pack - Initial Report May 18, 2004

Personal biographical information
Name: Kelli Wise
Age: 43
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 0" (152 cm)
Torso length: 16.5" (42 cm), as measured with a flexible tape measure per Gregory's fit instructions, available on the manufacturer's web site.
Weight: 135 lb (61 kg)
Email: ciyd@comcast.net
Location: Western Washington, USA
Date: May 18, 2004

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 will be in western Washington, coastal, lowlands, and summer alpine hiking below 6000' (1829 m) with some trips in the arid areas of eastern Washington and Oregon.

Product Information
Manufacturer: Gregory Mountain Products
Manufacturer's web site: www.gregorypacks.com
Model: Halo All Terrain daypack
Size: Extra Small/Small, which accommodates torso lengths of 14.0" to 17.5" (36 cm to 44 cm). The small pack has a volume capacity of 1600 cu in (26 L) and weighs 3 lbs 3 oz (1.4 kg). The pack is also available in a medium/large size which has a volume capacity of 1800 cu in ( L). All measurements are for the XS/SM pack I received.

Listed weight: 3 lbs 3 oz (1.4 kg)
Measured weight: 2 lbs 15.6 oz (1.35 kg)

Listed Volume: 1600 cu in (26 L)
Measured volume*: between 1440 and 1610 cu in (23.6 L and 26.4 L).

* Volume was measured in two ways. The first involved filling the pack and sunglasses pocket with packing peanuts and measuring the volume of peanuts. This yielded the 1440 cu in (23.6 L) number. The second involved filling the pack and sunglasses pocket with packing peanuts and measuring the dimensions of the pack, taking the average of width and thickness and multiplying these two numbers by the height. The pack is 23" (58 cm) tall, 10" (25 cm) wide, and 7" (18 cm) thick, yielding a volume of 1610 cu in (26.4 L). The side pockets were not figured into the volume. The packing peanuts method is probably the least accurate of the two methods. Therefore, I would conclude that the measured volume is closer to the 1610 cu in (26.4 L) number.

Color: Harvest Yellow

Features:
The Gregory Halo All Terrain pack is described as a "technical small capacity pack with lots of features, including our exclusive Exo Frame™ system, and a full zip-down front opening providing complete access to all your gear."

The listed features include:
Auto-Cant™: Adjusts harness angle to eliminate pinching and chafing
All Terrain Harness: Plush, curved harness for a custom fit
Thermoformed Exo-Frame™: Provides superior torsion flexibility for demanding body movements
Chimney Vented Back: Circulates air to keep you cool
Level 1 Waistbelt: Comfort and support with a zippered pocket
Full Front Access: Easy and quick to reach all your gear
Fleece Sunglasses Pocket: With water resistant zipper
Hydration Sleeve and Port: Fits most reservoirs and bite valves
Stretch Nylon Side Pockets: Mesh bottom allows drainage and expansion
Removable and Adjustable Ice Axe Loops: Fits straight and curved shaft tools
Reversible Compression Buckles: Fully reversible buckles to securely carry extra gear

First Impressions:
The Halo arrived in a nondescript corrugated box via UPS. Inside the box was the pack, enclosed in a plastic bag, and a shipping invoice. On the pack was a hang tag from Gregory that described the company's vision, the product features, a pack selection chart, quick fit instructions, instructions for measuring torso length, and how to care for the pack. All of the information was presented in a clear, easy to read format with useful illustrations. I was happy to see that the hangtag was attached to the pack with a small, tied string and not a nylon tie. Removing the hangtag was very easy. There was no packing material in the box, but the pack doesn't look like it would be breakable and I appreciated that Gregory wisely chose to not waste the planet's resources on unnecessary packing material

In choosing the size of pack, I used Gregory's fit instructions and a flexible measuring tape to determine my torso length of 16.5" (42 cm). Gregory provides these instructions on their web site and are easy to follow and much appreciated.

After removing the pack from the plastic bag and reading the hangtag, I got a chance to look over the pack at length. I chose the Harvest Yellow pack and was pleased to see that the color is more like mustard yellow and not a glaring, bright yellow. The pack fabric is mostly black which makes photographing the pack difficult. The photos on the web were nice, but it was difficult to see all of the features clearly. Having the pack in front of me allowed a better view of the zipper opening, side pockets, hydration sleeve and sunglasses pocket.

The construction and materials appear to be top notch. The seams are covered in binding tape. The zippers are all functional and the buckles and belts are all functional.

The hydration sleeve will accommodate a full 96 oz (2.8 L) CamelBak bladder and a full 1 liter (1 qt) Platypus water bottle, which I have fitted with the Platypus Duckbill drinking tube and inserted upside down in the sleeve. The Platypus bite valve is larger than the CamelBak bite valve and fits through the port opening located on the top of the pack. It's a snug fit, but adequate.

The inner zip pocket is 6.5" (16.5 cm) wide and 13" (33 cm) long with a zipper that runs the full length. This pocket is located on the panel flap.

The sunglasses pocket is located on the top of the pack and the zipper opening, a waterproof zipper, runs across the top of the pack. It appears that the pocket is located such that items in the pocket will not be crushed by items in the main body of the pack. The fleece lining looks soft enough to not scratch sunglasses but may attract and hold grit that will. I will be watching for this in the future.

The hip belt pocket is made with a stretch fabric and is 4.25" (10.8 cm) wide and 3.5" (8.9 cm) tall. It is a struggle to get my keys into this pocket, but the fabric will stretch to accommodate them and hold them snug so they don't rattle around.

The side pockets are constructed of the same stretch fabric as the hip belt pocket and are adequate for a 20 oz (.6 L) soda bottle, and a 1 quart (1 L) Nalgene will fit. The 1 L (1 qt) Platypus will also fit. A caveat for both of the 1 liter (1 qt) containers: the bottles fit but more than half of the bottle is above the side pocket and this would make them more prone to falling out of the side pocket. The bottom corner of the pocket is mesh to allow water to drain out. The handles of my trekking poles fit inside the side pockets and the keeper straps hold the shaft of the trekking poles. The side pockets are supposed to have ski-tail pass throughs, but I can't confirm this since I have no idea what they would look like.

The hip belt is lightly padded and tapers from 4" (10 cm) to 6" (15.2 cm) wide. The straps are very long and hang down below mid-thigh when the hip belt is snugged up, an average of 12" (30 cm) per strap. This should allow the hip belt to fit hikers that are not slender. The ends of the straps are tacked back to prevent them from pulling out of the side release buckle. There are also waist belt stabilizer straps. These are also tacked back but did slide out of the ladder locks. The hip belt is in two pieces that are removeable.

The shoulder straps are lightly padded and curved and include load lifters which are attached to the Exo-Frame™. The sternum strap is easily removed and relocated and the side release buckle has a unique latch that looks like it improves the ergonomics. The shoulder straps are attached to the frame at a single point that is designed to allow them to rotate, or Auto-Cant™ as Gregory has named it.

The frame is unique. It is a hard molded plastic with a deep ventilation channel down the center. The shoulder straps, hip belt and lumbar pad are connected directly to this frame. The load lifters are also attached to the Exo-Frame™. The frame is quite rigid.

The Halo is a panel loading pack and the panel is 6.5" (16.5 cm) wide and 18" (45.7 cm) long with two zippers that run the full length of the panel. These zippers are connected via a plastic encased nylon strap so that both zippers open together. There is hook and loop fastener at the top of the panel with an over lapping piece of fabric to keep the rain out. To further ensure that the panel does not open, a side release buckle attaches the panel to the main pack body.

There are two compression straps on each side of the pack that use side release buckles.

One daisy chain runs the length of the panel and there is a separate piece of rubberized material that covers the lowest daisy chain and has slots so that the daisy chain can be used. I'm not sure of the purpose of this feature but it may be a reinforcement of some kind.

The ice axe loops are removable and adjustable. It appears as though they could be removed and a longer piece of nylon webbing used in place as a means of lashing on a sleeping pad. This would be nice if the pack were used for an overnight backpack trip or just to bring a pad for sitting on when spending a day at the crags.

Front view of the Halo. The Panel is partially open

Rear view of the Halo

Side view

Interior view with panel open

Detail view of the Auto-Cant harness

My first use of the pack consisted of taking the pack out for a short hike one evening. I had just come back from 2 days of backpacking and wanted to stretch my legs but did not want to carry a big load. The load was light, but bulky and I used a 1liter (1 qt) Platypus with a drinking hose in the hydration sleeve. The zipper handle, for lack of a better term for it, seems a bit awkward but does work. I'm not sure that I particularly like that feature. The panel opens wide enough to get a medium sized stuff sack filled with soft items into the pack. The zipper, hook and loop, and side release buckle triple redundant system seems a bit of overkill to keep the panel closed, but it may prove valuable when a lot of heavy climbing gear is crammed into the pack. The volume of the pack is not huge, which is what I am looking for in a daypack. Too much room begs me to fill it with unnecessary stuff. I'll know better after a few trips whether the capacity is right for me.

I put the pack on and adjusted all of the straps. After getting all of the adjustments made, I headed out for a quick 2 mile (3.2 km) hike on a coastal forest trail. The first thing I noticed was how differently this pack rode compared to other daypacks I've used. The lumbar pad was very noticeable at first, but not uncomfortable. The frame was very stiff. The weight rode on my hips and didn't bounce around. When I turned, the pack followed my hips, not my shoulders. The shoulder harness felt pretty good, not too wide.

A 2 mile (3.2 km) hike is certainly not enough to evaluate the pack, but it did give me some areas that I will be watching for as I dayhike this year.

Test Plan
I am blessed to live with 2 hours of 2 national parks, a national monument, several national forests and a dozen state parks with miles of hiking trails. I'm not always blessed with an abundance of time for multi-day backpacking trips, so I do a lot of dayhiking on weekends. The environments in these locations include: temperate rainforests, coastal lowland forests, desert-like conditions with little or no shade, and alpine meadows. I also hike in a local state forest several times a week for conditioning and will be taking the Halo out with me.

Specific features I will be testing include:
The Halo was not designed specifically for women so I will be testing the AutooCant™ shoulder harness system for its ability to adjust to accommodate a woman's narrower shoulders. Does this harness system do away with the need for specially designed, higher priced women specific backpacks?

I will be checking to see how well the pack ventilates and transfers loads between the shoulder straps and the hip belt. Will it restrict my movement? Will the suspension system keep the load stable when I'm trail running? Will it prevent bounce and sway?

Will the compression straps allow for a stable, comfortable hike with a very small load?

Will the double front zipper access prove to be a convenient way to retrieve items from the pack or will it dump the pack contents on the ground?

Will the Halo's fleece lined sunglasses pocket protect my sunglasses from bumps and bangs as well as scratches?

What hydration units is this pack compatible with? What capacity of reservoir will it hold?

Can I adjust the shoulder harness to fit my torso length? How easy is it to make the adjustment?

How much wear will the pack show after 6 months of use?

Is the pack material waterproof enough for typical summer rainstorms?

Is 1600 cu in (26 L) large enough for all of my dayhiking gear? Is there room for photo equipment?

I don't have any climbing trips planned for the summer, but I will put my climbing rack in the pack and lash my rope to the pack to see if everything fits and to see how well the Halo carries a heavy load.

How much weight will the Halo carry comfortably?

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Gregory Mountain Products and Backpack Gear Test for the opportunity to test this pack.

Reviews > Packs > Frameless Backpacks and Day Packs > Gregory Halo > Kelli Wise > Initial Report