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GREGORY POW
| Owner Review |
April 10, 2004
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Personal Biographical Information
Name:
Michael Herman
Age: 20
Gender:
Male
Height:
5' 11'' (1.8 m)
Weight:
195 lb (89 kg)
Email: Backpackman (at) mailbolt (dot) com
Location:
Northwest, Indiana
Backpacking
Background
I stated camping with my family in the car and the RV when I was real young. I did a lot of camping with the Boy Scouts and then did my first
backpacking trip (three days) with my dad when I as 13. From then on I took a
backpacking trip once a year until high school where I started going more often.
Now in college I do many outdoor activities with the outing club. I backpack
often as well as other activities such as caving, adventure racing, kayaking and
climbing; however, backpacking is my primary activity.
My backpacking style is packing light
but not ultralight (yet); however, I do not skimp on eating well. I continually
want to find ways to get better meals on the trail while not adding much weight.
I also don't want to shortchange myself with low living conditions just to save
a couple of ounces (grams); I want to find other ways to reduce weight while
staying comfortable.
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Product Information
Product: Pow
Manufacture:
Gregory
Year of
Manufacturer: 2003
URL:
http://www.gregorypacks.com/
Listed Weight: 2 lb 9 oz (1.2 kg)
Measured Weight: 2 lb 9 oz (1.2 kg)
Capacity: 1900 cubic inches (31 L)
Description: A day pack with plenty of room and lumbar support, 8 pockets
and hydration sleeve.
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Product Review
First Impressions
I was initially impressed by the pack. It had plenty of
room for my school books and for day hikes, as well as plenty of pockets to
organize my stuff into. It did not have a water bottle holder; however, I was
able to fit a standard 1 qt ( 1 L) Nalgene (not very securely though) into one
of the side pockets, I liked this because I don't carry around a hydration
bladder with me all the time. Testing Conditions
I have tested this pack in many conditions. The
temperatures ranged from 15 to 90 F (-9.5 to 32 C). It has been in heavy
rainstorms as well as snow. I use the pack for school, travel and day hikes.
Field Test
I have used this pack on a daily basis to carry
around my textbooks. I have also used it to travel and on day hikes. When at
school I am usually carrying 10 to 15 lbs (4.5 to 6.8 kg). I am able to use the
lumbar support to take the weight off my back. The lumbar support consists of a
stiff curved and lightly padded back that fits in the lumbar spine. There is
also a hip belt which is simply a piece of fabric that helps put weight on your
hips when the hip belt is clipped and tightened. The main compartment of the bag
is very deep; therefore, the space between the back and the front isn't much. I
have found this helpful in keeping weight close to my back; however, I am unable
to put many textbooks in the pack along with my notebooks without stacking them.
On the trail and while traveling this doesn't seem to be a problem with me
because I like to put things on top of each other to keep the weight closer to
my back. I cannot do this with my books without making it hard to get to certain
books. Since the pack is a bit taller than normal day packs when on the airplane
it doesn't completely fit under the seat; however, I still put it there and have
had no complaints about it.
This pack has been on a handful of day hikes. On day hikes I carry lunch, water,
some first aid supplies and extra layers as well as a few other small things.
The weight of the pack is between 5 and 10 lbs (2.3 and 4.5 kg). I like to carry
a water bladder with a bite valve to drink from. This pack has an insulated
sleeve for the bladder. I use a 2 qt (2 L) Platypus.
The sleeve is large enough to easily insert and
remove the bladder (I believe the sleeve is large enough to most likely hold two
2 quart/liter bladders). The sleeve is insulated which I have found to work
nicely on hot days. On the left side of the pack when I am wearing the pack
there is a slot that is supposed to allow the hose to be put through from the
bladder.
I have found the slot to be too small and tight to
fit my bite valve (standard bite valve on a platypus) through this hole. This is
because they have the hole covered with another piece of fabric to keep it water
resistant. The main compartment has two zippers so I put the hose through the
top and zip it up to the hose from both sides. The shoulder straps do not have
any place designed to attach the hose to except the sternum adjustment strap. My
hose has a clip on it that I can attach to this, otherwise it would be difficult
to attach. When I carry a water bottle instead of a bladder, I put the Nalgene
in the side pocket of the bag. This does not securely hold the bottle in (it has
fallen out on me a couple times) because the pocket is too short and there is no
strap to hold the top of the water bottle. I am able to remove the bottle from
this pocket with no effort while walking, but I have to use both hands to put
the bottle back into the pocket.
This pack features 8 pockets plus the main
compartment. Just inside the main compartment there is a pocket great for
keeping things in for easy access. The front pocket has a mesh divider inside of
it that helps keep items organized. The remaining pockets in the pack are
relatively small and cannot fit much in. If these pockets are filled then they
will bulge on the inside of the pack taking space up elsewhere. The pockets on
the hip belt do not have much space and items in these pockets poke me in the
hips. Overall, 6 of the pockets allow organization for
small items; however, they do not add much room to the pack.
This pack has seen a good deal of rain. It is
waterproofed on the inside and this has kept my books and gear dry in the
heaviest downpours. The main compartment, front pocket and side pocket zippers
are lined on the outside with a water proof material; however, this has been
peeling off in places the zippers are often used. This has allowed small leaks
when it rains. The other pockets are protected by the backpack's fabric covering
them. These zippers aren't completely waterproof when it rains but they are
nearly waterproof.
The back of the pack is stiff, curved and padded
lightly to fit the lumbar spine. The hip straps are triangular shaped fabrics
that help the load sit on the hips. I find these straps combined with the back
support to be effective with loads up to 15 lbs. (6.8 kg). The shoulder straps
are adjusted on the back. This is a very hard thing to do and small hands are
helpful; however, they do not make it easy. They are adjusted by putting my hand
up the back panel where it is tight and pulling a pad from Velcro and moving it.
This is a hard process and most likely not practical to change often (like if
the pack is used by more than one person). The back seems to let air in nicely
and does not make my back sweat. The compression straps on both sides help
compress the pack a bit; however, they only go across the side of the pack once
so they only compress the middle. The sternum strap used a clip system where to
adjust it I unclip them and move them to a different spot and clip them back. On
a couple of occasions these clips have come undone on me and were almost lost.
This does not happen often enough with me to be a large problem, but a problem
nonetheless. Also there are only three different spots to clip them to so fine
adjusting it is impossible.
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Summary
Overall impression
This pack has some nice features; however, some of the
features don't work as well. The slot in the side of the pack for the water
bladder hose is too small and the pockets are rather small. I would prefer fewer
pockets with more room in each; however, if someone likes many small pockets
this could be great for them. I like the support that this pack gives me and
keeps the weight off my back. The pack seems to be able to keep most weight off
my back up to 25 lbs (11.3 kg). The pack has always kept my stuff dry; however,
the waterproof material on the zippers has worn off a bit allowing small amounts
of water to leak in if the bag is exposed to rain for extended periods.
Things I like:
·The pack can keep the weight off my shoulders.
·Large water pocket for easy access.
Things I don't like:
·Slot for water bladder hose is too small.
·All but two of the pockets are small.
·No pocket designed as a bottle holder.
·Really hard to adjust shoulder straps.
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Read more reviews of Gregory gear
Read more gear reviews by Michael Herman
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