Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Granite Gear Nimbus Latitude Pack > Dennis Shubitowski > Field Report

Field Report - Granite Gear Nimbus Latitude

Report Outline

Biography <back to top>

I was born, raised, and currently live in Michigan. I have been camping with family since I was a young tot. I have been backpacking for the last 11 years along with other outdoor activities like hunting, geocaching, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, horseback riding and canoeing. I backpack in every season - rain, snow, or shine. My hiking philosophy has moved toward lightweight backpacking (or lighter) from my heavyweight days, but I have an eclectic mix of equipment that I carry that mainly depends on what I am testing for BackpackGearTest! Shelters range from hammocks to tarps to four-season tents and stoves are homemade alcohol, Esbit, white gas or canister with a titanium pot. My packs, however, are always the lightest I can go without sacrificing comfort. My average three-season load for a multi-day trip, including food and water, is usually less than 25 lb (11.3 kg).

Product Information <back to top>

Testing Locations <back to top>

I have used this pack for three multi-night trips and several dayhikes totaling around 120 mi (193 km) so far for the test period. All trips have been in lower Michigan on state parks trails, portions of the North Country Trail, the Manistee River Trail, and local hiking trails. My pack weight has ranged from approximately 20 to 38 lb (9 to 17.3 kg). Temperatures and weather during the test period ranged from around 40 to 95 F (4 to 35 C) covering spring to the beginning of summer with windy, sunny, and rainy weather. Terrain in Michigan is mostly flat with rolling hills with some short, steep sections. The pack was used mainly on forest trails with some off-trail use. Terrain in these areas consisted mostly of hardwood and softwood forests with sparsely rocky or sandy surfaces.

Packing the Nimbus Latitude <back to top>

This is my first panel loading backpack, and it certainly has shown with my packing mentality so far. To be honest, I really do not like the panel-loading aspect of the pack, but that is not the fault of the pack - it is what it is. I am definitely used to having a top-loading "sack" where things are loaded in and can be crammed and finessed to take up the optimal amount of space and area to fill. This pack cannot really be packed that way to start with, but it can somewhat after the pack is mostly zipped up and assembled.

My usual three-season load includes the following general items: Hennessy Hammock, 27 in (69 cm) wide cheap blue foam pad, REI folding bucket, Western Mountaineering Highlite sleeping bag, homemade alcohol stove with titanium accessories, clothing, toiletries, water, and food. One of the big three will change when I begin testing a tent for BackpackGearTest - I will switch out the hammock for the tent and the foam pad for an inflatable, insulated sleep pad to be purchased (yes, I have been spoiled by the hammock). When I am really paying attention to my packweight, I can get down to sub 15 lb (7 kg) using a poncho/tarp and frameless pack. Lately, I have felt pretty good about myself if I leave the house for a weekend jaunt with the pack weighing in around 23 lb (10.4 kg). The last hike I went on had moments of near 40 lb (18 kg) pack weights which really reminded me of why I first started researching lightweight backpacking. The Nimbus Latitude has, somewhat surprisingly to me, taken all of these loads and volumes even when I thought it might not be able to handle it.

I have found the backpack is easiest to load when fully unzipped, open wide, and on the ground against the hipbelt and shoulder straps. The pack does have a "bucket" bottom to prevent things from rolling out when upright, but the pack is difficult to load that way as there is nothing to stuff against. First I put my water bladder in the hydration sleeve, tighten the cord over it and run the tube out the port (see Problems below on the hydration exit port). I then put my sleeping bag in the bottom in a waterproof stuff sack to raise the center of gravity. The folding bucket with water filter and food bag then goes in along side the hammock. Finally the clothing bag goes on top. This pack has an odd internal lid; it has a foam bottom which gives it some structure and it buckles in at the top of the pack with quick releases. I have not quite figured out what to do with it yet, so I usually put my toiletries, identification, and keys (on the clip) in there and close it up, and this gets stuffed around the clothing bag. One problem that is encountered here is that there is nothing to "stuff" against as mentioned above - it is like setting marbles on a stiff board. Once everything is generally in place though, the inside compression straps are done up which pulls the inner fabric up the sides of the items. Things can still move and pop about depending on how tight the compression straps are cinched. The pack is closed up by the two main zippers. I find it easiest to zip up one of them first and then work on the other. The pack can look pretty bulky by this point and it does not look like it will all fit in - it is kind of like trying to zip shut an overstuffed duffel bag or suitcase. But, by zipping with one hand and stuffing with the other, the fabric between the zippers expands and draws up the rest of the fabric and it swallows up the load. Pretty surprising and pretty neat. The pack can now be stood up and the zippers moved around access areas to finesse the contents of the pack around. I usually stuff extra clothing layers in at this time to help round out the pack and keep those layers in relatively quick access.

The center of the pack between the zippers is the perfect location for a big pad. I roll my unwieldy hammock pad up in a cylinder and cinch the outer compression straps over it to hold it in place. As a bonus, the pad is also slightly protected on each side from trail brush by the fabric the compression straps are attached to. I then stuff the outside pockets with things I want quick access to (rain gear) or do not want inside the pack (stove alcohol, trowel). I can say right off that the side pockets are not big enough. When the pack is full, volume is taken away from the side pockets and I felt I was really cramming stuff in there without much give. The pockets do not need to be taller - just more fabric is needed for volume to make them more useable. Finally the side compression straps are snugged up which finishes all the pack strap tightening. The bottom side compression strap runs right over the outside pockets. Depending on how they are packed, the compression strap tends to force things out of the pocket from the pressure. A good solution might be buttonholes on each side of the pocket to give the user the option to run the compression strap over as it currently is or behind the pocket to be against the body of the pack.

Wearing the Nimbus Latitude <back to top>

Beyond comfortable. Heaven. That about sums it up. The Granite Gear Nimbus Latitude is probably one of the most comfortable packs I have ever worn. I have briefly tried on other Granite Gear packs before and have heard of that "Granite Gear Comfort," but this is my first opportunity to wear one for an extended period. There are a couple of main factors that contribute to the comfort level. The first is the design and materials of the hipbelt and shoulder straps. The materials used in these are just awesome - the padding is abundant and firm yet forgiving and the fabric is tight and smooth. Because of the padding, the hipbelt can really be cinched down without feeling like I am applying a tourniquet. This really allows the hipbelt to take weight through the frame and holds it securely. The shoulder straps are designed with similar materials with similar comfort. The second factor that aids in comfort is the adjustability. The pack comes in two sizes - short and regular - and the torso length has a range of adjustment for each by moving a yoke behind the frame that screws through it to the shoulder straps. In addition, the shoulder straps also have a small range of adjustment over three grommets. When I first set the pack up, I arbitrarily placed the shoulder straps in the middle hole as the "correct" position was unknown until I actually wore the pack in the field with weight. Once in the field, something did not quite feel right so at a break I pulled out my microtool and made the adjustment to let the shoulder strap out one grommet to the longest setting. It took less than a minute to do this and it did the trick. I have not needed to adjust it since.

All the adjustments straps work as they are supposed to work on this pack. The load lifters are at an effective angle to pull the load closer to the shoulders and are easy to adjust. The delta straps on the hipbelt also snug the load closer to the hips. The shoulder straps easily adjust to move weight back and forth between the shoulders and hipbelt through the frame. This is not to be underestimated. This pack shifts weight back and forth from the shoulders to hips and distributes weight probably the best of any pack I have worn. The frame on this pack is quite stiff and helps distribute the load and feels quite even. There is almost a gap between my shoulders and hipbelt, but it is not an uncomfortable gap and the back padding does not really rest against my back. I also have a 32 in (81 cm) waist and I specified a men's medium hipbelt. The hipbelt is probably a touch too big for me, and it does not have much room leftover for adjustment before the two padded ends would meet each other. I can about guarantee if I did a long distance hike that I would have to trade down to a small waistbelt. Luckily this is not a problem since the hipbelts are easily interchangeable on this pack.

Problems <back to top>

There are a few things that are annoying on the pack. The hydration port exit is directly behind my head and it is a bit too small. The hydration tube bangs me in the back of my head on the way to the left or right shoulder strap. Instead of just picking a side, Granite Gear opted for the safe middle when I probably would have easily adapted to it if it were already in place on either side. The exit port is also too small in that bite valves from both Platypus and Camelbak valves do not fit through it. This is annoying because the bite valve must be removed to thread the tube through it and out the pack, and if the hydration bladder is full, it is a task to keep water from spilling all over the inside of the pack. There is also a ladder lock at the top of the back padding that connects to fabric at the top of the pack to hold the top of the frame in place. Sometimes I notice something pinching me uncomfortably at the base of my neck. Since there is nothing else in the area that could do that, it must be that ladder lock or the nylon strap connected to it. The Kevlar-like padding that covers the screws for the yoke/shoulder straps also needs to be longer. I have the shoulder straps set at the longest setting and it is not quite enough to completely cover the screws and stay in place. It easily bunches up and ride on the back padding, and I have to reach back to each shoulder and smooth out those fabric pieces each time I put the pack on.

In addition to the pocket problems mentioned above, the pack is not quite as "easy access" as I thought it would be with the full-length zippers. I will say right off that the problem is likely due in part to my packing style and how I carry my gear. When I stop for a break, I theoretically should be able to move the zippers to where I need on the pack and easily remove what I need - water filter, food bag, etc... - for the break. When I need to get water, I usually remove the folding bucket which contains the water filter and the food bag, but it could be as simple as just removing the food bag or other similar sized item. The contents are cinched in place with the inner compression straps and held even further by the outside fabric and things are not so easy to extract. More of the pack needs to be opened to undo the inner compression straps and loosen up the inside contents enough to be moved. When I do remove the object, it gives opportunity for everything else to move and shift around to fill the voids. Then, because the pack volume is shifted, the items in the pockets tend to fall out onto the ground if the pack is not upright. The end result is that at most breaks, most of my crap ends up all over the ground as I needed other things out of the pack and I need to repack at each stop. This is something I definitely need to work on, and it may be as simple as using more stuff sacks or rearranging where I put things.

Summary (so far...)<back to top>

I detailed in the initial report that I would pay attention to the panel-loading aspects of this pack. That has definitely been a mixed bag for me that is due in part to the pack being a panel-loader and my packing style. All the materials and zippers have held up very well so far and there has been no danger of zippers or seams bursting by any means. I have had the pack out in the rain briefly when I was not so quick to get the poncho on or it was that in-between kind of rain when you can't decide whether or not to don the raingear. The inside contents remained dry during these exposures. I have not yet checked the hydration sleeve for waterproofness, but since the seams are not sealed or taped, I probably will not bother. The size of the pack has been fine and I could see this pack getting me through most any hiking I would do; it compresses down well enough under small loads and expands to take larger loads, presumably up to the listed pack volume.

Likes:

• Comfort - Pretty easily the most comfortable pack I have worn.
• Suspension - Fantastic weight distribution up to 40 lb (18 kg).
• Craftsmanship - Fantastic materials and solidly put together.

• Side pockets need modification, more material, or a new design.
• Hydration port exit is right in the center and too small.
• Spartan design lacks external mesh pockets for things like drying my tarp.
• Internal floating lid is a touch odd and seems like an afterthought.

Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Granite Gear Nimbus Latitude Pack > Dennis Shubitowski > Field Report