Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Granite Gear Nimbus Latitude Pack > Thomas Peltier II > Long Term Report

I have been in the outdoors since I was a toddler. My mother introduced me to backpacking when I was in the backpack. I in good turn joined the Boy Scouts to get away from Mom on the weekend hikes. My first backpack trip with the Boy Scouts was down a dirt road to a park and campsite. That was my last trip with the Boy Scouts. Since then I have been backpacking mostly in the Sierra Nevada.

I have been a professional river guide and kayak instructor for the last 11 years; however, I currently work at a family establishment in Bakersfield, California. Working a "Real Job" keeps me away from the outdoors a bit more than I would like. My summers are busy between city work and river guiding. Much of my packing is done on the river in the summer. This has driven me to long winter trips and short summer trips for the last several years. I took up snowshoeing to help get into winter packing. I have found that less is often more in my backpacking and my summer trips I find myself as happy in a pair of Chacos carrying my pocketknife as I do with a heavy pack and big boots.

What a fun test series this has been. I have had a very positive experience with the Nimbus Latitude backpack. I have used this pack exclusively over the last six months and I have no plans of changing that for many more months to come. I have continued to use the Nimbus Latitude while hiking and backpacking in the Sierra Nevada this summer. I have been very happy with its performance, it looks and feels great on my back or leaning against a tree in camp. It is light and strong, able to endure whatever requirements I might throw at it yet light enough to keep my pack weight low.

I have adapted to using the panel loading system and in fact have become very accustomed to it. All of the gear I use fits nicely into the Nimbus. Even better, I can get to all of my gear very easily after it is packed. I like that I can open the front panel and see all of my gear at one time. No more digging though a top loader with a flashlight and a prayer, displacing everything while I rummage. With the Nimbus panel loading system I can bring light to dark places and get to any piece of gear in my backpack without disturbing every other piece of gear, and then return the piece of gear again when I'm done.

I have used the Nimbus Latitude in weather ranging from 40 F (4.5 C) to 95 F (35 C) and over an altitude range of 2500 ft. (762 m) to 8000 ft. (2438 m). I have covered just under 200 miles (322 km ) with the Nimbus Latitude on my back. I have not had the opportunity to hike in the rain or snow during the test period.

In addition to all of my trips into the Sierra Nevada that I discussed in the Field Report, I had the opportunity to take the Granite Gear Nimbus Latitude backpack on a plane ride to Pennsylvania and on a fall camping trip while there. I used the Nimbus Latitude as my carry-on and it proved to be a good carry-on. It fit perfectly in the overhead compartment and provided plenty of room for all of my stuff.

After six months of use, my Nimbus Latitude has held up very well. During the last six months I have used the Nimbus Latitude for many things. Hiking, traveling, camping, and backpacking. So far the Nimbus Latitude has endured everything I have asked of it and come through unscathed. There are no threads showing, none of the material is showing any signs of wear. The buckles and straps are holding up just fine and the stretch material is as elastic as the day I received the backpack. My Nimbus Latitude is still in very good condition and I have no reason to believe that it will wear out any time soon, it is indeed a bomber piece of gear.

1. The way it looks
   
2. The weight
   
3. The panel loading system
   
4. The suspension system
   
5. The stitching
   

1. The bottom strap over the pockets
   

After six months of use I have become very comfortable with the Nimbus Latitude. It is a simple backpack with one large compartment, a stuff sack that clips into the top of the pack and two stuff sacks on the side. This makes it a simple pack and easy for me to use. The panel loading system works, and it works well. I have learned to become quite proficient with it over the last six months. The pack is durable - in fact it is a bomber pace of gear. I feel that I have asked a lot from the Granite Gear Nimbus Latitude pack in the last six months and it has performed at every turn. I enjoy this backpack and will continue using it for a long time to come.

Tom Peltier

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Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Granite Gear Nimbus Latitude Pack > Thomas Peltier II > Long Term Report