Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Granite Gear Stratus Access FZ > Steve Nelson > Long Term Report

Long-Term Report: Granite Gear Straus Access FZ 4500 Backpack
June 7, 2005

Reviewer's Information

Name: Steve Nelson
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Weight: 150 lb (68 kg)
Torso length: 20" (51 cm) (this and following measurements done per Granite Gear Instructions)
Hip circumference: 32" (81 cm)
Chest circumference: 39" (99 cm)
Email address: nazdarovye at y'hoo • com
City, State, Country: San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.

Backpacking Background:

As an interface design and usability consultant by trade, I'm always excited by analyzing and improving designs and processes; backpacking provides a fertile and fun arena for that. I have been backpacking since I was a kid growing up in upstate New York: we backpacked and canoe-camped in all seasons, throughout the Adirondacks and nearby areas, ranging as far as La Verendrye Wildlife Reserve, Quebec. As an adult, I've backpacked and hiked extensively in California, but also have taken trips throughout the West, from New Mexico to British Columbia, and return often to the Adirondacks.

In the past year I made the transition to lightweight and ultralight backpacking. I like moving fast, and lightening the load facilitates that. I also enjoy urban strolls, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, and aviation in addition to hiking and backpacking, so my gear gets exposed to a wide variety of uses and conditions.

Product information

Overview

The Granite Gear Stratus Access FZ 4500 Backpack is a moderate-volume pack featuring a unique frame sheet and load stabilizing suspension along with a panel-access pack body. I provided much more descriptive detail in my initial report, plus my first two months of experience using it in my field report, both of which you may wish to reference along with this report, which gives my experiences over my remaining four months of using the pack.

The author's Stratus Access FZ pack in use (next to a Tarptent Cloudburst, for size reference)

Long-Term Field Locations and Conditions

I've used the pack on six overnight trips now, plus for one car camping trip. Three of the overnights were at Yosemite National Park and one at Castle Peak in the Donner Pass area of Northern California (all in winter conditions), plus one at Point Reyes National Seashore (in mild coastal winter conditions) and one at Lassen Volcanic National Park (in late winter/early Spring conditions); the car camping was in the Tahoe area. Loads on the backpacking trips have ranged from approximately 28-42 lb (13-19 kg). Altitudes ranged from sea level to over 9,000 ft (over 2,700 m). Temperatures have ranged from 15° to 60° F (-9° to 16° C), winds have ranged from calm to gale force, and precipitation has mostly been non-existent (just a light dusting of snow on one occasion).

Trail conditions have ranged from fairly benign to cross-country winter snowshoe bushwhacks across steep, challenging terrain. I have set the pack on rock, dirt, mud and snow, though I've been careful not to dredge it through those elements, and I do my best to set it on a pad or inside a shelter whenever possible.

Long-Term Impressions

My long-term assessment of the Stratus Access pack is that it's an exceptionally well-crafted pack with lots of great features, but with a suspension that I found hard to make stable (more on all of this below). As I did in my field report, I'll now delve into more detail on several specific aspects of the pack:

Overall Design

I like the size and profile of the Stratus Access FZ; its pack body has a narrow design that fits my fast walking style. The fabric and construction are top-notch, and the zippers, straps (which I originally felt were provided in excess) and other fittings all turned out to be useful and durable.

Loading

I like the flexibility the Stratus Access provides for loading. I often zip up the access panel and simply load the pack as a top-loader, but I've appreciated the ability to unzip that panel, stuff gear into the pack, and use the internal compression straps to snug things down. I've been able to get a pretty good volume of squishy gear (down bags and clothing, for example) into the pack that way. That said, the access panel does add some weight and complexity, and I wonder if there might be a market for a version of this pack with all of its other fine features, but a simple top-loading body.

Also, I did find that the pack runs out of volume before it runs out of weight-carrying capacity. In winter, where insulating layers and sleeping systems add bulk without lots of weight, the pack is just a wee bit on the small side for me (Granite Gear does make a larger-volume sibling of this pack, by the way). The greatest weight I carried in the Stratus was about 50 lb (23 kg), for the car camping trip. I didn't hike a long distance with this load, but did try the pack on and walk around with it. The pack was fine at this weight, though it was especially tough to balance the weight between hips and shoulders while retaining stability.

Here's a view of the pack pushing the volume limit, loaded up with winter gear an ice axe, a SnowClaw, a full-length blue foam pad and a Cloudburst tarptent strapped to the exterior of the pack body, and a sit pad and extra clothing strapped to the lid; the pack contained a full set of winter clothing layers including insulated pants and down booties, a 5°F (-15° C) sleeping bag, hydration bladder and full cooking setup:

My Stratus Access FZ pack (right), loaded for winter camping at Yosemite. A second tester's Stratus Access FZ pack is at left.

The multiple external straps are well thought out and useful for snugging and compressing loads, as well as for lashing gear to the outside of the pack. In that regard, this is my favorite and most flexible pack I've ever used.

The shoulder straps have sufficient rings and webbing for attaching extra pockets and accommodating hydration hoses; no problems there, and I generally used them for both of those purposes on my trips.

One last loading note, repeated from an earlier review: I use a BearVault bear canister, and have tried loading it two ways: standing vertically in the upper part of the pack body, and shoved horizontally down toward the bottom of the pack. Both have worked adequately, though when I stow the BearVault vertically, it's a tight squeeze with a full hydration bladder in the hydration pocket.

Fit and Feel

The suspension of the Stratus Access FZ has numerous adjustments—not only the traditional ones (shoulder and hip belts, load lifters, hip snuggers, sternum strap), but also ways to adjust the overall length and positioning of components, plus a set of "cruise control" straps that adjust the amount of motion of the pack body relative to the wearer's hips. That's a lot of adjustability!

However, while I like the feel of the Stratus Access FZ overall (good cushioning, good strap designs), I never was able to get the pack to feel like it was both stable and carrying enough of the weight on my hip belt. Whenever I got the hip belt feeling snug enough and as if it was supporting a decent amount of pack weight, the pack wanted to sway from side to side, and sometimes even stayed tipped to one side. Snugging up the shoulder straps eliminated this instability, but took most of the weight off of the hips. It's certainly possible that this is a result of "user error," though I've been backpacking for decades and used many packs successfully.

Also, a number of times I've felt as if the pack is leaning toward my left side, even though the load is balanced and straps tight; this is something I've not noted on other packs. Here's a picture of me wearing the pack on the hike home from the Lassen Peak trip, showing it tipping to the left side:

This does seem to be related to the issue of my never finding a good balance between getting weight on my hips versus my shoulders. Obviously the pack doesn't tip like this when the weight is primarily on the shoulder straps—this is what happens when I try to put more weight on the hip belt.

On the positive side, the shoulder straps and hip belt are well-padded and comfortable, and the various adjustment straps are easy to find and use. In addition, while I'd initially worried that elements of the pack design might get in the way of my stride and arm swing, the pack was actually quite compatible with my fast hiking and snowshoeing pace. I like the slim profile of the overall pack body, and as noted in my previous report, the occipital cavity is quite well designed (it's easy to look up and down while wearing the pack; I can even wear a Tilley hat and not feel like the pack is crushing its brim against the back of my neck).

As for the cruise control straps: I found that in practice they made little difference in the stability or fit of the pack, and didn't markedly affect the tipping issue noted here. I ended up generally leaving these straps adjusted on the tight side.

Convertible Lid/Hip Pack

I especially like the convertible pack lid and hip pack, and used it on a number of my trips for day hikes, or for keeping small items of gear at hand in the middle of the night in shelters. As noted previously, while the capacity of the lid is not enough for an extended day hike, it's large enough to hold snacks and a couple of liters of water along with miscellaneous items, and the external straps can hold extra clothing or other bulkier items. I also like that the lid can be removed to save weight for trips where the extra volume isn't important.

Other Features

The stretchy external pockets are useful, if undersized (especially when the pack is full). As noted in my previous report, I generally used them to hold a bag of snacks on one side, and mitten shells and a bandanna on the other. There's not room for much more when the pack is full, and I wouldn't mind larger pockets.

Also as previously noted, the hydration sleeve is smaller than I'd like—I can just barely squeeze an insulated winter 3 qt (3 L) bladder into it, and can't fit my 4 qt (4 L) hydration bladder when it's full; the pack also has elastic cord crisscrossing over the hydration sleeve, but it was too short/tight and not really adjustable, despite having a toggle. Also, the hydration port is too small—I've ended up simply routing the hose and bite valve of my bladder out the top of the pack body, snaking it under the edge of the lid and around to the shoulder strap. I'd love to see Granite Gear enlarge all of these elements in future versions of the pack.

I never used the repair kit provided with the pack, but found it comforting to have along on trips. I think it's a great thing for Granite Gear to include, even if it's left at home and used for after-trip repairs...and also acknowledging that I had not a single component fail on this pack.

Quality and Durability

I've had this pack out on some tough trips over the past six months, especially the one to Lake Helen at Mount Shasta, and it looks as if it has suffered no wear whatsoever. The construction is great, materials are solid, and in six months of testing I haven't noticed so much as a loose thread. Zippers and buckles operate smoothly, straps snug and adjust with ease—everything has worked as expected.

The pack has handled snow and wet ground well—so far I've noted no leaks or seepage inside the pack body, including through the stretchy fabric in the zippered access panels. However, I've also encountered no heavy precipitation on any of my trips with the pack, and have never set it down on wet ground or snow for more more than ten minutes at a time.

Summary

The Granite Gear Stratus FZ 4500 is an expedition-quality, moderate-volume pack with a highly flexible packing and load compression system. I've had trouble getting the suspension to get as stable as I'd like, especially while putting more of the load on my hips; however, so much else about the pack is so positive, I recommend trying it for yourself to see if the suspension works for you. The pack is of impeccable quality, and I enjoyed its many well-thought-out design features, including the removable lid, multiple compression straps and lash points, and great adjustability.

Things I like :

• High quality construction and durable, tough materials
• Near-infinite adjustability
• Multiple, effective means for load compression
• Removable/convertible lid
• Sleek overall design

Things I don't like:

• Overall comfort is not quite as good as I'd hoped—hard to get the pack to be stable while carrying weight mostly on my hips, and a tendency to tip to the sides when not
• Pockets and hydration features a bit under-sized
• The panel access seems to me to add weight without a lot of utility for my packing style; might Granite Gear consider making a top-loading-only version of this pack?

Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Granite Gear for giving me the opportunity to participate in this test.

Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Granite Gear Stratus Access FZ > Steve Nelson > Long Term Report