|
Item Receipt:
Following a review of the
Granite Gear website I had a reasonable idea of the pack, shape and size
but really lacked detail of the pack design and its features. Therefore I
find it hard to comment on how the pack matches my expectations based on the
website. Other than this is a large pack (4800 cu in (79 L)), adopts
similar frame technology to my
Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone and is made of tougher material, I had no
expectations. Therefore when I received the pack on the day I was heading
out the door for a seven day walk of Fitzgerald River National Park, I
undertook a very steep learning curve in respect of the Stratus Latitude
including discovering it has a hydration bladder sleeve, it packs quite
differently to what I am used to, or rather I needed to change my packing
style, and it is split open when the front loading stretch panel is
unzipped. What am I saying here? I think Granite Gear could add some details
about this pack to its website.
In respect to the sizing information and therefore the
configuring of the pack's hip belt, shoulder straps and frame length, I
cheated on this one. Already having a Granite Gear pack and knowing its
configuration I used this information to configure the Stratus Latitude.
That said a quick review of the manufacture's website was undertaken to
confirm my selections. Once again I found this process painless and the
instructions easy to follow.
[Click here to
return to the top]
First Impressions:
Well, three things jumped out at me when I received this
pack ... its colour, its front loading system and that it has a hydration
bladder sleeve. The colour was to be later described by one of my less kind
bushwalking colleagues as reminding him of baby's poo. Maybe a bit harsh ...
Anyway on to the pack. This is an interesting pack in terms of its
design, particularly the front loading system that has been adopted on the
Latitude series of packs. This front loading system had me rushing out to
buy some additional dry-sacks so that I could adopt a variation of the
packing style illustrated in the Granite Gear Owner's Manual before I headed
out the door on my week long walk in Fitzgerald River National Park. With a
top-loading pack I tend to use only a few stuff stacks to hold food etc and
just "stuff" the gear into the pack filling up all available nooks and
crannies. With the Stratus Latitude this approach is not so ideal given its
front loading system. I digress, more on this in the Field Report. Back to
the Stratus Latitude.
 Starting with the frame. The Stratus Latitude has a 3D
Tepex Framesheet as its frame. See my
Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone Initial Report for photos of this frame
design. According to Granite Gear the 3D Tepex frames are designed to flex.
The Framesheet has three distinct zones of flexibility. The lumbar
zone is downright springy, absorbing the shock of each step. The mid-back
zone is semirigid, transferring weight evenly downward toward the belt while
providing torsional flex. The upper zone is rigid, allowing the load lifters
to pull the whole load close to one's back. The functioning of the
framesheet will be re-examined in the context of this larger capacity
backpack over the test period.
Moving on to the back pad. The pad is smooth,
covered using Schoeller Dynamic with NanoSphere Technology. Whatever that
means! According to Granite Gear this should result in the user feeling the
cush of the back pad evenly across the whole length of where the pack is in
contact. I will report back on my experience over the test period. The
manufacturer also claims that the back pad fabric is water resistant meaning
the pad does not get soaked with moisture and that the shell fabric dries
quickly.
The shoulder straps and hip belts come in various sizes to
suit the wearer and should be ordered as per the Granite Gear sizing charts.
Based on my Nimbus Ozone experience I ordered the Stratus Latitude with the
same sized shoulder straps and hip belt. Their comfort and functionality
will be tested further. The Stratus Latitude Owner Manual available from the
Granite Gear website provides further
details on design and fitting of the shoulder straps and hip belt.
Moving on to the outer fabric and design of the pack. As
alluded to early, the outer material is Cordura, which Granite Gear suggest
will stand up to "the rigors of a harsh environment." This particular aspect
will be put to the test on my seven day walk of the Fitzgerald River
National Park, a harsh environment indeed!
Staying on the outside, we come to the key feature in my
view of the pack, the Latitude front loading system. This consists of a
zippered stretch panel which can be opened from the top or bottom of the
pack and runs the full length of the pack. This stretch panel allows the
pack to opened up like a can of sardines or those not familiar with sardines
like a travel pack. This means that instead of a top down approach to
packing (even though this can still be done) the pack can be opened up and
packed like a suitcase. This also means that should be easy to access
the bottom or top of the pack or parts in between without having to remove
"half the contents" so to speak to get to something packed half way down in
the pack. My initial impression (later confirmed when I packed this pack for
the second time before heading out the door) was that my loose packing style
is not really suited for this pack, rather that I need to make much greater
use of stuff sacks or dry-bags to compartmentalise my gear. I will explore
and comment further on my experiences with this packing approach in my Field
and Long-term Reports.
 Returning to the stretch panel, it is zippered on both
sides with zips which can be unzipped from the top or bottom. As the zips
are zipped up, the zips are closed up as if they are waterproof zips which
they may well be. Running across the stretch panel are three front
compression straps for compressing the pack/lashing gear to the outside of
the pack. In addition to these three compression straps there are another
three on each side of the pack plus two straps over the two external pockets
which can be found on each side of the pack.
The side pockets are made of stretch material and are open
at the top. Compression straps are provided to retain items within the
pockets.
Inside the pack, there are another three compression
straps to secure gear within the pack before closing up the stretch panel.
The pack has a "removable drawcord pocket that clips into
place with SR [side release] buckles." This is a pocket or bag that sits at
the top of the pack, attached to the pack with two quick release buckles.
The pocket has a thin foam base to help it hold its shape and is closed with
a draw cord. It looks ideal to hold to items which may require quick access,
for example a rain jacket. The stretch panel closes over the pocket concealing it
within the pack. Inside the pocket is a key clip for carrying one's
keys. Attached to this key clip is small bag which contains a spare ladder
loc buckle and a side release dual pull buckle but no spare hip belt buckle.
Granite Gear, in their Owner Manual state and I quote, "also, you can use
the 2” side release buckle on the lid fanny pack to replace your main belt
buckle, should it happen to break." However the Stratus Latitude uses two
side release buckles to hold the pocket in place, not a 2" (51 mm) side
release buckle as referred to in the Owner Manual.
This leaves the last feature of the pack, its hydration
sleeve. The hydration sleeve is a vertical sleeve sewn into the back
of the pack (frame-side). It holds a bladder such as a
3 L Platypus Hoser. The dimension of the sleeve is 13" x 9" (330 mm x
230 mm). On the outside of the sleeve is a nylon shock cord drawcord and
cordlock. The purpose of the shock cord is to compress the bladder as the
contents is drained ensuring full flow of fluid until the bladder is empty.
The hose from the bladder/bladder sleeve runs through a hydration hole
centred at top of the back of the pack. There are no other features for
retaining bladder hoses.
So that is the Granite Gear Stratus Latitude backpack
pack. Detail below is my summary test plan.
[Click here to
return to the top]
Testing Strategy:
I anticipate testing the Stratus Latitude on a seven day
walk in the Fitzgerald River National Park as well as on numerous weekend
walks over the test period in mainly off-track walking conditions. This
should see the pack tested with loads up to and possibly exceeding the
recommend load weight of 50 lb (23 kg). The Fitzgerald River National Park
walk will for example involve carrying winter rain gear, warm clothing, and
initially seven days of food and on some days up to seven litres (7.40
quarts) of water. A normal day's walking in this area will involve carrying
around three to four litres (three to four quarts) of water. In addition the
walk in the Fitzgerald River National Park as well as some other planned
walks should subject the pack to testing in harsh scrub, putting the
manufacturer's claims of standing up to harsh environments to the test. In
particular I will be focusing on the following aspects:
- Carrying capacity and packing style required with this front loading
pack design. My initial impression (later confirmed when I
packed this pack for the second time before heading out the door) was that
my loose packing style is not really suited for this pack, rather that I
need to make much greater use of stuff sacks or dry-bags to
compartmentalise my gear. I will explore and comment further on my
experiences with this packing approach in my Field and Long-term Reports.;
- Durability of the Cordura material to with stand harsh
environments;
- Durability, functionality and water-resistance of the
stretch panel zips;
- Functionality of the hydration bladder sleeve and outlet;
- The functioning, comfort and load carrying capacity of
the framesheet will be re-examined in the context of this larger capacity
backpack;
- The comfort of the back pad, its water resistance and
ability to dry quickly;
- Based on my Nimbus Ozone experience I ordered the
Stratus Latitude with the same sized shoulder straps and hip belt. There
comfort and functionality will be tested further;
- Usefulness of the top pocket;
- Usefulness of the side pockets.
[Click here to
return to the top] |
