Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Granite Gear Stratus Latitude > Chuck Carnes > Initial Report

Initial Report Report Date: March 13, 2006 by Chuck Carnes

Biographical Information

Name:                                                             Chuck Carnes
Age:                                                                36
Gender:                                                           Male
Height:                                                            6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:                                                           175 lb (79 kg)
E-mail address:                                               ctcarnes1(at)yahoo(dot)com
City, State, Country:                                        Greenville, South Carolina, United States

Backpacking Background

            I love the outdoors – I’ve spent time camping in the outdoors since I was born, and have been actively hiking and backpacking for the past ten years. I consider myself a lightweight hiker, usually carrying 20 – 30 pounds (11-13 kg) for hikes up to a week in length. I hike at an easy pace, averaging 2 mph (3 kph). I am a one man tent camper for now until a lighter two man tent comes along and will give me more room. I like to carry a single trekking pole when I hike to help relieve stress to my legs and knees. I like to get out on the trail as often as I can.

Product Information

Manufacturer:                                                 Granite Gear
Model:                                                             Status Latitude
Year of Manufacture:                                       2005
URL:                                                                www.granitegear.com
Listed Weight:                                                  4 lb 14 oz (2.21 kg)
Weight as Delivered:
            Main Body:                                          4 lb 12 oz (2.15 kg)
            Removable Inside Pouch:                     1.2 oz (34 g)
            Complete Pack:                                    4 lb 13.2 oz (2.19 kg)
Listed Storage Capacity:                                   4800 cu. in. (79 L)
Size:                                                                 Regular
Hip Belt Size:                                                    Large
Color:                                                               Golden Brown/Black
My Waist Size:                                                  34 in (86 cm)
My Torso Length:                                             21 in (53 cm)
MSRP:                                                             $290.00 (US)

Initial Impressions

Arrival:
When I opened the box that the Granite Gear Stratus Latitude pack came in, I was impressed with the size of this pack. The pack came with a laminated hang tag attached to it that has two sides of descriptive paragraphs about the pack. I looked at the size tag behind the shoulder straps to see if I received the 'regular' size that I requested. I did receive the correct pack size and I also received the correct hip belt size that I requested which was a 'large'. Inside the pack was the owners manual that shows how to adjust the shoulder straps, hip belt and how to change out different sizes of straps and belts if needed. I will not go into detail about this since it is very lengthy. The owners manual can be downloaded from the web site for your viewing pleasure.

Main Body of the Pack:
I was very excited about really getting the pack opened up to see the configuration of the straps and to see how well it was designed for a front loading pack. My first thought was to either pack it with some gear or to stuff pillows in the main compartment to get a feel for the capacity that it has. I elected to go with the pillows so I could get the material of the pack and the pleats to spread out as much as possible. I laid the pack on it's back so that I could place the pillows in the main body; much like one would load a duffle bag. I unbuckled the three buckles that are spaced equal horizontally across the front of the pack (as seen in the picture at the top). I unzipped the double, water resistant, YKK zippers that run from the top of the framesheet, over the top of the pack and down to the bottom of the pack. The zippers were a little bit tough to unzip but that is normal for water resistant zippers. This is Granite Gears signature feature of their Latitude packs. The material between the zippers is a breathable stretch fabric that allows the pack to expand a bit and take some tension off of the zippers when the pack is full to capacity. I opened up the pack to find three more buckles situated the same as the three outside buckles. I unbuckled those and opened the pack fully. These are the internal compression straps.

With the pack fully opened the hydration pocket is shown. Notice the criss-cross elastic cording and barrel type closure that helps keep the bladder in place. At the bottom of the pack on the inside is a gusseted portion that is seen at the bottom of the picture. This is to help keep a sleeping bag, tent or any other item from falling out of the bottom of the pack when it is unzipped. The pack does come with a removable pouch that is attached by two buckles at the top of the pack. The pouch was removed for this picture.

I started placing the pillows in the pack to see how the inside compression straps work. I placed those in the pack and began to buckle the straps. After that was done I started zipping up the double zippers. When I started doing this there was a lot of tension at the zippers and it was very hard to zip up the middle panel portion. I started thinking "This doesn't have as much capacity as I thought it did". I started looking at the other outside compression straps and realized that I didn't have the side compression straps loose. I loosened those straps and the pack expanded another 6 in ( cm); what a relief.





Detachable Inside Pouch:
The detachable pouch comes attached to the pack by way of two buckles located at the top seam inside the pack. The pouch is about 7 in (17 cm) deep and about 10 in (25 cm) in diameter and lightly padded on the bottom. The mouth of the pouch opens up fully and is closed by a draw chord and held closed by a spring loaded barrel clasp. Inside this pouch is a smaller pouch that is about 3 in (7 cm) long and 2 in (5 cm) wide that holds an extra snap buckle and a web buckle. This smaller pouch is attached to the larger pouch by way of a snap clip. I really like the detachable larger pouch. It seems like it will be very useful when I am needing a smaller item and can open the pouch fully and see all of the contents.


Side Pockets:
The side pockets are also made of the stretch material that the middle of the front portion of the pack is made of. As seen in this picture, the compression straps are over the side pockets. If a piece of gear is placed in these pockets and the compression straps are tightened, then the user will not be able to retrive the piece of gear until the side compression straps are loosened. The pockets are big enough to carry a 32 oz (946 ml) water bottle or other gear that might not need to be accessible while on the trail. Notice the axe loop at the bottom. This is located in a great spot for using it to place hiking sticks in it and using the compression straps to hold them to the body of the pack.







Back Panel and Shoulder Straps:
The back panel is made of a flexible frame sheet and is bit stiffer in the mid-portion of the back panel. This is to give support to the middle of the back and to transfer the load down to the hip belt. The hip belt is stiff but soft enough to give comfort to the hips when the hip belt is cinched tight. The hip belt is attached to the framesheet by Pivot Point stainless steel hardware and is actually able to pivot on the framesheet to allow the hips to piviot seperatly from the main body of the pack. The belt itself is actually cupped slightly on the inside to form to the hips better than a standard flat piece of foam.

The shoulder straps are contoured to fit around ones neck and down to the center of the chest area. The shoulder straps are made of the same dual-density foam as the hip belt is made of. The shoulder straps are also attached to the framesheet by Pivot Point hardware. This again, allows the soulder straps to pivot seperatly from the load of the pack. The shoulder straps are very easy to adjust and since the load lifter straps are grey in color, they are very easy to find when needing to adjust them. The sternum strap is a web strap that connects together by a snap buckle. The web straps that attaches the sternum strap to the shoulder straps are not elastic. The owners manual that is accessible on the web site gives more detail of the make up and design of the framesheet system.








Proposed Testing:
I plan to test the Stratus Latitude in the Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and in the Jones Gap area of South Carolina. I will also be taking a trip to Zambia, Africa at the first part of June for 10 days as well. Conditions during my testing period will range from cool to moderatly warm days and nights in the mountains to dry and dusty rugged terrain in Africa. I will note temperatures and conditions at the time of testing.

I will take note of the durability of the pack and the material as testing goes on. I will monitor the conditions of the zippers and buckles to see if they hold up to numorous zips and un-zips, snaps and un-snaps and how well they take to dirt getting in them. In my reports I will show my gear list to show how the pack was used and how well my gear fit into the pack.

Likes and Dislikes:
Likes:   
* The removable top pouch
* The weight distribution
* The adjustable torso length
* The front loading and inside compression straps

Dislikes:
* Side compression straps, when engaged, will not allow any gear in or out of the pocket

Thank you Granite Gear and BGT for the opportunity to test this pack.

Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Granite Gear Stratus Latitude > Chuck Carnes > Initial Report