| |
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
|
Owner Review - Granite Gear Stratus Latitude Pack
Andrew Buskov
February 16, 2006
Tester Biography:
| Name: | Andrew Buskov |
| Age: | 30 |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight: | 212 lb (96 kg) |
| Torso Length: | 20 in (51 cm) |
| Hip Size: | 37 in (94 cm) |
| Chest Size: | 44 in (112 cm) |
| Email: | Rescue9@yahoo.com |
| Location: | Madisonville, Kentucky USA |
Backpacking Background:
I started backpacking when I was about 8 and quickly became hooked on the outdoors. My initial experience was with short weekend trips, mostly during the summer months. As I grew older I began taking longer trips and realized that I enjoy being out in the winter more than the summer. I have hiked a variety of environments ranging from Maine’s Mt. Katahdin in late fall to Mount Charleston, outside Las Vegas, in the summer. As an Emergency Medical Technician, I have been trained to be prepared at all times so my pack tends to be on the heavy side. I prefer hiking moderately difficult terrain as opposed to flat, level ground, and enjoy longer trips as opposed to overnighters.
Product Information:
| Manufacturer: | Granite Gear |
| Manufacture Date: | 2005 |
| URL: | http://www.granitegear.com |
| Specified Weight: | 4 lbs 14 oz (2.21 kg) |
| Actual Weight: | 4 lbs 13 oz(2.18 kg) |
| MSRP: | $270.00 US |
| Backpack Type: | Internal Frame - Front Loading |
| Frame Size: | Long (Short also available) |
| Capacity: | 4800 cu in (79 L) |
| Hipbelt: | Men's Large Light Pack Belt |
| Shoulder Straps: | Men's Large Trim Straps |
Description:
The Stratus Latitude backpack is considered a light weight pack in the eyes of Granite Gear. While weighing in at less than 5 lbs (2.3 kg), the Stratus has enough room for a week long excursion. The pack is constructed of Cordura Nylon of varying strengths from 70-D hybrid rip-stop to the 420-D that covers the bottom of the pack. It features a front loading design that is accessible from both the top and the bottom of the pack. It has a set of 12 compression straps, both internal and external, of which all but 2 feature quick release buckles. The middle flap, allowing access to the inside of the pack, is constructed of a stretchable material and is nestled between a pair of heavy duty YKK zippers.
The frame is composed of a Tepex thermoplastic composite which is molded in the shape of the users back and in such a way that allows different parts of the frame to flex in varying degrees with the user’s movement. Aside from the standard hip and shoulder straps, there are an additional 6 straps that connect the hip belt and shoulder straps to the frame. These 6 straps allow the user to adjust the way the pack rides on ones back by pulling it closer to the frame.
This pack has been tailored to fit a wide variety of people and offers features such as: availability of a short or long torso length frame, multiple pivot points that allow both the height and width of the shoulder straps to be adjusted to the individual user, and different sized shoulder straps and hip belts. All of the above make customizing the pack to an individual hiker easy, affordable, and relatively quick.
Inspection:
When I unpacked the backpack from its brown shipping box, the first thing I noticed was a laminated card zip-tied to one of the compression straps with some product information on the Stratus Latitude. I removed the product description card and unzipped the pack looking for the owner’s manual. The zippers appeared to be really tight and hard to open or close. After closer inspection I found this to be because the zipper itself was sewn very tightly to the surrounding fabric for the purpose of creating a water barrier. I found the owner’s manual, along with some replacement buckles, inside the removable internal lid.
After skimming through the owner’s manual briefly, I found that I needed to determine my torso length to properly setup the hipbelt and shoulder straps. The manual described exactly how I should measure and also provided pictures to indicate various reference points on the body. After figuring out my exact measurements, I moved onto configuring the setup specifically for me.
I found out quickly that because I had ordered the pack from a distributor on the internet, it didn’t come with the correct size equipment for me. The standard setup for a long torso pack includes medium shoulder straps and a medium hip belt. Because of my frame I need large shoulder straps and a large hip belt. I was a bit disappointed that I may have to purchase an additional $75 of equipment, or suffer with an improperly fitting pack. Thankfully though, Granite Gear had already thought of this and provides a return policy that allows people to swap out these items with correctly sized ones for only the cost of shipping and handling. All this information is included on the back of the owner’s manual for easy access. In addition, Granite Gear was extremely fast in returning my new straps with the whole process taking less than a week.
Testing Environments:
I have used this pack in a variety of environments ranging from mountainous terrain to flat level ground. Most of the testing was done in the southeast region of the United States including sections of the South Cumberland Recreational area near Chattanooga, TN, Land Between the Lakes Recreational area near Paducah, KY, and various other locations in the western Kentucky region. The temperature ranges that this pack has been exposed to include sub 20 F (-6 C) with lots of snow, ice, and sleet to the lower 70’s F (21 C) with dry air and lots of sun. Most of my trips have been in inclement weather with lots of precipitation; most of that being rain and snow.
Field Use:
The weight limit that I carried was always between 25 to 50 lbs (9 – 23 kg). This varied a lot due to the water and food requirements that were needed for the individual trips. Other than the weight itself, I could not tell a significant difference in the ride or comfort between the two weight extremes. I did notice that the backpack rode much better at heavier weights than previous packs I have owned. I firmly believe this was due to the molded Tepex frame fitting closely to my back.
I found that the pack rides exceptionally well. One of my first comments after a day of hiking a very mountainous section was how I never thought a pack could feel this good. At no time during the day did I feel any pain or discomfort. The adjustment straps allowed me to easily vary the way the pack set on my back. This made it much easier to traverse difficult terrain with the pack close to my back for stability, but also let the pack “sway” a bit on level ground for comfort.
I found that this backpack was very good at keeping water and moisture out of the interior sections. During one of my trips where we experienced snow, I was a bit concerned that the snow might melt throughout the day and seep into the pack, but this did not happen.
The hydration pouch is a little on the small side. Although I was able to squeeze a 70 fl oz (2.1 L) CamelBak inside the pouch, it did not fit very well, and I was not able to fill the reservoir up to its capacity. I also found that while the backpack does have a hydration port for the tube and nipple to slip through, it was much easier to have the tube slide under the zippered middle flap. This made removing the CamelBak for filling much easier.
There is a removable internal lid that is secured to the interior of the backpack by two quick clips. The lid will hold approximately 8 L (488 cu in) worth of equipment and has a padded bottom. It has a drawstring closure and is designed as a quick release storage area that one can remove in a hurry. I found that removing the internal lid, and leaving it at home, works much better than leaving it in as it seems to take up more space and make packing more awkward than it should when packing for longer trips with more equipment. There are no other internal pockets or zippered pouches.
It was extremely easy to fill and empty this pack because of the large middle flap. Because I could reach the packs contents from both the top and bottom, finding things was as simple as can be. I did find that it became hard to get to items inside stuff sacks without removing nearly all the compression straps though. However, this was not too much of a problem as once the gear had been compressed it tended to stay compressed, even after the straps had been loosened or removed. At no point in time did I have to remove everything in the pack to get to something. Likewise, I didn’t need to repack everything if I was just getting one item out. The items stored well, and there was enough space for most of my cold weather gear. I was surprised at how well things seemed to “squish” into places. Even though the pack seemed full, I was still able to stuff clothing in places I wasn’t able to see. This was extremely helpful when I was layering in cold weather environments.
The stretchable middle fabric was an ingenious design. Most of the time I was unable to compress the pack enough using only the internal compression straps due to the amount of gear I had stuffed inside. Because of the backpack’s design, it is extremely hard to secure the external compression straps without first closing the middle flap. Because the middle flap was constructed of a stretchable material, I was able to close the flap, then engage the exterior compression straps and relieve the tension that was placed on the flap before everything was properly compressed.
I was a bit disappointed that there were no attachment points on the pack other than the two gear rings hanging from the bottom of the pack. The compression straps allow gear to be lashed externally, but it would have been nice to see some way of attaching tents or sleeping pads to the bottom of the pack.
Although this backpack features 2 external pockets on the side for storing additional equipment, I found it hard to use them because 2 of the compression straps get in the way. They are also made of the same stretchable material as the middle flap instead of a mesh style material. Because of this, fitting anything into the pocket is difficult, and with a full pack almost impossible. It is my opinion that the only way these 2 pockets to be usable was if I packed about half the stuff I’m usually carrying.
Even through the roughest of terrain, having the pack slide against rocks and trees, and watching it slide down a hill, the material held up and the backpack sustained nothing more than a few scratches.
Summary:
In all, I feel that the Granite Gear Stratus Latitude is an exceptional pack. The configurability, comfort, durability, and weight of this pack fit together nicely making it one of the lightest and most comfortable packs I.ve ever worn. I would suggest the Stratus Latitude to any hiker who is trying to limit weight while still retaining the comfort of a framed pack.
Some of the features I really liked were:
- The addition of 12 compression straps make packing this pack easy and tight.
- The highly configurable nature of this pack allows for maximum user comfort, regardless of body shape or style.
- The Tepex frame flexes with my body as I move for maximum comfort.
Some of the items I feel need refining are:
- The side pockets are almost worthless due to the construction and materials used.
- The hydration pocket needs to be larger to allow for more carrying capacity.
- I would like to see some gear attachment points sewn to the bottom of the pack.
Read more reviews of Granite Gear gear
Read more gear reviews by Andrew Buskov
|
