Long Term Report: Gregory Deva 60
TESTER BIO
Name: Jennifer Williams
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m)
Weight: 120 lbs (56 kg)
Shoulder width: 16 in (41 cm)
Hip width: 15 in (38 cm)
Email: jensmail78 (at) yahoo.com
Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Date: June 27, 2006
Backpacking Background:
I grew up horseback riding, skiing, camping, and hiking, but I just started backpacking about three years ago. All of my trips have been one or two night stays. My trips normally range from coastal trails in the redwoods to mountainous terrain in the Sierra Nevada. I tend to hike where I encounter rain and dampness. This year I am looking forward to making some longer trips in northern California and gaining more experience. I am not a lightweight backpacker yet, but would like to reduce my current pack weight significantly.
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PRODUCT INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Gregory Mountain Products
Year of manufacture: 2006
URL: www.gregorypacks.com
Pack Size: women's small
Waistbelt Size: women's small
Volume: 3700 cu in (61 L)
Listed Pack Weight: 5 lb 3 oz (2.4 kg)
Pack Weight as Delivered: 5 lb 2 oz (2.3 kg)
Lid/Fanny Pack Weight as Delivered: 7 oz (198 g)
Number of Stays: 1
Color: Azure (also available in Plum)
MSRP: $249.00 (US)
Materials
Body:630 D/210 D high tenacity nylon
Harness & Waistbelt: polyethylene closed cell foam
Stay: aircraft grade aluminum |
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Product Description
The Gregory Deva 60 is a women's specific pack in Gregory's "Weekend Warrior" Series designed to carry up to 45 lbs (20 kg). It is equipped with their Auto-Cant Harness and new Response Suspension System that is designed to automatically adjusts to your hip angle and has a women's specific narrow back panel. Refer to my Initial Report for a more detailed description of the pack and how it fits.
FIELD INFORMATION
Central and Northern California Coasts:
At the end of April I went on a 18 m (29 km) roundtrip, 2-night trip to some hot springs in Big Sur at an elevation of 1000 ft (300 m). Temperatures while hiking were around 65 F (18 C) and the weather was calm and clear. The trail consisted of packed dirt that was a little muddy in places near stream crossings and had some elevation changes, but no major uphill or downhill sections.
Sierra Nevada:
In May I went on a 15 m (24 km) round trip, 3-night backpacking trip in Tahoe National Forest at elevations between 7000 to 8000 ft (2100 to 2400 m). Temperatures while hiking were between 50 and 55 F (10 to 13 C) and conditions were clear with a little bit of wind. The trail consisted of packed dirt with occasional rocks and some boulder hopping. There were a couple steady uphill climbs, but most of the trail only had slight elevation changes.
On the first trip my pack weighed about 20 lbs (9 kg) and on the longer, second trip it was closer to 25 lbs (11 kg) with a bit of extra food and gear. I carried my down sleeping bag in a compression sack, a sleeping pad, a first aid kit, a canister stove, cooking pot, water, food, and clothing; as well as miscellaneous items.
LONG TERM TEST
Fit/Comfort:
After testing the Gregory Deva 60 on some longer backpacking trips I am still fairly happy with the fit and comfort of the pack. While I do still get a little sore on my hips and collarbones, it is much less severe and actually seems to be getting less severe the more I wear the pack (breaking in, maybe?). As I mentioned in my Field Report, the back panel does not come in contact with my back, but this has not proven to be a problem. The lumbar pads are very comfortable and I have two different "settings" for the pack depending on the terrain. While hiking on relatively level trails I keep a higher proportion of weight on my hips and loosen the sternum strap a bit. When I encounter a particularly steep uphill or downhill section of the trail, or if I have to balance carefully (during stream crossings) I shift some of the weight to my shoulders and tighten the sternum straps and the stabilizer straps to bring the pack tighter to my body. It is very easy to switch between these two settings with the various straps. There are a few straps related to the lid that I have not used and seem a little excessive, but it is possible that I just haven't loaded enough gear into the pack to need them.
Suspension:
On both trips, my pack weight was still relatively light and was not close to the weight limit for the pack (45 lbs, 20 kg). The suspension system continued to perform well and I attribute my decrease in soreness to the pivoting of the harness when the angle of my hips changes. I still don't notice the shoulder harness pivoting much, and did not find that particular feature very useful. I definitely appreciated the suspension when I had a bit more weight in the pack on a longer trail. I did not feel as sore at the end of a long first day in Tahoe National Forest and I think that I would have been much less comfortable with my previous pack. The easy weight distribution with the Deva 60 made it much easier to quickly adjust to any fatigue that started to set in.
Lid/Fanny Pack:
I used the detachable lid/fanny pack for a short side trip on both outings. I filled it up with a small first aid kit, some granola bars, a map, a compressed rain jacket, and a camera in it. Each side trip was only about 3 m (5 km), but I still found the fanny pack's convenience overshadowed by the poor fit. I liked having a small pack to take separately than the pack, but the strap doesn't hold the fanny pack in place very well. Each time I wore it around my waist, I ended up switching to my neck and shoulder like a messenger bag. This still worked pretty well, so it wasn't a huge problem, but it would have been more convenient to keep wearing it around my waist.
Functionality:
The waterproof zippers never encountered any actual rain, but the pack was covered in pretty heavy dew while in Tahoe and none of the contents felt overly damp. I still find the bungeed covering on the zipper for the sleeping back compartment and side access zipper to be very difficult to zip, particularly if the pack is partially empty. Now, when I use them I am extra careful to hold one end taut while I zip the other end, and that avoids snagging the material in the zipper. I have continued to use the various side pockets to hold a variety of smaller items. They definitely make it easier to find things (as long as you remember which pocket to look in). However, if the side pockets are very full, it makes it a little hard to strap longer items like tent poles of a rolled sleeping pad to the outside of the pack. The pockets seemed to push the items strapped to the sides forward, towards my arms. A couple of times I removed a few items from the smaller pockets in order to re-adjust the positioning of my tent poles. Since most of my gear fits nicely inside of the pack, this was not a big issue. During this phase of testing I used a water bladder in the hydration sleeve inside the pack and snaked the tube through the port on the upper side of the pack. At first I was concerned that the bladder would get too compressed or possibly punctured while inside the pack, but the sleeve seemed to protect it and I had no problems. I found drinking this way much more convenient that pulling my Nalgene bottle from the holster and having to ask someone else to put it back when I was done.
SUMMARY
Overall, the Gregory Deva 60 has performed very well during the long term testing. It handles a moderate load well, and feels stable. While the suspension did not get rid of all of the sore areas that I tend to have, it seems to be breaking in more, and each time I use it I am less sore. The fanny pack was not as functional as I had hoped, but I might use it occasionally if I really need to carry some extra items on a side trip. Overall the pack is very durable and sturdy and I have not noticed any quality issues with the fabric or hardware. Some of the features like the waterproof bottom are well worth their extra weight. While other features like extra side access panel for the body of the pack seem a little unnecessary and I would prefer to save the weight of the extra zippers. I will definitely continue to use the Deva 60 as my primary pack for weekend and extended weekend backpacking trips.
Likes:
*Lumbar pads
*Suspension system pivot action
*Hydration sleeve
Dislikes:
*Strap on the fanny pack is uncomfortable for extended use
*Bungee covering on zipper of sleeping bag compartment
Read more reviews of Gregory gear
Read more gear reviews by Jennifer Williams
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