Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Gregory Deva 2006 > Kathleen Waters > Long Term Report

Long Term Report: Gregory Deva^TM 60 Women's Pack 
June 27, 2006

Contents:
Tester Biographical Information
Product Information
Field Conditions/Completed Tests Results
Summary

Tester Biographical Information    <back to top>

Name: Kathleen Waters
Age: 55
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight: 128 lb (58 kg)
Email address: kathy at bysky dot com or TheMiddleSister at usaring dot com
City, State, Country: White Lake, Michigan USA

Backpacking Background: My husband and I started hiking in 1998 after an eye-opening climb up Hahn's Peak (10839 ft/ 3304 m) in Colorado.

Hooked, we return to Colorado often. We've also hiked glaciers, rain forests, mountains and deserts in exotic locations, including Iceland, Costa Rica, Slovenia and Death Valley. Winters, we snowshoe.

At home in Michigan, we plan for 2-3 hikes of 6-8 m (10-13 km) weekly and one weekend hike monthly. Weekday hikes take place in Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, a mixture of heavily wooded moderate hills and flat terrain. Weekend hike locations vary.

My hiking style is comfortable, aiming for lightweight with a pack averaging 25 lb (11 kg) including food and water.

Product Information (from website)    <back to top>
http://www.gregorypacks.com

Manufacturer: Gregory Mountain Products Year of Manufacturer: 2006 Model: DevaTM 60 Sizes/Capacity/Weight: XS 3500 cu in/57 L 5 lb 0 oz/2.3 kg S 3700 cu in/60 L 5 lb 3 oz/2.4 kg M 3900 cu in/63 L 5 lb 6 oz/2.4 kg Color: Azure or Plum MSRP: $249.00 USD

Product Information (from tester)

Size: S
Weight: 5 lb 5 oz (2.3 kg)
Color: Azure

For a more detailed description (including warranty information) of the Gregory Deva^TM 60 Women's Pack, please see my Initial Report and Field Report.

Field Conditions/Completed Tests Results    <back to top>

During this portion of my field testing of the Gregory Deva^TM 60 Women's Pack, almost all my hiking took place in the familiar terrain of Pontiac Lake Recreation Area with supplemental "training" on my indoor Trekker treadmill. Elevation range was very limited from 177 ft to 800 ft (54 m to 244 m) and temperatures over late spring varying from 35 F to 81 F (2 C to 27 C). Even when I do treadmill or trail "training" hikes, I carry a loaded pack generally around 29 lb (13 kg).

I found the Gregory DevaTM 60 Women's Pack to be very roomy and I was easily able to carry all that I need to be totally self-sufficient weekend and extended weekend trips. Usually, I had room to spare in the main pack. Thanks to Gregory Mountain Products strapping system on the DevaTM I was able to lash my tent, sleeping pad and sleeping bag outside the pack, leaving the interior of the pack for smaller items. When a weeklong trip was planned, the DevaTM 60 still worked well when I went with another person (which I always do anyway) and we shared the extra load of food and shelter.

My typical weekend trip inventory consists of tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, cooking gear (stove, fuel, pots, cup, bowl, spoon, fork, etc.), food and snacks, water and water purifier, rain gear/hat, light fleece, extra socks, camp slippers, change of underwear and tee shirt and personal care items. Also tucked in the pack were wallet, camera, glasses, night stick, headlight and first aid kit as well as storage and trash bags. Yeah, I know, I've just got to cut down on my gear! All of this stuff fit quite nicely in the DevaTM 60 with room to space.

Getting to all of it though was sometimes not so nice! When all the large bulky items are externally lashed, the side pockets are almost impossible to access, even by another person. I never did use the side zippers to access the inside contents of the DevaTM 60. However, the top front access was more than adequate for me when setting up camp. I tried not to pack the small items that I would need on the trail in the main body of the pack, using the fanny pack/lid mostly for easiest access. The drawstring pouch under the fanny pack/lid was a great place to stash my rain gear, keeping it readily available.

The detachable fanny pack/lid of the DevaTM 60 worked out really neat on side trips when I didn't need all of the gear in the Gregory DevaTM 60. Since I kept most of the small items that I use on the trail in it anyway, it was handy to just unbuckle the lid from the main pack and with a couple of adjustments, be on my way. The big drawback though was the lack of provision for water. This lack limited my usage of the pack to very short jaunts or hiking with someone willing to carry enough water for the both of us.

I felt like a contortionist trying to use the water bottle holster and finally gave up and solely used the water bladder compartment with a hose. This worked wonderfully and I prefer sipping as I go anyway. My 2 qt ( 1.89 l) water bladder takes up a negligible amount of the space inside the pack and is securely held by the DevaTM 60's dedicated water bladder pouch.

The Gregory DevaTM 60 Women's Pack was very comfortable to hike with fully loaded. The hip belt moved with me so smoothly that I never felt like I was in a straight jacket as I have with some other pack. It seemed to go with me rather than I go with it. The shoulder straps never seemed to dig into my body - all the weight was supported by the hip belt.

A big plus that I found with the Gregory Deva^TM 60 Women's Pack is the ventilated back panel. I sweat very easily when I hike even in the winter and this feature was great for helping me keep cooler. If there was any breeze at all, my back could make use of it.

After 4 months, the Gregory Deva^TM 60 Women's Pack has experienced a moderate amount of abuse and it still looks almost brand new. Granted, I have yet to expose the pack to any torrential downpours, so I can't testify as to its water resistance, even though I did trudge through a couple of snow showers. And I am very careful with my gear, so I haven't dumped it in the mud, dragged it over sharp rocks or the like. I found that the waterproof bottom was a boon, enabling me to put the Gregory Deva^TM 60 Women's Pack down on snow or wet ground and just a quick wipe would clean and dry it off without any harm down to the pack or its contents. All zippers still work smoothly. All straps are still intact and no buckles have broken or snapped. All-in-all, the workmanship has proved to be excellent in the Gregory Deva^TM 60 Women's Pack

Summary    <back to top>

Pros:


Well-made and rugged pack which can take normal abuse without showing any signs of strain.
Very comfortable support during long hikes on any trail.
Lots of storage options for maximum use of pockets, lashings, etc.
Detachable "lid" doubles as a daypack for quick hikes from base camp.

Cons:


Initially confusing to pack and re-pack due to multiple straps and buckles which are not intuitive to match up.
No easy options for snowshoe or ski portage.
Like all top-loading packs, access to the contents of the entire pack is difficult.

The Gregory Deva^TM 60 Women's Pack is a well-made, sturdy pack that holds more than I thought it would when I first got it. The numerous external options for packing allows me to pack my biggest items outside the pack and keep the interior available for all the smaller stuff.

The hip belt system for the Deva^TM 60 is so very supportive and the ability to customize this pack so specifically makes the Deva^TM 60 a pleasure to use. A great mid-sized pack, is my conclusion!

Thank you to Gregory Mountain Products and Backpackgeartest.org for allowing me to test the Gregory Deva^TM 60 Women's Pack.

Kathleen Waters

Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Gregory Deva 2006 > Kathleen Waters > Long Term Report