Personal Information:

Leesa Joiner
ljo@midmaine.com
Southwestern Maine
41 years old
Female
5'7" (1.7 M)
150 lb (68 kg)

Background:

My camping, hiking and backpacking experience has included trips varying in length from one day hikes to 2-week trips. My experience hiking began with my father, when I was about 6 years old. We hiked along the river pathways in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. During cold weather, I backpack, hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, go ice fishing and winter camp with friends and family. Although I am not a lightweight backpacker, I am trying to ‘lighten up’ and even have converted to using a hammock while camping. I find that I spend almost as much time outside during the long Maine winters as I do during the summers.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Gregory
Product: Deva 60
Year of manufacture: 2004
URL: http://www.gregorypacks.com

Size: Medium
Listed weight: 5 lb 2 oz (2.3 kg)
Weight as measured: 5.1 lb (2 kg)

    The Deva 60 is advertised by Gregory as a women's overnight pack that is designed to 'fit like a glove'. It offers multiple pockets and top, front and bottom access to keep gear organized.

Field Information:

    The Deva 60 pack has been on many hikes - day, overnight and weekend trips. I find that it is comfortable and easy to carry. There is no annoying shifting or sliding of the pack or straps.
    My first use of the pack was on a day hike with a group of Brownies. There were twelve girls who didn't have much hiking experience. I wanted to make sure that the girls enjoyed themselves, especially since I will be their Junior Girl Scout leader next year. I want to take them on lots of outings, and wanted to make sure they had a good first experience. I carried the first aid kit, tarp, all the lunches, extra water, camera, GPS and binoculars. The girls carried their own snacks and water. It was easy to find things in the pack, because of the top and front zip openings. The outer pockets allowed for quick access to camera, binoculars and GPS. I put half the lunches in the bottom portion of the bag, where I would normally put my sleeping bag, and the rest in the main compartment. The tarp was then placed on the top. This allowed us to set the tarp down, to sit on, and then take out the lunches.
    My second trip with the pack involved an overnight trip. My sons and I hiked for about a .5 mile to a cabin, cooked dinner and went to sleep. In the morning we went for a day hike that was just over 14 miles. We didn't push very hard, stopping to look at anything that caught our eye, to eat or just 'hang out'. The pack was packed with food- lots of food! Water, first aid kit, Keen Sandals, GPS, camera, binoculars, wild plant field guide, mess kit, Brasslite stove, fuel and matches. The pack was a bit heavy, up until lunch time. After we ate most of the food, the pack was much easier to carry! Even loaded the pack was comfortable to carry. Once the load was reduced, it was easy to forget it was even on my back.
    The third trip was a weekend trip to Vermont. Since I had to carry my sleeping bag (I use a Mt. Washington Sleeping Bag, Down 0 F ( -17.7 C) Degree Compressible Expedition Bag with a length of 75 in (190 cm) and a width of 32 in (80 cm). It weighs 4 lb 3 oz (1.9 kg )) and cold weather clothing, I was very careful packing. It was tough getting everything in the pack. I ended up having my older son carry the tent and stove. I was then able to stuff my sleeping bag in the bottom of the pack and all my clothes, water, first aid kit, Keen Sandals, GPS, camera, binoculars, wild plant field guide, mess kit, fuel and matches into the top section and pockets.

    All zippers work smoothly and easily. The pockets are positioned for easy access. I am very impressed with the ease with which this pack's straps and belts adjust. Once adjusted for proper fit, they don't slide out of place. One area that I will be watching for as the temperatures rise, is the chimney ventilation system, finding out whether it really reduces perspiration and discomfort.   Up until now, our weather has been cool and damp. I will also be looking at how well the water hydration system pocket works. I have not found any areas of concern with the Deva 60 pack and am looking forward to using it throughout the summer.

Test Conditions:

       The majority of my testing will be done in northern New England, where current day temperatures are in the 30 to 40 F ( -1 to 4 C) range, with night temperatures falling to the low 20s ( approx. 6 C ). Over the next six months the temperatures I backpack in will rise to close to 100 F (38 C) at times. We are due for a lot of wet hiking this spring, once the frost starts coming up out of the ground. Most of my hiking is done below 3000 ft. (914 M), but the trips to Mt. Washington will be at over 4000 ft (1219 M). There is a wide range of types of terrain on these hikes. Everything from well maintained trails to hiking through heavily wooded areas. At times, the trails follow the rivers' edges, which makes for some wet hiking also. Some trips will involve backpacking into campsites and at other times I will set up camp and hike out from there.

Read more reviews of Gregory gear
Read more gear reviews by Leesa Joiner

Field Report

All material on this site is the exclusive property of BackpackGearTest.org.
BackpackGearTest software copyright David Anderson