Gregory Electra
Field Report

Biography

Name:	Ashlee Gunter
Age:	27
Gender:	Female
Height:	5’ 1” (1.52 m)
Weight:	110 lb (50 kg)
Email Address:	n8trlvr76(at)yahoo(dot)com
City, State:	Baton Rouge (Denham Springs), LA
Date:	February 18, 2004
Torso:	15 1/2” (39.37 cm)
Waist:	25” (64 cm)
Pack Size:	Small with XS shoulder straps

Backpacking Background

I have been backpacking and hiking in one form or another most of my life.  Actually, I was car camping before I was born.  Growing up, my Father was a Boy Scout Leader.  He would load my sister and me up with packs, just like the guys and take us along with him on their trips.  As I’ve grown, I’ve had the opportunity to hike and backpack in Florida, Utah and Idaho, and now presently Louisiana and Mississippi.  I’ve hiked terrain from high desert to swamp.  I do not really have much experience or desire for winter mountaineering. I spent the majority of the past four years either pregnant or caring for a young child.  As a result, I have been limited to primarily day hiking for the past few years.  My son is now 3 and I have had the opportunity to backpack again. It is really fun getting back into it and I wonder how I was satisfied with just day hiking the past few years.  Because of a busy life, my trips are still limited mostly to day or weekend trips.  My son joins us on most of our trips.  As a result of this, lightweight compact gear is essential for us, although I would not classify myself as a true ultralight backpacker.  

Product Information
 

Manufacturer:	Gregory Mountain Products
Website:	www.gregorypacks.com
Year of Manufacture:	2004
Listed Weight:	5.7 lb (2.47 kg)
Actual Weight:	6.2 lb (2.78 kg)
MSRP:	$299

Test Locations

I tested the Gregory Electra in the Kisatchie National Forest in Northern Louisiana.  It has varied terrain with hills and sandstone rock.  When I was there, it was pretty muddy from recent rainfall, but it does not have the wetness of the marshes and swamps typical to Louisiana.  The temperatures ranged from around 55 degrees (12.78 C) during the day to between 25 and 30 degrees (-3.88 - -1.10 C) at night.  I also used the lid/fanny pack portion of the pack on day hikes and while trail running locally.  These were moist trails in marsh and low lying areas.   Daytime temperatures ranged from 70 degrees (21.11 C) to about 55 degrees (12.78 C).
Fitting the Pack

I initially received a size Small pack with Small components.  I was having a difficult time fitting the pack and suspected the shoulder straps to be the problem.  Gregory packs allow for the shoulder and hipbelt components to be interchanged for a better fit.  This is a feature I really like.  It enabled me to fit the Electra just as I needed it to.  I spoke with Gregory Customer Service, and it was arranged for me to swap the shoulder straps for a size Extra Small.  The hipbelt was only available in a Small, so I kept it.  After the swap, the pack fit great.  The back of the pack contoured my back.  My only complaint is that I wish the hipbelt was available in an Extra Small as well.  I can tighten the hipbelt where I need it without a problem, but it is tightened just about all the way.  There isn’t much more room to go any tighter.  Just recently, I have put on a few pounds.  If I had tried this pack a year ago, I think it would probably be too big in the hipbelt and I wonder what would happen if I lost some weight.

Field Information

Loading the Pack:
It took me a minute to figure out the best way to load the Electra.  Not only was it my first use with this pack, but it was also my first trip with my son in tow.  In the sleeping bag compartment, I put my sleeping bag in a compression sack.  It took a minimal effort to get it in the compartment.  I kept the divider fastened, so next I loaded from the top.  Directly above the sleeping bag compartment, I placed my Neat Sheet folded into a square.  On top of the Neat Sheet, I placed a sleeping pad compressed into a small stuff sack.  I then placed a large compression sack with my son’s sleeping bag, Pull Ups for bedtime, extra clothes for both of us and the rain flap for our tent in the pack.  A 3 Liter Platypus Big Zip was placed in the hydration sleeve.  I then loaded from the top miscellaneous extras such as my coffee mug, a Frisbee, and fuel.  In the top flap, I loaded a change of pants, underwear and socks for my son who still has “accidents” at times, some GORP, my trail journal, my son’s flashlight and other small items.  In the outside pockets, I placed camper’s toilet paper in one with a shovel and my headlamp, stove and a camera in the other.  On the outside of the pack I used the side compression straps to strap my tent poles and a basic hammock to the right side of the pack.  I liked the ease of being able to unclip the compression straps to access these things instead of having to pull them from under the straps. Since I use my hydration sleeve to carry extra water and don’t use a hose to drink out of, I carried a 32 ounce (946 ml) wide mouth Nalgene in the water bottle holster.  My husband carried the other half of the tent, our food and first aid kit with his gear. 

Access Options:
Initially, I was excited about the different access options on the Gregory Electra.  I still value these options, but it seems I have not used them as I would have thought I would.  My current pack is older and does not have a sleeping bag compartment.  I truly appreciated being able to get my sleeping bag in and out at camp without having to unload my entire pack. The bottom access came in handy, but I was surprised how little I used the side access.  I thought this was really neat when I first saw the Electra, but it turned out that I did not use it much.  Most of my stuff was in a compression sack, so I would not be able to get to it without pulling the sack out.  Anything I wanted quick access to I loaded in the top flap or outside pockets.  I could see where I may use this on a longer trip where I may have more stuff I want quick access to, but I’m not too sure.  It seems everything I would want would still be able to fit in the pockets.

In the Field:
On this trip, my pack weight ranged from 35 - 40 pounds (15.88 - 18.14 kg) including the weight of the pack.  I am a small woman, and this generally would be a lot of weight for me.  I put the pack on and was immediately impressed with the way the Gregory Electra supported this weight.  I had absolutely no problem carrying this pack.  After a little hiking, I noticed the pack was pulling some on my shoulders.  I tightened on the hip belt and made some adjustments in the shoulder straps.  This immediately shifted the weight to my hips and the pack fit comfortable on my back.  I especially like the way it felt in the lumbar area of my back.  The extra padding and support was really nice. 

Since I was hiking with a three year old, I wound up moving in ways I normally would not when backpacking. For example, I had to do things like reach down to tie shoes and zip zippers, hold onto the back of my son’s shoulders or arms to steer him around mud, and even had to carry him in my arms on occasion.  It was great to find I could move easily in the ways I needed to.  The only strain I felt were the times I had to pick him up.  I would expect this with any pack though.

While we were on our trip, we experienced a frost.  Since there was no forecast for rain, I had left the pack sitting out instead of tucking it under the vestibule of my tent.  In the morning, the pack and everything else I had left out had frost covering it.  Because of Louisiana’s high humidity, anything with frost on it becomes wet as it starts to thaw.  It does not dry and seems to stay wet indefinitely.  This gave me a great chance to test the water resistance of the Electra.  I found that no moisture soaked through the pack, and everything inside stayed dry.

In my initial review, I had expressed some question as to whether the extra features of the Gregory Electra were useful or not.  I found that most of them were.  I appreciated having a hydration pouch.  Although I do not use a hose to drink out of, it was nice to keep my water secured in one location. The depth in the pocket in the lid of the Electra is another feature I like.  I was able to put quite a bit of useful items in there.  The ability to convert the lid to a lumbar pack proved useful to me which I cover in more detail in the next section.  One feature that initially impressed me wound up to be a disappointment.  This is the water bottle holster.  When I first received the pack, I placed my Nalgene in it and withdrew it.  To my surprise, I was able to slip it back in the holster without much effort.  I was looking forward to having this kind of access to my water.  When I was on the trail, I was not able to get the bottle back into the holster on my own.  I must have got lucky when I tried it at home because while hiking, my husband had to put it back in for me every time I withdrew it.   

Lumbar pack:
I used the lumbar pack independently for a couple of little hikes and trail runs.  A typical load consisted of my 3 Liter Platypus Big Zip filled half way and folded in half, my cell phone and car keys, a small notepad and pen, a Powerbar and a Neat Sheet.  Everything fit in the pack great and I was impressed how much I was able to put in the pack.  I was able to fit it very comfortably on the small of my back.  I found the lumbar pack is better suited for walking and hiking as opposed to trail running.  When I ran with it on, it flopped around quite a bit.  I found this annoying and will probably not use it for trail running anymore.

Customer Service (Follow Up to Initial Report)

As a follow up, in my Initial Review, I commented on my satisfaction with Gregory customer service.  At the time, I had sent the Small components back to Gregory and was waiting for the Extra Small components to be sent to me. I had been offered for Gregory to expedite shipping, but since I did not need them immediately I opted for the regular shipping the average customer would get.  I received the new components about three weeks after I sent the Small back to Gregory.  Being as how this was right in the middle of the Christmas rush, I found this time to be impressive. 

Future Test Plans:

I work in the retail industry and this test began in the heart of the Christmas season.  As a result, I was working a lot through much of this initial test period and did not get the field time I would have liked.  Now things have slowed for me, I am looking forward to taking this pack on a few different trips I have planned.  These include a couple of weekend trips in Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as, a longer trip in Northern Louisiana.  There are a few things I will be looking for as I test this pack.  I am especially curious to see if I continue to experience the comfort and great fit as I have up to this point.  Will more time on the trail, or variations in my load affect this?  In the next couple of months, the temperature will be warming up and I will mainly be wearing tank tops when I hike.  Because of the width of most shoulder straps, this usually means the shoulder straps will rub my arms.  I am interested to see if this will be the case in the Gregory Electra.  Since it is a Women’s specific pack, and I know other women have this problem, I wonder if this is something they may have considered when designing the Electra.  I also plan to observe extra features I am still unsure about, such as the water bottle holder and the side access zippers. 

Suggestions:

I have a couple of minor suggestions.  As I mentioned earlier, I would really like to have an Extra Small hipbelt available.  I also think the water bottle holder could be easier to slip a water bottle back into.  It would be nice to be able to do this without assistance.

Likes and Dislikes:

Likes:	Dislikes:
• Excellent suspension system	• Can’t get water bottle back in the holster
• Pockets	• No XS hipbelt
• The ability to swap components