Gregory Electra
Initial 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:	December 19, 2003
Torso:	15 1/2” (39.37 cm)
Waist:	25” (64 cm)
Pack Size:	Small

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 South 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 2 ½ and I have the opportunity to begin backpacking 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 strictly lightweight.  

Product Information:

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

 
Product Arrival:

The Gregory Electra pack arrived in a tall brown box and wrapped in plastic.  A pamphlet containing product information and specifications was attached to the pack.

Initial Inspection:

The Gregory Electra pack in the Small size is 4365 cu in (72 L).  It is designed to carry loads up to 65 pounds (29.48 kg).  One of the first things I realize about this pack is its many features and options.  I also notice how good looking the pack is.

Listed Features:
Top, side, and bottom access

Water resistant top pocket zipper

Two cylinder shaped front pockets

Canted water bottle holder

210d "double box" HT nylon body

Shelter-Rite® bottom

Hydration sleeve with port  

Access Options:

This is a feature of the Gregory Electra I am very excited about.  The Electra offers top, side and bottom access.  The top access point has dual drawstring closures and a clip. The side access points are on both sides of the pack and zippered.  The sleeping back compartment is accessible through a zipper on the bottom of the pack.  Ultimately, I have four different options when I need to reach something in the pack.

Top Flap and Lumbar Pack:

At the top of the pack is a cover with a pocket in it.  I immediately notice the depth of this pocket.  The pocket on my weekend pack is shallow and does not hold much more than a trail map.  The Electra’s pocket seems a lot more practical and has a zipper that is also water resistant.  Additionally, the top flap is easily removable and converts into a lumbar pack.  To release the top flap, I unclip the four straps that connect it to the body of the pack.  On the underside of the flap, there is a stow pocket which holds the straps to make the lumbar pack.  I pull these out of the pocket and I am ready to go.  The lumbar pack fits comfortably in the small of my back.

Body:

Inside the body of the Gregory Electra is a hydration pocket to hold my water bladder.  There is also a port at the top to give the option of running a hose from the water bladder to the outside of the pack for drinking.  I am curious how this affects the water resistance of the pack.  The top flap does cover the hole, but it seems it would still be easier for water to get inside with this. The port appears to be larger than what I have seen on other packs. 

The Gregory Electra also has two long pockets with water resistant zippers on the front. As mentioned earlier, the body of this pack has zippered access points on each side which are not water resistant.  They do have flaps covering them, but it struck me as odd that these zippers would not be water resistant as well.

 There are 5 loops running length wise down the front, center of the pack for attaching gear.  Additionally there are compression straps on each side of this pack which are really unique.  Instead of having 2 or 3 separate compression straps on each side, there is one strap that zigzags on each side down the body of the pack.  Since the compression straps cross over the side access panels, there is a clip attaching the strap to the bag.  All I have to is undo this clip and I can reach my side access.  I do not need to adjust the straps at all.  When I finish reaching inside the Electra, I can clip the strap back to the pack.  This places the compression as it was, without having to readjust anything. 

Sleeping Bag Compartment and Bottom of Pack:

Inside the Gregory Electra, there is a divider which can be used to separate the bottom of the pack from the main body creating a sleeping bag compartment.  There is also access to this compartment through the front of the bag.  Like the zipper on the side access panels, this zipper is not water resistant, but has flaps covering it.  There are compression straps which start at the back underside of the pack, come across the underside, and up to attach at the top of the sleeping bag compartment.  The compression straps also double as straps that appear to be able to hold a sleeping pad or similar item to the underside of the pack.  Similar to the compression straps on the sides of the pack, these have a clip which attaches the straps to the body of the pack.  When I need to get into the sleeping bag compartment, I unclip the straps and unzip the zipper.  When finished, I can clip the straps back on to the bag and not need to adjust the compression.  At the bottom of the pack are two ice axe loops.  I don’t know that I will have many instances where I will be carrying an ice axe in South Louisiana, but they appear to be great for attaching gear.  There is a water bottle holder on one side of the pack and a netted pocket on the other.  

Suspension & Adjustments: 
The suspension system is full of features designed to help carry a load more easily.  The primary features of the suspension are the Auto-Cant harness, the Adjust-A-Cant waistbelt, the Flo-Form II waistbelt padding and shoulder harness.  The Auto-Cant harness is designed to allow the shoulder straps to move with my body while I am hiking. It also allows me to adjust the pack by moving the shoulder strap between two slots (up or down) on the back of the pack.  The Adjust-A-Cant feature is designed to allow the hipbelt to be repositioned to fit the shape of my body.  In the waistbelt and shoulder straps, the Flo-Form II padding works like “memory foam” in snow ski boots and rollerblades.  It is designed to mold to my shape.  I am looking forward to breaking in these straps to see how this works.  I ski and really appreciate this feature in my ski boots.  It seems to be a great idea for the harness and waistbelt.

Initial Use:

My initial use of the Gregory Electra  consisted primarily of adjusting the fit of the pack and investigating the features of it.   I took the pack to work and loaded 2.8 pounds (1.13 kg) in the sleeping bag compartment and 19.6 pounds (8.79 kg) in the body of the pack.  The pack was not fitting at all.  It was not riding where it was supposed to on my back and when I put the shoulder straps and the hipbelt in the correct position it would bow in the middle.  Although I was familiar with the Adjust-A-Cant feature, I did not think it would help solve this problem.  I thought the pack was too big.  After contacting Gregory customer service, I was told to work with the Adjust-A-Cant.  Once I was home, I loaded the pack with 25 pounds (11.34 kg).  This time I adjusted the cant on the waistbelt.  I did this by reaching beneath the lumbar support and unsnapping the snaps that held the waistbelt padding in place.  One more buckle needed to be undone, and I could remove the padding.  There were two screws on each side of the panel. I removed these with a screwdriver and placed the screws into the top hole on the Adjust-A-Cant panel.  I then put everything back together and put the pack on.  What a difference.  The pack fit really well and felt great.  I really liked the support I felt in the small of my back.  Unfortunately, even though the pack fit, the shoulder straps were still too big.  Though the shoulder straps were big, I walked around the house for a while with the pack on.  It really felt comfortable and supported the load really well.  I’m looking forward to seeing what it can do with the heavier load it is designed to handle. 

I am a big fan of simple pleasures and the canted water bottle holder is already appearing to be one of those.  While I had the pack on, my husband put a Nalgene bottle in the holder to see how it fit.  When I reached for it, I was happy to see how easily accessible it was.  I then said to my husband sarcastically, “Now let’s see if it actually goes back in.”  To my surprise, my Nalgene slid right in without me even having to look at the holder.  It also did not get in my way or hit against my arm when I walked around with the pack on and the water bottle in it.  I do carry a water bladder, but only as extra water.  I do not use a hose on my hydration bladder.  It will be nice to actually be able to reach my water bottle.  Usually my husband has to hand it to me.

Customer Service:
 I generally would not make more than a small mention of satisfactory customer service, but Gregory really impressed me.  My emails and phone calls were answered immediately.  The customer service representative I dealt with went out of his way to make an exchange of components easy and quick. When we couldn’t make a component swap locally, I was asked to send the shoulder straps back to Gregory where they would in turn send me the smaller size.  I sent the components out today.  I am really interested to see how long it takes to receive the replacements.   I work in the outdoor industry and have dealt with other manufacturer’s reps.  When contacting some companies I can’t even get a real person on the phone. It was refreshing to deal with a company and a rep that was so willing to help.    
 
Testing Strategy:

I plan to use this pack on a series of weekend trips in Louisiana and Mississippi.  I am also planning on a longer trip in the spring in Louisiana.  On these trips, I will be carrying my gear and my son’s.  I will be carrying loads of 30 + pounds (13.61 + kg).

Concerns:

I don’t have any real concerns.  The Gregory Electra appears to be a great pack.  I am interested in the weight distribution of this pack.  Will it distribute the weight to my hips?  I will also be taking note of how the shoulder straps fit.  Will they give me hot spots anywhere? I am curious about the suspension system.  So far, it seems to really support the load and ride comfortably on my back.  I am also interested in how many of the features on this pack are truly beneficial to me.  I want to know if the extras are worth the weight.  How much do they add to comfort and convenience?  The water resistance of the pack is a concern of mine.  Will the zippers that are not water resistant let water in the bag in a light rain?  How about the hydration port?

Things I Like:

*  Multiple access points
*  Apparent support of the suspension system
*  Water bottle holder

Things I Don’t Like:

*  The larger hydration port
*  The weight of the pack (possibly)