Initial Report

December 12, 2003

WM Electra Pack

Manufacturer: Gregory Mountain Products

URL: http://www.gregorypacks.com

Year of Manufacture: 2004

Listed Weight (size Small): 5 pounds, 15 ounces (2.7 kg)

Actual Weight (size Small): 6 pounds, 9 ounces (2.98 kg)

Volume:  4350 cubic inches (71 L)

Color: Formula Red

Tester:  Emma Eyeball

Tester Biography can be found at the end of the report.

Product Description:  a full-featured internal frame women’s backpack.  It features Gregory’s Adventure Suspension, Auto-Cant harness, Adjust-A-Cant™ waistbelt, Flo•Form® II waistbelt padding, and the Flo•Form® II women's shoulder harness.  It also has a detachable top pocket that converts into a waist pack, side access zippers, a sleeping bag compartment with separate zipper, and 2 vertical front pockets that zip open lengthwise.

Arrival:  the Electra arrived on my doorstep in a large cardboard box.  Inside, the pack was wrapped in a clear plastic bag.  The hangtag was attached.  All buckles were buckled together and all zippers were closed.  It was in pristine condition. 

First Impressions and Construction:  My first thought was “Alright!  I got it in red!”  I pulled the pack out of the box, de-bagged it, and proceeded to inspect it. It appears beautifully sewn, with no raw edges or dangling threads apparent.  The only problem that appeared straight out of the box was that Gregory had shipped me a pack with a size Small waistbelt, not a size Medium as I had requested (based on the measurements provided on Gregory’s website).   After a phone consultation with the folks at Gregory, it was determined that the Small waistbelt fit me well enough that I decided not to bother with switching it out, although Gregory made it clear that I can switch the belt at any time during the test if I decide that is necessary.

It’s one thing to read a list of the features offered on a pack, and quite another to see and play with them in person.  Following is my description of the pack, piece by piece.

The detachable top lid features a water-resistant zipper for its single pocket.  I took it off of the main pack and placed my first aid kit, ten essentials bag (light, compass, etc.), Marmot Precip, a Nalgene 1 Liter bottle, and 5 Clif bars into it.  It all fit quite well and I could easily squeeze a few more small items inside.  The straps that attach the lid to the packbag can also buckle together and so for kicks I used them to strap a rolled-up sleeping pad to it.  This worked very well!  As a lumbar pack, the belt fits a little too high, actually above my bellybutton.  But it fits nicely against my back and is quite stable, with very little bouncing even when I jumped up and down while wearing it.  I have already worn it for a dayhike of about 4 miles and was quite pleased with it.

The side compression straps are interesting.  Instead of two separate straps on each side, the compression strap is a single piece of webbing that attaches at one point nearer the base of the pack, loops through a side-release buckle that is attached to the pack nearer the harness, and then attaches to a point that is higher up on the pack, forming kind of a triangle of attachment points.  I assume this buckled compression strap is intended to give easier access to the zippered openings found on each side of the pack, since the strap runs right over them.

There are two seventeen-inch-long, semi-cylindrical, vertically zippered pockets on the front of the pack (by “front” I mean the side opposite from the harness).  These pockets also feature water-resistant zippers.  It took some creative shoving, but I was able to fill these two pockets with my first aid kit, 10 essentials bag, woolen cap, gloves, spare socks and MSR Miniworks water filter.  Of course the results didn’t look nearly as pretty and smooth as in the photo on Gregory’s website, but that’s reality for you!

The main packbag seems huge, and was able to accommodate a 2-person tent, 2 self-inflating sleeping pads, a stove, sleeping bag, a cookpot, and enough clothing for 2 adults (including 2 down jackets), with ample room to spare. There is an extension/spindrift collar as well.  Inside the main bag, there is a pocket for a water bladder, and an exit port for the drinking tube.  There is only one exit port, on the right side, so you have no choice in which shoulder the tube drapes over.  The port is a beautiful piece of work – it isn’t just a buttonhole like I’ve seen on so many packs, but a fully sewn opening with a little miniature fabric hood over it.  There is a divider for the sleeping bag compartment, which can be unbuckled but cannot be completely removed.  The zippers for the sleeping bag compartment and both of the side access openings are not water-resistant but are covered by a protective flap of fabric. 

There is a canted water bottle holder attached near the bottom on the right side of the pack.  It is on the packbag, not on the waistbelt.  It is sized correctly for the ubiquitous Nalgene 1 L bottle and holds the bottle in a horizontal position.  There is an elastic cord that is intended to wrap around the top of the bottle to keep it from slipping forward out of the holder.  It seems to work well, although it took some practice in front of a mirror before I could get the bottle into the holder without having to take the pack off.  This is a nice option for people who prefer bottles to drinking tubes, or perhaps for carrying a fuel bottle on the outside of the pack.  I plan on using the holder for the test, but in reality I don’t think this is a feature I would use much. Time will tell.

The packbag is constructed of two different types of fabric – a 210 denier nylon ripstop that Gregory calls “double box HT nylon,” and an almost vinyl-feeling black fabric called “Shelter-Rite®.”  I ran a quick search on Shelter-Rite, and it is a PVC-coated fabric that is used in a wide variety of products, especially in architectural applications like huge permanent tents and air hangars.  The Shelter-Rite is primarily found on the back and bottom of the pack, although it is also incorporated into a decorative touch on the shoulder straps (when I say “back,” I am referring to the portion of the pack that attaches to the suspension).

The harness is fairly easily adjusted.  Adjusting the shoulder straps to the proper torso length is very easy – the straps are held into a slot by a thin metal triglide (slider) that the strap is sewn onto.  Simply slide your hand behind the slot, pull the strap back a little bit, tip the triglide and slip it out through the slot.  Slip it into the proper slot and voila!  You have adjusted the strap up or down.  Each shoulder strap attaches to a semi-triangular piece of plastic that is then attached to the pack by what looks like a metal snap.  This metal attachment point allows the plastic piece to pivot left or right, to cause the strap to rest at the proper angle for an individual’s shoulders.  It seems like a nice, well-thought-out feature. 

The waistbelt presented much more work for adjustment.  This is the Adjust-A-Cant™ waistbelt, which means that if the belt is not properly following the angle of one’s hips, it can be adjusted to different angles.  I wanted to check what setting the belt was at, so I attempted to remove the waistbelt.   I peeked behind the lumbar pad and saw what appeared to be metal snaps, so I tried to open them with my fingers.  No way.  I pulled and wiggled and worked.  Then I thought “Well, maybe I’m doing something wrong.”  So I opened up the hangtag instructions in hopes that they would enlighten me.  On page 7, under “waistbelt cant adjustment,” it says “see page 6, waistbelt size, for instructions on removing the waistbelt.”  But on page 6 there was absolutely no mention of how to remove the belt.  So to the Gregory website I went. 

Here is what the Gregory site says about adjusting the waistbelt:  “Release the front waist belt buckle and remove the side stabilizer straps. Using your hand, release the Velcro® attaching the waist belt to the pack and slide the belt out from under the lumbar pad. Split the waist belt into two pieces by releasing the Velcro®. Place the pads around your hips, with the top edge of the pad approximately 1” above the top of your hip shelf. Make sure the pads are centered. Securely reattach the Velcro® to join the pads and reinstall into the pack, making sure the belt is positioned as low as possible in the back panel.”

Problem #1:  there is no Velcro® anywhere on the hipbelt or the hipbelt attachment.  It is attached using metal snaps.  Actually, these instructions do not seem to match up with the construction of the belt at all.  I cannot see how I would separate the belt into two pieces, and I’m not sure that the belt on the Electra is removable without tools.  The belt pads are removable, but the plastic belt frame seems to be bolted onto the pack frame.  These instructions obviously apply to a different waistbelt or to an older model. 

Problem #2:  I simply do not have the manual strength to undo the snaps.  I had to enlist my husband, jar-opener and un-snapper extraordinaire.  With his help, I was able to get the belt pads off and check the cant setting.  I found that the cant was set as low as possible, and since I had actually wanted to try and set the cant even lower, I made no adjustment.  I did compare the belt to the illustration on page 7 of the hangtag, and the instructions there seemed quite clear and easily followed. 

Performance:  After all the waistbelt drama, it was time to load up the pack and see how it felt.  I crammed it with about 35 pounds of assorted gear (2-body tent, 2 sleeping pads, sleeping bag, heavy multi-fuel stove, filter, grown-up and baby backpacking clothes, other miscellania) and started wearing it around the house.  When I put it on, I couldn’t believe how comfortable it felt.  The lumbar pad sat squarely on the flat spot in the back of my hips, and after some fiddling the shoulder straps sat gently against the front of my shoulders.  The load felt a little floppy, but then I cinched up the stabilizer straps and immediately understood what they mean by “stabilizer.” Holy cow.  I’ve never felt such a dramatic difference from such a small adjustment.  I wore it for an hour as I cooked dinner and did light housework.  I cut vegetables, went up and down the stairs, and stepped over toddler safety gates, all while wearing the Electra.  I honestly hardly noticed the pack was there except for when it would bump the wall as I tilted to step over a gate.  The pack does not pull me backwards at all, and the packbag is designed so that it arcs slightly forward as it rises over the shoulders, placing the weight over my center of gravity rather than simply allowing it to rise straight up and thus begin to pull back.  I did not have to bend forward even slightly as I wore the pack.  I have not had the chance to wear this pack on the trail yet, but now I am looking forward to using it even more than I was before!

Field Information: I will be using the Electra throughout southern California and in northern Arizona.  I have several desert trips planned in the next few months, which require carrying lots of heavy water, and if we get the permits we will be doing a rim-to-rim-to-rim trip in the Grand Canyon next April.  Several of these trips will include my son, so I will be carrying his gear as well and probably most of my husband’s gear, too, which will push the gear weight alone up to nearly 30 pounds.  I plan on learning to snowshoe this winter, and the Electra will carry my snow-camping gear.  As far as weather goes, I expect to encounter temperatures up to the high 90’s and hopefully below freezing.  Rain is a strong possibility, especially if I am able to visit some of our coastal mountains this winter. 

Test Plan:  My primary aims in this test are to determine if the extra features are worth their weight, and whether the pack is truly suited to the female form.  All features will be examined and used, with special concern as to how necessary they are.  

Summary/Concerns/Suggestions:  Overall, this seems like an excellent pack, just excellent.  It is well constructed and has a lot of features.  I have only one major concern, and that is the significant difference between its actual weight and the weight Gregory claims for it.  My Electra is 10 ounces heavier than it should be.  I was so surprised by this that I took it off of the scale and double-checked to make sure I hadn’t accidentally left anything inside of it.  I plan on double-checking this weight when I have access to another scale, but I was weighing additional items at the same time and they were all very true to what I knew they were supposed to weigh, so I fear the weight of 6 pounds 9 ounces (2.98 kg) is correct.

Another suggestion is to consider making the water bottle holder removable, since many people prefer not to bother with bottles anymore.  Gregory should also correct the hangtag by adding the information that should be on page six about removing the waistbelt, as well as updating its website to reflect that the waist belt is attached by metal snaps and not by Velcro®.

Tester Biography

Name: Emma Eyeball
Age: 28
Gender: Female
Height: 5'8" (1.7 meters)
Weight: 130 lbs. (59 kg.)
E-mail: tarbubble at yahoo dot com
Area: Orange County
State: California
Country: USA

About Me: I hike and backpack primarily in Southern California, in deserts, mountains and most everything in-between.  Trails run the full spectrum – rocky, eroded, rutted, overgrown, and sometimes nicely maintained.  I've been hiking since I was a kid, backpacking since I was 20.  I used to be a casual, occasional weekend backpacker, but in the last 2 years have gotten much more serious about it.  I go solo when I can, but more often I am out with my husband and toddler son (yes, we take him backpacking).  I would say I am a very open-minded backpacker, and am comfortable with a minimum of extras.  I enjoy simplicity in my equipment. I used to say  “I'm out there for the walking - everything else is peripheral,” but as my son approaches an age where hiking all day with him becomes almost impossible, I may grow to appreciate time in camp a bit more.