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Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Gregory G-Pack 2005 > Coy Starnes > Long Term ReportGregory G™ Pack
Long Term Report January 23, 2006  Author hiking with overloaded G-Pack
Tester Bio I live in North East Alabama. I enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, and most other outdoor activities but backpacking is my favorite pastime. I enjoy hiking with friends and family or solo. I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. However I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability. A typical 3-season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water. I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove. My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length. Product Information
Product Description The G™ Pack is one of seven packs in the Anti-Gravity Series of packs. As the name implies, Anti-Gravity series packs are Gregory's answer to the growing demand for lighter weight packs. The G™ Pack is not the biggest or smallest pack in the series, but it is the smallest that I would consider a full-fledged multi-day pack. The smaller packs are more like summit or daypacks. Gregory describes the series as: "Slip into something more comfortable. A lightweight pack that shaves weight at the expense of comfort and fit is hardly a technical advancement. Gregory’s Anti-Gravity Series subscribes to a new theory of weight reduction. New fabrics and weight-saving features allow these packs to retain the technical prowess, load carrying comfort, and stability that fastpackers, alpinists, adventure racers, and other ultralight fanatics crave—at an ounce count that’s competitive with the lightest packs available today. Pull a G Pack™ off the rack; its silicone impregnated pack fabric is 75% lighter than other fabrics. Play around with a Z Pack™; its removable suspension system allows you to customize support for different loads. All Anti-Gravity packs prioritize the features you need—and none you don’t. Now that’s forward progress." It goes on to describe the G™ Pack as: "COMPLETELY UPDATED FOR 2005. Think Z Pack™, streamlined. Minimalist to the core, the G™ Pack has been completely updated to include our new Wraptor™ Stabilizer and Exo•Frame™ Technologies. Designed for the weight conscious, the G™ Pack spans a wide activity range." I would add, The G™ Pack is the smallest and lightest overnight pack I have used to date. It uses small hardware, straps and zippers etc to reduce weight. However, when looking over the pack, it looked sturdily built, and tugging hard on the material and seams gave me confidence that it would handle any abuse I could dish out. My biggest challenge was to par my multi-day loads down to fit within the capacity and weight limitations this pack is design to handle. Now that I have used it I will have to say it was up the challenge. For a much more detailed look at the components and features of the G™ Pack please see my Initial Report. For earlier testing and performance in milder weather see my Field Report. Testing Locations and Conditions During the past few months I have used the G™ Pack on another 3-day hike as well as several more overnight hikes, both here in North East Alabama and Southern Tennessee. While hiking I have been rained on a few times and the temperatures have ranged form around 70 F (21 C) to a cool 17 F (-8 C). Trail conditions have varied from fairly mild to pretty wild (rocks moving underfoot, steep dissents, blowdowns etc), and with rain, some have been muddy and slick. Long Term Test Results As I reported earlier the G™ Pack has been a great pack. Now, with several more miles of hiking under heavier winter loads, my opinion is the same. I made several short overnight hikes while testing a new bag and some other gear. However, this did not really stress the pack or me so I wont go into the details but will instead just concentrate on my last long hike. My last hike with the G™ Pack was 22 miles (35.4 km). I was on a 3-day hike at Savage Gulf in Tennessee. I weighed my pack with all my gear and food and it was 28 lbs (13 kg). I switched pads at the last minute at the trailhead thanks to a friend who brought me Stephenson’s DAM (down air mattress) that saved me about one pound (.45 kg). I ended up with about 27 lb (12 kg) on my back and another 3 lbs (1.4 kg) in my fanny pack (camera, water, and snacks). We hiked 9 miles (14.5 km) on the first day and I found the pack felt fine, though I was starting to tire a little towards the end. The next day was a lot tougher on me but the pack did its job without complaint. I forgot my hiking poles and had to be very careful on the steep downhill sections because it was slick in places from recent rains and in other places the rocks would move as I place my foot on them. At the end of the 11 mile (18 km) day I was tired, my feet hurt and the pack was starting to make my shoulder hurt a little. I don’t think any of this is really the pack''s fault (nor the boot's) but more from my not being able to hike any for the previous month and being out of shape. I was packing around 2 lbs (1 kg) over the 25 lb (11 kg) weight limit specified by Gregory for the G™ Pack. I had the top lid, main compartment, bucket pocket and both side pocket stuffed full but the pack did not flinch. All seams on the main pack compartment were stretched tight and the 3 mesh external pockets were bulging with gear. At rest breaks I generally took off the pack and flopped it down on the best surface (rock or ground) available or maybe wedged against a rock or tree to keep it from taking an unwanted tumble down the hill. The pack really had an excuse to fail me but thankfully it did not. I mentioned using the Stephenson’s DAM pad but I will relate my experiences with the other pads I have used. My choices were a 27 x 72 x 3/8 (69 x 183 x 1 cm) closed cell foam pad or a self-inflating 25 x 72 x 1.5 in (64 x 183 x 4 cm) pad. Both could be rolled to approximately the same size and I used both on different outings. I carried whichever one I needed at the time across the top of the pack, under the top lid (see photo at the top of this report). This worked well but I know a few times I knocked the pad loose. I would just stop and slide it back in the center position. With the DAM I borrowed on the last hike I did not have this problem. Of course the DAM took up room inside my pack that the other pads did not but I much preferred this to having my pad sticking out. I mentioned it rained a few times on my hikes. While I usually used an umbrella if it rained hard, I walked in light rain for over an hour on my last hike. Not only that, my tarp was wet when packed that morning. I checked my pack later when I got home and everything was dry inside. The shoulder straps were damp but I put my pack outside and hung the tarp to dry everything back out. The shape of the top lid and the silicone impregnated pack fabric seemded to offer good rain protection and it was nice to not worry about my gear getting wet. Summary The G™ Pack was outstanding for all my summer loads. I hardly noticed the pack with loads of 20 lb (9 kg) or less. It also did a good job with loads right at the recommended limit. Even when I had to carry more than the pack is designed for it still did a good job. Sure, I noticed the pack more and even got a little achy in the shoulders at the end of a long day but I feel that any complaints of said loads are not fair. The G™ Pack was up to all the challenges I threw its way and does in fact meet the claim that it is "Designed for the weight conscious, the G™ Pack spans a wide activity range." and "It's designed for fast and light activities with sub 25-pound (11 kg) loads." I would like to thank BackpackGearTest and Gregory for the opportunity to participate in this test. Read more reviews of Gregory gear Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Gregory G-Pack 2005 > Coy Starnes > Long Term Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||