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Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Gregory Keeler > Coy Starnes > Initial ReportGregory
Keeler™
Initial Report November 23, 2004  On the trail with the Keeler™
Tester Bio I live outside a small town in northeast Alabama. I enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing and most other outdoor activities. Backpacking is my favorite pastime. I enjoy hiking with my 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 Keeler™ is the newest of four packs in the Escape Series of packs. Gregory describes the series as "Our aptly named Escape Series packs are your getaway vehicles. Made for the kinds of short trips that keep you sane, their pared down single-stay suspension systems offer comfort, fit and performance—without weight and bulk. So you can move fast when time is short. They’re designed to carry loads less than 40 pounds, and three models offer different capacities and features for different kinds of trips. Count on them to facilitate your disappearing act. How long you stay gone is up to you." The website goes on to describe the Keeler™ as "NEW FOR 2005. The Keeler™ rounds out the Escape series with a more full featured version of the Forester™, like the Whitney™ in the Adventure series. It offers expanded access, pockets and organization." I would describe the pack as a mid-sized to large pack which seems to uphold the Gregory tradition of well designed packs. My test pack consists of the large frame, bag and suspension components. It is rather hefty which is understandable given all the features on the pack. It also features plenty of access options which I will describe later. Briefly, it is an internal frame, top loader (with access from both sides) hydration ready pack. In addition to the main compartment, there is a top lid, a separate compartment in the bottom of the pack (usually called a sleeping bag compartment) and a fairly big front pocket which I always want to call a rear pocket due to the orientation of the pocket when the pack is being carried. The separation between the main compartment and the bottom compartment is not solid. The separation is achieved by a swath of material just above the lower compartment sewn across the inside front and clipping to the inside rear of the main compartment with 2 clips. The sides are not sewn closed at all and therefore the shelf can be unclipped at the 2 rear clips and the fabric will drop down making the pack a very long single compartment pack. The total length of the pack with the shelf open is about 28 in (71 cm), but with it in position the main compartment is about 20 in (51 cm) tall (not counting the extension collar) and the lower compartment about 8 in (20 cm) tall. The top lid is floating and is secured by 3 adjustable straps on the hinged side and 2 straps on the fastening side. It does not have the option (at least it is not designed that way) of being used as a separate fanny pack. The pack features straps galore and the pair under the bottom of the pack may serve to carry my sleeping pad. The side compression straps can also secure outboard gear but would limit the use of the side mesh pockets. I prefer to carry my pad in the vertical position because it is less likely to hang but will see how it works. The suspension system is sturdy but comfortable and features the self adjusting Auto-Cant™ harness, a cushy hip belt, s-shaped shoulder pads, a well padded back panel, a single aluminum stay and an hourglass shaped flexible framesheet. I will cover each of these in depth later in the report. The website page describing the Keeler™ gives just enough information to describe the pack but as a serious gear-head I found myself wanting more information. A little searching around the site did lead me to find quite a bit of information on Gregory Pack features. One page in particular covered most of the technology used in Gregory Packs. The booklet included with the pack is excellent and covers a wide range of information; everything from a brief history of Gregory Packs and features of this pack to how to fit and load a pack. THE GREGORY LIFETIME GUARANTEE We build Gregory gear to last a lifetime and that's how long we stand behind it. We guarantee to you, the original purchaser, that this product will be free from defects in materials and workmanship, for as long as you own it. Initial Inspection and Impressions I recieved the Keeler™ on November 19, 2004. A quick inspection revealed nothing amiss so I reluctantly sat the pack aside till I had time to look it over more carefully. Fast forward to tomorrow, which is now today but won't be today by the time I finish the report. In looking over the pack I can see how organization will be facilitated while out on the trail. For starters there are the 2 side access panels which open up really wide. In fact I call them doors because the zippers go up the sides about 10 in (25 cm), across the sides of the pack about 6 in (15 cm) and back down about 7 in (18 cm). Each door is cleverly backed by mesh pockets. The side access doors are under the side compression straps which appear to be a big problem until I saw that both compression straps would easily unsnap completely out of the way. This as apposed to just loosening them up and then having to fish stuff out among the maze of compression straps. Pack Features - Information taken from website or hangtag - my comments in () Side, top and bottom access with zippers (Actually the top access is through an opening closed with a draw-cord/ barrel-lock affair. There is also an extension collar with another draw-cord/barrel-lock closure which measures approximately 9 in (23 cm) tall but due to being sewn down inside the main compartment it only extends above the main compartment approximately 7 in (18 cm) more.) Zippered side pockets with mesh organizers and access (I call them doors and the pockets are big enough walk through. OK not really but they are shaped similar to the door on some tents only they open downward instead of to one side if I open the zipper all the way around. The mesh pockets backing these doors are big enough to hold lots of small items or several pairs of socks etc.) Large front pocket (This pocket measures about 10 in (25 cm) across and is 18 in (46 cm) tall and about 2 in (5 cm) deep, and with no compression straps across the single side zipper access is simple.) Water resistant zippers (All outside zippers appear to be nylon and when closed look like a solid piece of rubber with only a hint of a seam where the zippers meet when closed.) 210d double box HT nylon body (The nylon fabric has a box pattern which gives the fabric a checkerboard look.) Hydration sleeve and port (A 10 in (25 cm) wide x 16 in (41 cm) tall envelope like sleeve which is positioned next to the frame side inside the main compartment.) Shelter-Rite™ bottom (The hangtag literature says it is extremely waterproof and durable.) Reinforced gear loops (There is one on each side, covered with a plastic sheath to protect the loops and whatever is hung from them.) Mesh side pockets (These are open top mesh pockets on each side of the pack. This is where I normally carry fuel or water bottles. I plan to put them to good use as I don't like hydration bladders all that well.) Ice axe loop and keeper strap (I don't use an ice axe so I will have to find other uses for this. I also don't know if I'd trust this strap to hold something valuable (to me anyways) like say my kukri knife or my BirdiePal umbrella. This is not intended as derogatory towards the keeper strap; I just don't like to trust any system where my gear is not either completely contained inside the pack or on the pack in such a way that only flipping the pack upside down would possibly spill anything.) Suspension - Information taken from website or hangtag - my comments in () Auto-Cant™ harness rotates the shoulder harness to automatically mirror your shoulder slope and neck width, eliminating the pinching and chafing frequently experienced with sewn-in harnesses. (Each shoulder strap connects to the frame via a simple but very effective pivoting fastener.) Dual density wilderness waistbelt was an industry first and is precurved to eliminate fabric wrinkles, or “hot spots”. (The waist belt definitely feels great in my limited testing so far. This waistbelt does not feature the Adjust-A-Cant™ system but it fits my hips very well.) Stealth™ harness padding consist of dual density, curved harness for a custom fit. (The shoulder straps feel great so far. There is also a daisy chain on each shoulder strap and a sternum strap to keep them from wanting to spread to far apart.) Flo-Form® II Molded backpanels is the interface between your body and the pack. This technology maximizes durability and comfort by flame laminating a polyester “skin” or fabric layer to progressively denser foams. This layering of foams places the softest most comfortable layer next to your body, with the stiffer, more supportive foams placed away from the body. These thermally molded foam components feature ridges and channels that maximize comfort and ventilation by eliminating “hot spots”, evenly dispersing the weight, and conforming to the exact contours of your body. (I had no idea. I just hope the foam backpanel keeps my back reasonably cool and doesn't create any friction over the course of a day's hiking.) Single 7001-T6 stay is stiff yet torsionally flexible to support the load. (I concur.) Hourglass FOAM-X framesheet (I did not find any information on this particular framesheet but I did find mention of the Exo•Frame™ framesheet which will bend with my body when I need it to yet offers superb stability and load support when hiking in a normal upright hiking/walking position. I believe this framesheet has similar characteristics.) Fitting the Keeler™ I was instinctively able to adjust the pack for a very close fit but after looking over the fitting guide in the instruction booklet I saw the shoulder straps should go in the lower attachment point as recommended for my 20 in (51 cm) torso length (it was in the upper slot initially). Making this adjustment made the shoulder straps curve over my shoulder a little better and also made the waistbelt ride just a smidge higher. Removing the shoulder straps from the slots was easy but replacing them in the lower slot took a little more effort. It wasn't difficult though. Having properly adjusted the suspension for fit I took the Keeler™ on a 2 hour hike just to be sure the pack would be safe to carry on a trip. In that short hike of only about 3 mi (5 km) I found the pack to be extremely comfortable with the fairly light 25 lb (11 kg) test load I crammed in. I did not take my time following the packing advice given in the instruction booklet either. I just grabbed gear and started cramming it in until I had the pack pretty full. I did find out that the side mesh pockets are not easy to reach which will make me consider using the hydration bladder, or rigging up an easier way to reach my water bottles. One possibility is to continue using my fanny pack worn backwards as it keeps my drinks, maps, camera and snacks handy. Test Plan Over the next few months I will be using the Keeler™ for mostly short overnight trips and a few multi-day trips. I will be carrying my normal winter gear but will make it a point to try a few loads of around 40 lb (18 kg) to see if the pack does well at its maximum weight rating. I expect my normal loads to be just shy of 40 lb (18 kg) but as I get more into photography I seem to be creeping up in weight. I will try to stay under the maximum load limit not only for the packs sake but more for mine. As I use the pack I hope to answer the following questions.
Not only do I hope to answer the above questions, I will basically document what I find as I use the pack in my backpacking endeavors. Expected Testing Locations and Conditions I will be using the Keeler™ on all my backpacking trips over the next six months as well as on as many day hikes I can. Most hiking will be in Alabama and Tennessee but I do hike in other close by states when I have the opportunity. I usually stay on trail but the trails are considered challenging by most. I find they are usually steep and rocky and sometimes muddy and slick especially in damp or rainy weather. Regardless, I will keep up with the weather and trail conditions in relation to how they affect the use of the pack as well as other trip information that seems relevant. Likes (so far)
Dislikes (so far)
I would like to thank Gregory and BackpackGearTest.org 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 Keeler > Coy Starnes > Initial Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||