Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Gregory Palisade > Owner Review by Mike Pierce

Owner Review - Gregory Palisade Internal Pack

Product Information: Manufacturer: Gregory Mountain Products Year of manufacture: 2004 URL: www.gregorypacks.com Year of manufacture: 2005 Listed Weight: 6 lb 7 oz (2.92 kg) for the medium Delivered Weight: 6 lb 9 oz (2.98 kg) MSRP: $299.00 Size: Waist Belt - Medium Shoulder Harness - Medium Frame – Medium

--Product Details--

Starting from the top the lid of the pack can be detached and used as a fanny pack. Great idea, because it has a built in belt and works for short hikes from the base camp. The only problem I found is that it doesn’t have support, so if I put more than a few small things in it (for me it was a camera lens), it tends to hang low. On a longer hike, the lens was essentially bouncing off my butt every step. I don’t recommend using it for anything heavier than a couple of snacks. When on the pack it’s just a nice place to keep items I need access to quickly.

The pack has two internal pockets, one mesh side pocket on the outside of the pack, and three ways to get inside. At first, I almost didn’t buy it because it only had two internal pockets; after packing it on many trips, I’m glad it only has two. It forces me to leave at home all the little stuff that I don’t really need. It’s like the check out line at the grocery store, lots of goodies that I really don’t need but I’d like to have. My only gripe with the front (opposite side of the shoulder harness) pocket is that if I have too much stuff it affects my gear in the main part of the pack because it all slides down and bulges in as well as out. I would like the pocket to have some mesh pockets to organize the gear a little bit more. Inside the front pocket I can unzip another panel to get into the pack. This comes in handy when I need to access something in the middle or bottom of the pack. Last but not least is the bottom access. This, of course, is for my sleeping bag, pillow, or any other soft things I might have. The Palisade also has a divider that I can clip or unclip to keep that section of the bag separate.

On the outside of the bag there is a side mesh pocket on the left side (when wearing the pack). If this feature wasn’t there I would be very unhappy, because I like to put my fuel canisters there. For some reason, and call me crazy, but I can’t stand putting any kind of fuel in with my food and clothes. If I had faith in my fuel canister seals, then this pocket would be great to tuck a quick snack of GORP.

On the right side is a Nalgene sized water bottle holder, which is positioned parallel to the ground when I have the pack on. I found this very easy to slip the bottle in and out for quick drinks while hiking. I found this system to work very well because if the holder was positioned straight up and down I wouldn’t be able to get it back in very easily. There is also a little elastic cord that I can pull around the top of the bottle to keep it in place. This is the only thing that can be complicated if I’m not that flexible that day or just don’t have the patience to fiddle with it. My Nalgene has only fallen out one occasion because I was lazy and didn’t use the elastic cord. It only takes a few times to get the hang of it and before long I could undo the elastic cord, pull the bottle, drink, put the bottle back, and redo the cord and not even stop hiking.

There are a ton of straps on the outside of the pack, which can be good and bad. Good because there are a lot of ways to adjust the pack. Bad, because I had to try a lot of those ways before I found the right configuration for me. Since at first I was not sure how I should be fitted, I took the pack to a local outdoors store, filled it up, and had someone who knows what they’re doing adjust it properly to me. I can say that all of the clip-buckles hold and none of the straps slip when tightened down. This makes my hikes that much more worry free.

Also, the padding is great. The only time I’ve ever had a hotspot is if I over-pack the bag (65-70 lb (30-32 kg)) or if I just don’t pack it correctly.

The pack as whole is very durable. I’ve dropped, dragged, and set down the pack on and in many kinds of jagged rock, asphalt, water, etc and nothing has happened. The bottom is made out of 1000 Denier Nylon which Gregory calls “Shelter-Rite” and says is waterproof and “virtually indestructible”. The rest of the pack is made out of 210 Denier High Tenacity Nylon.

The Palisade itself isn’t waterproof but water resistant. I’ve had it out in a downpour before without a pack cover and my items in the lid/fanny pack and front pockets will be damp if not wet depending on the time in the rain. I would recommend buying something to cover it with or just dig out a heavy duty trash bag from under the sink.

--Field Use-- I have used this pack on many 3-4 day trips and three week-long trips. The 3-4 day trips usually had a max weight of 30lb with food and water. The pack handled the weight like nothing was there with that little weight in it. Two of the week-long trips were in Door County Wisconsin and not what I consider very hard backpacking. Civilization and my car was close by so the weight was around 40-45lb with food and water. The pack held the weight well and I learned quickly to adjust the straps to transfer weight off my hips to my shoulders or vice versa. The third week-long trip was to Isle Royale National Park in Michigan. Isle Royale is an Island in Lake Superior with nothing around to support me so I had a week’s worth of food with me at the start and over packed because I wanted to be prepared for anything. All in all I had around 65lb on my back and was not comfortable at all. I was dead tired and sore after 8 miles of hard hiking. For me, I would say the max comfortable weight is 40lb.

--Summary--

Overall, I’m very impressed with this pack. I actually own two of them. I first bought the large, used it for a year, and found out I was not fitted correctly and bought a medium. I’m planning to sell the large, but that says something for the pack: I can wear the wrong size and still be comfortable. Impressive. Now with the right size I’m in heaven.

What I like:
1. Very Comfortable
2. Easy to adjust weight around while hiking.
3. Nalgene sleeve and mesh pockets on the outside.

What I don’t like:
1. Fanny pack can’t really hold a lot of weight. Not enough support.
2. Can’t put a lot of gear in front pocket because it falls to the bottom.
3. Must buy a pack cover in case of rain.

Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Gregory Palisade > Owner Review by Mike Pierce