Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Gregory Tega > Shandra Hunt > Field Report

Gregory Mountain Products Tega Backpack - Field Report

Name: Shandra Hunt

Age: 26

Gender: Female

Height: 5' 3" (1.6 m)

Weight: 145 lb (66 kg)

Location: Ben Lomond, California

Email: jns170@yahoo.com

Date: 01/27/05

Biography:

Growing up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, I have always been an avid hiker and camper. I evolved into a backpacker about three years ago. Since then I have done many trips throughout California and the Southwest. I spent five days packing in Grand Canyon, which fueled my love for the sport even more. I try to backpack as often as possible, I think I may be addicted. The more I backpack, the more lightweight, functional and efficient I try to make my setup.

Product Information:

URL: http://www.gregorypacks.com

Manufacturer: Gregory Mountain products

Measured weight: 3 lb 3 oz (1.5 kg) (medium)

Listed weight: 3 lb 3 oz (1.5 kg)

Shipping Weight: 5 lb (2.3 kg)

Capacity: 2900cu in (48L) (medium)

MSRP: $179.00 U.S.

Year of Manufacture: 2004

Fabric: 140 D Dyneema

Sizes Available: Extra small, small and medium

Colors Available: Dusty blue and desert rose

Field information:

My first use of the Tega pack was not on a backpacking trip. I used the Tega pack as a suitcase on a five day trip that I took. I was able to pack almost a weeks' worth of clothing into the pack but had very little room to spare. When I saw how full the pack was, I had some concern that I would not be able to fit all of my gear into the pack. I recently used the Tega on an overnight trip to Castle Rock State park. This park is located on the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Most of the hiking that I did in this area was cliff side, through a chaparral habitat which consists of thick, tough brush and sandstone rock. The Tega pack held up well against repeated poking from branches and scraping on the sandstone rock. I was able to pack all of my gear that I needed with room to spare. The pack I used before the Tega only had a top pouch pocket and a small internal pocket. The lack of pockets on my old pack bothered me because I like to be able to organize my gear. I found it difficult to find what I was looking for when everything was clumped into one pocket. The Tega has five main pockets that make it easy to organize all of my smaller pieces of gear. I packed my emergency and first aid gear in one of the side pockets with room to spare. In the other side pocket I packed items like my head lamp, knife, and pack towel. I found that the top cap pocket worked well for storing my trail snacks and other miscellaneous items with plenty of extra room. The mesh pocket on the front of the pack fit my small djembe drum and my long sleeve thermal top. I carried about 35 lbs (15.8 kg) in the Tega pack for a total of about 7 mi (11.3 km).

General Impressions:

The first and foremost thing I noticed about the Gregory Tega pack is how comfortable it is. I carried about 35 lbs (15.8 kg) in the Tega, which is the maximum set by Gregory for this pack. I found that the pack was very comfortable at this weight, my load felt lighter. I did not have a problem with the waist belt rubbing on my hip bones. I was concerned when I first received the Tega that the waist belt was too thin and would not be comfortable, but I found that this was not the case. The waist belt is one of the more comfortable ones that I have used. I find the shaping of the waist belt to be form fitting and it does not tend to ride up like other waist belts that I have used in the past. The shoulder straps are shaped for women, which helped prevent them from rubbing over my collarbone. I had a different problem with the shoulder straps that I have not had before. The straps rubbed on the inside of my upper arms. I think on my next trip I will try adjusting the sternum strap to see if that will solve the problem. I like how compact the Tega is. This pack is narrower than the pack that I normally use which makes it more comfortable and form fitting. I find that the sides of the pack don't extend much beyond the width of my body. There are "V" shaped straps that clip over the side pockets that can be tightened to narrow the bulk width of the pack. These side pockets can not be accessed with the pack on, but the mesh pocket and drink holder below them can be reached with a little effort.

When I first received the Tega pack, I was amazed by how many straps the pack had, about fourteen total. The mass of straps can be a little confusing when trying to figure out which one connects where. Most of the straps connect with clips. There are two adjustable 3/4 in (2cm) wide compression straps that extend from the bottom of the pack to the bottom of the mesh pocket on the front. These straps have an attached slide that allows for two small items to be attached here on the outside of the pack or the straps can be used for one larger item. I used these straps to attach my closed cell sleeping pad. These straps do not have any clips to unfasten them and I had to work at getting my pad secured on the pack. The load leveling straps on the Tega are very effective and I felt like my load was well balanced and comfortable. There are a few straps that I think are too long and the excess is annoying because it flops around. and catches on things. I plan to wait until I have used the Tega a few more times to determine whether I will shorten certain straps. So far all of the zippers are working well. The zipper on the top cap is stiffer than the other zippers and it does not work as smoothly.

Overall, I am impressed with the Tega pack. It will take a few more uses to thoroughly test all of the aspects of this pack but I look forward to it.

Good Things:

> Comfortable

> Distributes load well and evenly

> Good capacity for a small pack.

Bad Things:

> Shoulder straps rub on inner arm

> Excess strap material

Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Gregory Tega > Shandra Hunt > Field Report