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Long Term Report: Gregory Tega
| Personal Biographical Info: |
| Name: |
Stephanie Martin |
| Age: |
30 |
| Gender: |
Female |
| Height: |
5'5" (1.65 meters) |
| Torso Length: |
18" (45 cm) as measured using the Gregory
Fit-O-Matic |
| Weight: |
145 lbs (65 kg) |
| Email Address: |
syoong "at" alum "dot" mit
"dot" edu |
| Location: |
Phoenix, AZ USA |
| Date: |
June 3, 2004 |
|
|
| Background: |
I've always enjoyed spending
time outdoors since I was a kid. Since 1996, I've been actively playing outside
starting in the Pacific Northwest. I enjoyed day hiking excursions in the
Columbia River Gorge area, followed by some backpacking along the Pacific Crest
Trail. I moved to the desert southwest in 1997 and have been actively day hiking
most weekends (anywhere from low desert to mountain territory (7000+ ft (2100+
meters))). In addition to day hikes, my husband and I generally take a couple
week long trips to the Grand Canyon annually, in addition to short weekend
backpacking trips. Our backpacking philosophy has been rapidly moving towards
ultra-light gear, with target base pack weight of 10 lbs (4.5 kg). We have also
been participating in canyoneering since 1997. In general, we average 12 to 15
miles (20 to 24 km) per day. See http://www.ToddsHikingGuide.com
for trip reports and a better sense of our hiking style. |
| Other packs used: |
Backpacks: Osprey Amelia, The North Face Lookout, GVP G4
(home made with modifications),
Gregory G Pack (2003 Model), GoLite Trek, Gregory Iris, Imlay Canyon Gear
Kolob Pack. |
|
Daypacks: Dana Designs Dynamo, Jandd (unknown model),
the North Face (unknown model), Lowe Alpine (unknown model), Gregory Nemo |
| Product Information: |
A member of Gregory's Womens Series of packs,
the Tega is a lightweight backpack with internal suspension system and
plenty of features. |
| Manufacturer: |
Gregory Mountain Products [http://www.gregorypacks.com] |
| Year of Manufacture: |
2004 |
| Listed Weight: |
3 lbs 2 ounces for a medium (1.30 kg) |
| Weight as Delivered: |
3 lbs 5.6 ounces (1.52 kg) |
| Volume: |
2900 cubic inches (48 liters) |
| Size: |
Medium |
| Color: |
Dusty Blue (also available in
Desert Rose) |
| MSRP: |
US$179 |
For full product
details and other experience, please read this report in conjunction with my
Initial Report and
Field Report.
Contents
-
Product
Features in the Field
- Summary
| Field and Test Information: |
| Location(s) of test: |
Various locations in the wide
expansive deserts of Arizona and Utah, including a week of adventure on
and around Lake Powell. |
| Terrain: |
The majority of the terrain has been open desert
environments with few shade trees present. High elevations in
Arizona include pine forests and open meadows. |
| Weather Conditions: |
Mostly sunny with a few overcast and drizzly days.
Winds have ranged from nonexistent to strong gusts exceeding 20 mph (30
km/h). Outside daytime temperatures during the test period have
ranged from nighttime lows near freezing to daytime highs in the mid 80s
F (high 20s C) |
Product Features in the Field:
 Happily,
I was able to take the Tega out into the field for some backpacking during the
Long Term Test period. Pack weight ranged from fifteen pounds (6.8 kg) on
typical weekend overnighters to close to thirty pounds (13.6 kg) for trips that
included technical climbing gear and full two-piece wetsuit for canyon descents.
Trails have ranged from well maintained to non-existent, though surprisingly
enough, little brush was encountered while off trail.
Through the test period, I've continued to enjoy the nice fit of the Tega.
Even with the pack loaded to full capacity (or even slightly more than full, as
illustrated in the photo on the left), the pack rode comfortably and stayed
close to my torso without shifting - even while scrambling up and down steep
sandstone domes. The padding and protection provided by the Tega's
framesheet, backpad and hipbelt were perfect, even with the heavier load - I
never felt gear from the inside of my pack jabbing me, nor did I experience any
bruising or chafing on my hips. The Tega's suspension performed admirably,
and continued to keep the weight of the pack focused on my hips; though it was
also very easy to shift the weight up to my shoulders and back down to my hips
as the occasion warranted.
As the weather has heated up, I've noticed additional sweatiness along my
back. While my back wasn't any more damp than I would have expected, it is
safe to say the Aerotech
fabric and chimney vent on the back panel haven't kept me totally dry - but by
the same token, my back wasn't overly wet either.
For my normal backpacking activities, the Tega has proven to have more than
enough room to store all of my lightweight gear - which, for a typical
backpacking trip includes the following:
-
Feathered Friends Hummingbird Sleeping Bag
-
Therm-a-Rest UltraLite 3/4 Sleeping Pad
- Evernew Titanium 1.5 Liter Pot, inside of which was packed:
- Aluminum Flashing Windscreen
-
Brasslite Solo Alcohol Stove or a home made
Soda Can Stove
- Hardware cloth Potstand
- Mouse Deterring Food Bag Hanger
- 2 Lexan Spoons
- 2 Bandanas (one for me, and one for cleaning the pot)
- Lighter
- Fuel bottle
- 1 pair Light weight long underwear tops and bottoms
- 1 pair lycra shorts
- 1 extra pair of sock liners
- Polarfleece hat
- Patagonia Zephur Jacket
- Golite Reach Jacket and Trunk Pants
- Camelbak 100 oz (3 liter) water bladder
- First Aid Kit, which includes:
- pain relief tablets
- adhesive bandages
- small swiss army knife
- alcohol wipes
- duct tape
- spare Photon lights
- spare batteries
- Toothbrush and mini toothpaste
- Toilet paper
- Princeton Tec Eos Headlamp
Unfortunately, when I added my technical climbing gear and had to package my
sleeping bag and clothes into dry bags, I found the Tega to be slightly
frustrating to pack due to the shape of the main compartment. A few inches
up from the bottom of the pack, the main body of the Tega decreases in size
before flaring back out again - not unlike having a waist! I found that
when packed into drybags, my gear was not able to effectively fill the bottom of
the pack because of the waist-like constriction of the Tega's body. I was
still able to get the majority of my gear inside the pack, though it was
slightly frustrating. While I do appreciate all the organizational pockets
on the Tega, the most underutilized ones for me are the two low profile pockets.
I use these pockets the least primarily because the compression straps cross
directly over them. A secondary contributing factor is the water resistant
zippers that are used to close them. While the water resistant zips make
for good presentation, I find the zippers stiffer to operate than regular zips.
The remaining pockets: the elasticized side pocket, the rear mesh pocket and the
top lid pocket all saw plenty of use - either storing spare articles of
clothing, snacks, maps or my camera.
After six months of use, being set down and sat upon trail-side in the dirt
and on slickrock expanses, the Tega still looks good as new. There are no
abrasion marks on the pack, all the seams are still fine, and all the zippers
continue to function smoothly. As far as I could tell, the Tega appears
weatherproof in a light rain - but I cannot comment on heavier precipitation as
none was encountered during the test period.
[back to table of contents]
Summary: Woo Hoo's and Boo Hoo's
I really have enjoyed testing this backpack - I'm very happy to see a
major outdoor gear company like Gregory on board with designs for the
lightweight female hiker - I never knew what I was missing until they
delivered it! The Tega is a well designed lightweight backpack
that provides more than adequate volume in addition to some nice
organizational features. With that said, here are my "Woo Hoo's"
(likes) and my "Boo Hoo's" (some room for improvement).- Woo Hoo:
More than adequate volume for my style of backpacking.
- Woo Hoo: More than enough pockets to provide access and organization
for items I want quick access to without having to rummage in the body
of the pack.
- Woo Hoo: Pack straps are easily adjustable while on the go, allowing
for quick adjustments to shoulder straps, hip belt and load lifter
straps.
- Woo Hoo: Close and comfortable 'ride' - I've been pretty happy with
the suspension on the Tega - it hugs close to the body and
doesn't shift at inopportune moments (such as while boulder hopping or
climbing).
- General Comment: the Tega's waist can sometimes prove to be a
challenge for efficient packing.
- Undecided: I never did figure out how to remove the aluminum stay,
frame sheet or hydration sleeve.
- Boo Hoo: The V-Pull compression straps interfere with the low profile
side pockets
- Boo Hoo: I would prefer that the exit port was a little bit bigger to
allow for easier threading of my bite valve and reservoir hose
- Boo Hoo: I wish there was an exit port on either side of the Tega
- Boo Hoo: I wish the lid was convertible, allowing me to take it as a
day 'pack' when exploring from a base camp
[back to Table of Contents] |
My thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Gregory for the opportunity to
participate in this test.
Read more reviews of Gregory gear
Read more gear reviews by Stephanie Martin
|
