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Gregory
Triconi
| Field Report |
April 20, 2006 |
Personal Biographical Information
Name:
Michael Herman
Age: 22
Gender:
Male
Height:
5' 11'' (1.8 m)
Weight:
195 lb (89 kg)
Email: Backpackman (at) mailbolt (dot) com
Location: Central, Ohio
Backpacking
Background
I stated camping with my family in the car and the RV when I was real young. I did a lot of camping with the Boy Scouts and then did my first
backpacking trip (three days) with my dad when I as 13. From then on I took a
backpacking trip once a year until high school where I started going more often.
Now in college I do many outdoor activities with the outing club. I backpack
often as well as participate in other activities such as caving, adventure racing, kayaking and
climbing; however, backpacking is my primary activity.
My backpacking style is packing light
but not ultralight (yet); however, I do not skimp on eating well. I continually
want to find ways to get better meals on the trail while not adding much weight.
I also don't want to shortchange myself with low living conditions just to save
a couple of ounces (grams). I want to find other ways to reduce weight while
staying comfortable.
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Product Information
This picture is from Gregory Mountain
Products
Product: Triconi Backpack
Manufacturer: Gregory Mountain Products
Year of
Manufacturer: 2006
URL: http://www.GregoryPacks.com
Listed Weight: 5 lbs 13 oz (2.6 kg)
Measured Weight: 5 lbs 12 oz (2.6 kg)
Size: Medium (Other sizes are available)
Waistbelt: 28 to 34 in (71 to 86 cm)
Capacity: 3800 cubic inch (62 L)
MSRP: $249.00 US
Description: The Triconi is a 3800 cubic inch (62 L) backpack part of the
Gregory's Escape Series line of backpacks. It has top, bottom and side access in
to the main compartment. Gregory's "Response Suspension System" and precurved
harness are part of the features included with the backpack. Two stretchable
pockets are located on the side where water bottle holders often are. Lastly it has a
front pocket, sleeping bag compartment and a sleeve inside the main compartment
for a hydration bladder.
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Field Report
I have been testing this pack since
mid-February. The first thing that I did with this pack is fill it with 30 lbs
(13.6 kg) of canned food and some clothes and climbed up and down a local hill
to train for an upcoming backpacking trip. The first thing I noticed about the
Gregory Triconi was how easy it was for me to adjust the straps so that the
backpack sat comfortably. Within 5 minutes I had the pack adjusted and was ready
to exercise (and this was the first time I tried this). I began my training
where I walked up hill and then down hill several times. I noticed that as I
made steps forward the pack didn't swing to the side I was stepping on; instead,
the pack stayed motionless for the most part. I believe that this is because
each hip strap is hinged separately and allows my hips to rotate and move
without moving the backpack. This allowed gave me more stability as I traveled
up hill and down hill, which gave me the ability to travel faster up and down
hill while not wearing me out as quickly. I also noted that the hip straps
stayed on my hips. I often suffer from the hip belts sliding down and off my
hips. This causes the weight of the pack to shift to my shoulders. With the
Gregory Triconi this was not the case (even downhill where it happens the most
to me). During this first day of testing the pack I was enjoying the pack I
decided to go across the park to a stepper hill to see how the pack felt. Here I
was definitely able to notice more stability while going downhill. I was able to
descend the hill quickly without the pack swinging back and fourth and making me
lose my balance.
My first trip with the backpack was to southern Ohio for a three days, and two
nights. The weather was an average of 55 F (13 C) and the terrain was flat with
about a dozen hills, the tallest being 60 ft (18 m). along the way . While
packing the Gregory Triconi I enjoyed that I had plenty of room to pack my
sandals, water filter and camera in the center pocket on the front of the
Triconi. During this trip (and testing period) I would say this pocket was the
second most used pocket (with the top pocket being used slightly more). I opened
this pocket numerous times. As I reported in my initial report this pocket has a
zipper all the way down the middle and on top it fastens with Velcro (very
securely). Except for times when I was playing with the backpack I never undid
the Velcro. It is my opinion that it is a useless feature. It does not allow
getting objects in or out of the bag easier. I usually do not pack the tent on
the outside of the pack; although, I wanted to make use of the straps on both
sides of the pack that could be used to strap the tent poles to the pack. I was
nervous at first that the poles would slide out; although they never did (on any
trip). However, I would feel more comfortable if there were small pockets that
the bottom of the poles could stick in to so that the poles would not slide out.
The rest of my gear fitted nicely in to the main compartment of the bag. I was
not able to fill it completely full but the compression straps on the side of
the pack worked perfectly to not allow the contents of the pack to move, except
a few small items. Another dislike about the pack is the sleeping bag
compartment separated from the main compartment by some fabric that is held in
place with straps. This allows objects to fall in to the sleeping bag
compartment from the main compartment. My knife and small flashlight kept
falling in to the sleeping bag compartment while I hiked. This created a small
annoyance. The pack performed great on this trip and I would like to emphasize
again that the pack fit perfectly. My favorite part was that the hip straps
stayed on my hips all of the time. I usually have to tighten the hip straps so
tightly that I barely breath, but not with this pack.
My second trip during this period was a five day, four night trip to West
Virginia. On this trip there was a lot of elevation change (and I was quite
worried whether I could keep up with the number of miles planned each day). The
weather was again around 55 F (13 C) and we saw light rain for maybe 30 minutes.
For this trip my pack was very full. I did manage to squeeze all of my equipment
in to this pack with a little room to spare. The most enjoyed feature of the
backpack during this trip was the zipper on the side of the pack that allowed
access to the main compartment of the pack. I was able to pull out the items
inside the pack near the bottom through this zipper instead of pulling out
everything to get to the first aid kit. I also used the hydration sleeve with a
Platypus on this trip (and the previous trip); although, I missed the fact that
I didn't have a water bottle sleeve on the side of the pack. Instead there are
two pockets on the side of the pack. I would gladly trade one pocket for a water
bottle holder. There are straps at the bottom of the pack on the sides. I tried
to hook my water bottle to this strap but it would just swing and hit me in the
back of the leg. Instead I had decided not to have my water bottle on the
outside of the pack. I did see some rain during this trip; but it was too short
to test weather the backpack is water proof or not. This will have to be
reported on in the final report.
Some other features about the backpack that I enjoyed was the movable sternum
strap. I was able to put it at any level I wanted which helped the bag fit
comfortably. The top pocket which covered the main compartment is the perfect
size to have a spare layer and lunch inside of it. A feature that seems useless
are these very stiff straps that run along the sides of the front compartment.
They may be needed for something, but I do not know what that would be. The
construction of the pack has not shown any flaws; although, the pack still
relatively new. I will report on how the durability is holding up more precisely
in the final report.
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Final Report Test Plan
I hope to take three or more backpacking trips between now and the final report
(possible destinations were included in the initial report). During these trips
I still plan on observing the fit of the backpack. I want to test how waterproof
this pack is. This might mean that I will have to stand in the shower with the
pack to see how well it performs. I will continue to observe the durability of
the pack. So far every time I have used the pack I discovered something new
about it. I will continue to report any and all discoveries that I make while
using this pack. I also anticipate using this pack while exercising and
training before trips, I want to do some running with a little bit of weight and
I may use this pack for that.
Likes:
The backpack fits nicely in all areas.
Adjusting the pack is easy for me.
There is ample storage in the front and top pocket for items I use during the
day.
The hip straps stay on my hip all day with out messing with them.
Dislikes:
There is no water bottle holder on the outside of the pack.
Small items fall from the main compartment to the sleeping bag pocket.
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Read more reviews of Gregory gear
Read more gear reviews by Michael Herman
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