| |
Gear Reviews
Documents
Tools
|
Gregory
Triconi
| Long Term Report |
June 19, 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.
Top
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.
Top
Field Report
I have been testing this pack since
mid-February. I tested many features of this pack and have commented on them in
the Field report that was done in April, please refer to that report for
specifics from those tests. Some of my conclusions from the Field Report
will also be reported here. Since April I was able to do two weekend backpacking
trips, one to West Virginia, and the other in Wisconsin. During these trips the
first thing that I notice after I put the Gregory Triconi on is how well the
pack fits. I do not experience problems with the pack, strap or buckle digging
in to me or poking me when the pack is on and adjusted. This has always been the
first thing that I have noticed with the pack, and it doesn't take long to
adjust the pack. I am able to put the pack on and within a few minutes I am on
the trail walking and enjoying the sites. On the West Virginia 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. In West Virginia I had to walk across
a half dozen or more logs to get to the other side of rivers and trenches. I do
not use poles so balance is a real issue when walking across the logs. I would
normally be nervous about my backpack swinging and causing me to lose my
balance; although, when I was wearing the Gregory Triconi I never experienced
any problems with the pack swinging and causing my center of balance to shift.
This is a relief because I do not enjoy falling in to trenches or rivers.
I have been using this pack for 4 months, and it still looks like new except for
the dirt. None of the stitching has begun to fry and there are no spots that
show visible wear. I am moderately rough with my packs (more so with this one
than others). I typically sit on my pack during breaks and dinner and leave the
pack on the ground in the evenings. I did not expect to see much wear in 4
months but I am surprised that I don't really see any wear on the pack yet,
besides it being dirty. I am impressed with the durability of this pack. In
Wisconsin I got rained on for an entire day. Although not as much fun as hiking
in the sun I was happy that it rained since it allowed me to see how the pack
did in rain. At the end of the day I carefully examined the interior of the pack,
and there definitely was some places where water made it through, along the
seams of the pack; although, as far as I was able to tell the amount of water
that made it through was small. This made me happy because I didn't pack my
clothes inside a plastic bad so if my bag got wet all of my clothes (and
sleeping bag) would have been wet.
I didn't discover any new items that I disliked about this pack. I still have
dislikes that were reported in the Field Report. Firstly, there are no places to
put a water bottle on the outside of the pack. Also, small items that are kept
in the main compartment of the bag can fall down in to the sleeping bag
compartment. This has been annoying when I have looked for my knife and cannot
find it. Other than these two negative points about the pack I was very happy
with the pack and couldn't find anything else wrong with the pack. One aspect
about the pack that I have not had any problems with but would make me happy is
the straps for tent poles on the side of the pack. The straps are excellent and
hold the poles but I always worry about the poles slipping out downward. This
could be fixed if there was a small pocket that the end of the tent poles would
go in to before being strapped to the side.
Top
Conclusion
Over these past four months I have enjoyed using this pack for every trip I
took, the long ones and the short ones. The pack had ample room in the main
compartment for all of my stuff during long trips and I was able to cinch down
the pack with the compression straps on the side for the short ones. This pack
fit me excellently. I never had a problem with how this pack fit, even on day
one. I was easily able to make the adjustments I needed so the pack fit
perfectly. The front pocket is the perfect side for items you will need during
the day and the top flap pocket was perfect for an outer layer and lunch. The
pack out performed my expectations on the durability since it showed no signs of
wear and tear after 4 months, besides being dirty. It also performed admirably
during the rain that I received in Wisconsin by keeping nearly all of the water
out of my pack. If I had to ask Gregory to fix something about the pack I would
ask them to put a spot for my water bottle on the outside where I can reach it
with the pack on.
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.
The Pack kept nearly all of the water out during rain.
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.
Top
Read more reviews of Gregory gear
Read more gear reviews by Michael Herman
|
