• Bottom compartment
• • 3 lb (1.4 kg) Blue Kazoo sleeping bag
• Main compartment
• • 3 qt (6 L) Camelbak hydration pouch - 6 lb 10 oz (3 kg) filled, tube through port
  • 8 lb 10 oz (3.9 kg) Alpha CD 4-season tent (with fly)
  • 2 lb (0.9 kg) Sierra Zip Stove
  • Pot, cup, utensils (1 lb - 0.5 kg)
  • Lantern and 1 fuel canister
• Outside
• • Thermarest pad (3 lb)

It was at this point when I realized that this was barely going to be a 4-season pack. The main compartment was almost fully loaded, with little room left for food. From Gregory Mountain's website the pack is rated for "a variety of adventures: inter-continental traverses, week long ultra-light thru hikes or just a day of cragging." I know I'm not an ultra-light camper, but this was far less real estate than I had planned on. Food went into the top compartment, fortunately I only had to pack for three meals, the park was providing the other two.

Quick access items (work gloves, pruning shears, etc. went into the rear pouch. My thermal pad rolled up and I put it between the top and main compartments. Total weight? 24 lb (10.9 kg) - 5 lb (2.3 kg) less than my old pack! Felt great trimming off those extra pounds without sacrificing any gear.

OK, the real test...hefting it onto my back and carrying it! I didn't expect the 5 lb (2.3 kg) loss to matter much, but between that and the form-fitted support straps I was amazed at just how much lighter it seemed than what I was use to. The Triconi felt great on the shoulder and hips, much better than my old pack.

While we didn't cover any great distances over the two days (barely 5 miles - 8 km), I did get a lot of experience taking the pack off and putting it back on. With my old pack this would have been a chore (off was always easy, on was a different matter), getting my arm through the strap opening, then trying to find the opening for the other strap and tossing it over my shoulder. The form-fitted straps made this a breeze, after getting the first strap on the second was easy to locate. The fitted straps also supported the pack better while I was getting the waist belt on. Travel was also easier, though I really don't have much to report about this since we only walked about 1/4 mile (0.4 km) at a time, not enough to get a real feel for the suspension system. That will be covered in more depth on my next trek.

One negative point that I did come across was with the hydration sleeve. This is located up against the back (in my case sandwiched between my back and my tent). When the pouch needed refilling I had to remove the stove, utensils, lantern, and part of the tent, to get enough room to remove the pouch. This can be a real pain if I had carried my 1 qt (1 L) pouch -- taking everything out three times just to refill the pouch! There has to be a better way to do this, and I will work on it.

• Bottom Compartment
• • Hammock - 3 lb 4 oz (556 g)
  • rainfly - 1 lb 8 oz (676 g)
  • Pillow - 9.5 oz (268 g)
• Main Compartment
• • 3 qt (6 L) Camelbak hydration pouch - 6 lb 10 oz (3 kg) filled, tube through port
  • Sierra Zip Stove - 1 lb 10 oz (732 g)
  • Pot, cup, utensils - 11.7 oz (332 g)
  • Candle Lantern - 6 oz (172 g)
• Outside Compartment
• • First Aid Kit - 12.6 oz (358 g)
  • Water sterilizer - 7.8 oz (220 g)

The campsite was a little over 2 miles (3.2 km), over relatively easy terrain (some ups-and-downs, nothing major). The Triconi pack felt comfortable on the shoulders and hips, much more so than my older pack. The water bottle strap secures nicely under a hook-and-look strap which sits on top of the shoulder strap, holding it in place and keeping it from falling behind the pack, nicely appreciated.

Unloading my equipment at the campsite was easy, the hammock and rainfly coming out of the bottom compartment. But the real plus here was being able to take my stove and food out of the main compartment from the side, rather than having to unload everything from the top. I stored the candle (my night light) in the outside compartment, and I was easily able to access it, again, handier than trying to get at it from the top.

In the morning I broke camp and loaded my sleeping stuff in the bottom compartment with ease. The stove and other equipment that went into the main compartment was a different story, the clothing inside had shifted overnight and was now flat on the bottom of the compartment. It took some work to rearrange the area so that I could get the equipment in through the side opening. Some type of moveable divider (vertical or horizontal) would make the side opening more useful.

Soon after breaking camp, and all the rest of the day, a rainstorm hit, strong enough at times to turn the trail into a mini-stream. At lunchtime I got the rainfly out of the bottom and did a quick setup, leaving the pack on the ground. After lunch I packed up the rainfly and noticed that the inside of the bottom compartment was dry, even though it had been sitting on wet ground for 45 minutes.

I wrapped up the hike uneventfully, and ended up at the trailhead around 4 pm. I took the time to load the pack into the back of my Jeep then unpack everything to check things out. The top and bottom compartments were completely dry, same with the upper half of the main compartment, which had been protected by the top compartment covering it. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the rest of the main compartment, the "630 D / 210 D high tenacity nylon body fabric combo" allowed a good deal of water to seep into the pack, wetting the contents, this was also true of the outside compartment.

I find that the strap adjustments on the belt take a bit getting used to, other packs I've tried have the pull-straps right at the belt buckle. Gregory Mountain Products has chosen to put the straps closer to the side of the hip; adjustments aren't difficult, but finding the strap ends are harder to locate

Aside from the size, the only problem that I have noticed has been in the nylon sides, letting in far more water than I would have expected. After the testing period I will definitely treat the nylon sections with a water-proof compound. Until then, I will pack any items in a plastic or silnylon pouch.

• Lighter weight than my old pack (by 5 lb - 2.3 kg)
• Form-fitted straps make removal and mounting easier
• Form-fitted waist belt easier to put on hips
• Hydration port keeps the tube from getting lost
• Top and bottom compartments amazingly waterproof

• Hydration sleeve is a pain when it comes to refilling
• Smaller than I am used to -- not a 4-season pack since I'm not ultra-light
• Nylon sides lets in more rain than expected