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Initial Report - Gregory Whitney Pack
10 April 2004
Personal Information:
Name: David Sowards-Emmerd
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 8'' (1.73 m)
Weight: 155 lbs (70 kg)
Email Address: drunken_marmotATyahooDOTcom
Los Altos, California, USA
Date: April 10, 2004
Backpacking Background:
I began backpacking semi-frequently about three years ago, soon
after moving to California. I generally take weekend (1 night)
trips, and occasionally take 3-4 day trips. Most of my
backpacking experience is at moderate altitude, 6,000'-12,000'
(1,800-3,650 m), in conditions ranging from dry desert to hail/heavy
snow in the mountains. In winter and spring I split time between
Southern California (So Cal) deserts and snowshoeing/snowcamping in
the mountains. Summer and fall I tend to stick to the high country.
My pack weight has generally been in the 60-90 lb (27-40 kg)
range (including food/water and a bear barrel) over the past few
years, but recently I've been buying lighter gear. So now before
each trip I'm stuck deciding whether to go lighter, or just carry
more 'toys' to make up for the lost weight. My pack was only 28
lbs / 13 kg for my last warm overnighter (90 F / 32 C and sunny
in March, go figure).
Pack philosophy:
I don't mind a pack that weighs 3-5 lbs / 1.5-2.3 kg more than a
'lightweight' pack so long as it's more durable and carries the
load more comfortably. My recent packs include a Gregory Denali
Pro, Gregory Gravity, Dana Design Bombpack, and Osprey Aether 60.
The product was received in full on April 1, 2004.
Product Specifications:
Manufacturer:
Gregory Mountain Products
Model: Whitney
Model year: 2004
Size: Waist Belt - Small
Shoulder Harness - Small
Frame - Small
Color: Midnight Blue
MSRP: $329
Manufacturer's Specifications:
Volume: 4,950 cubic inches / 81 liters
Weight: 6 lb 9 oz / 3.0 kg
As measured by tester:
Total Pack Weight: 7 lb / 3.18 kg
Top Pocket Weight: 10 oz / 285 g
Initial Observations and Product Description:
Materials and Craftsmanship:
The pack overall appears to be bombproof. I have not been
able to find any defects in the product. The main body of
the pack is constructed of two types of fabrics, both of
which are claimed by the pack manufacturer to be very
durable. The bulk of the pack fabric is 210d 'double box'
HT nylon. Shelter-Rite is used for durability for the
bottom as well as nearly the entire back of the pack
(behind the back padding which attaches at two points on
the side as well as the bottom of the pack but is otherwise
separate from the back of the pack). A strip of nylon is
folded over the internal seams and stitched into place (I'm
sure there's a name for this). Two inch (5 cm) webbing is
used for the waistbelt. One inch (2.5 cm) webbing is used
in connecting the harness to the pack frame, for the delta
straps, for the top pocket occipital lobe attachment, and
also for the haul loop (for picking up/putting on the pack).
One and a half inch (3.8 cm) webbing is used for the top
pocket waistbelt. The remaining webbing and buckles
(compression straps, attachment points, top pocket
connectors) use lighter weight 3/4 '' / 1.9 cm buckles and
webbing. The 3/4 '' / 1.9 cm buckles stick a bit more than
the 1 '' / 2.5 cm buckles I'm used to. However, all of
these should be overkill as far as strength goes.
Three styles of zippers are used on this pack. The top pocket
is accessed though a water-resistant zipper. The sleeping bag
compartment zipper and the front pocket zipper have a small
10C imprinted on them (my guess is this stands for Size 10
chrome, and there are no claims of a manufacturer) and are
very large. The side pockets and front access panel use
somewhat smaller zippers.
Size:
For the small frame size, the listed size is 4950 cubic
inches / 81 l, which provides more than enough room for
luxury items. A bear barrel easily fits inside the main
compartment without poking into my back.
Pockets:
Numerous pockets and nooks seems to be the theme for this
pack. The tall narrow front pocket is isolated from the
main pack compartment. Inside this pocket is a secondary
mesh pocket with a hook-and-loop closure at the top.
The twin side pockets also have sub-pockets and provide
access to the main pack compartment.
The canted water bottle holder allows easy access to my water
bottle (I've pulled muscles in my arms more than once in the
past trying to access a water bottle in a side pocket in the
cold.) The down side is that it is exactly where my elbow
swings back. However, with a large pack I usually don't
swing my arms with the exception of snowshoeing or skiing
where the poles are constantly in motion. In these cases,
special care will be needed to avoid slamming my elbow into
the water bottle repeatedly.
The side mesh pocket (opposite the water bottle holder) is
a little shallow for water bottles without something to
secure them. However, it is nice for small items that you
want to access without having to take off the pack.
The top pocket consists of one large pocket with a key clip
inside. The top pocket converts into a hipsack by pulling
out the waistbelt from its stow-away compartment. One
interesting thing to note is the top pocket can be strapped
over the top of my bicycle trunk for extra storage space
(say for bringing a large loaf of bread to work).
The zippered sleeping bag compartment at the bottom of the
pack is more than large enough for my summer bags, but
my 0 F / -18 C bag is a very tight fit (but I will not be
using it during the testing period!).
I have not yet figured out what fits best in which pocket,
but that's what the testing is for!
Access:
The Whitney provides access to the main pack from 5 different
points: the bottom sleeping bag compartment, the front access
panel, the two side pockets, and the standard top opening.
Both the front access panel and sleeping bag compartment panel
allow direct access to the main bag via U-shaped zippers (a
semi-detachable flap separates the sleeping bag compartment
from the main compartment - the flap cannot be removed
completely). However, for the two side pockets, a mesh
divider (zippered vertically) spans the bottom two-thirds of
the access hole - the top third allows direct access (see
photo). The side pockets can be accessed from the main bag
also for the REALLY lazy.
Compression Straps:
Two bottom compression straps attach vertically over the
sleeping bag compartment - useful for attaching a sleeping
pad (or firewood?) to the bottom of the pack, compress the
contents of the sleeping bag compartment, or both.
In the middle of the pack, V-shaped compression straps
squeeze in the sides/front of the pack. The straps are
located directly over the side pockets - this adds the
additional step of unbuckling the compression strap before
accessing most of the side pockets.
At the top, one drawstring seals off the main compartment.
A second, lower cord provides a bit of compression and
shaping for the top of the load. Additionally a
compression strap that reaches over the top of the pack
(main compartment) from the top of the front pocket to
just above the haul loop.
Finally, the top of the pack attaches with two buckles in
the front and two buckles in the back (plus one extra strap
behind the back of the head to create some headroom). This
provides additional compression and is great for securing a
jacket.
Suspension:
The twin aluminum stays (the manufacturer's website claims
7001 T6 on one page and 7075 T6 on another) connect the
partial framesheet (upper) to the plastic waistbelt. The
waistbelt consists of a rigid plastic form with foam
(Flo-Form II) pads that slide over both sides. The angle
of the waistbelt can be adjusted to maximize the contact
between the waistbelt and hips (see the Gregory website for
more details and illustrations).
The stays are visible through the sleeping bag compartment.
A flap of Shelter-Rite material can be placed over the screws
attaching the stays to the waistbelt. This is an improvement
over my Denali Pro which has a similar stay attachment, but no
material to cover them (I used duct tape to cover them since
they are some what abrasive).
The shoulder harness attaches at the bottom of the pack
behind the waistbelt, and behind/between the shoulders.
The attachment between the shoulders is the Auto-Cant
mechanism (see the Gregory webpage or more details).
This is also where the pack is adjusted to fit a
small range of torso lengths. The harness is attached
in one of two slots - the lower for shorter torsos
and the upper for longer torsos. The shoulder harness
is padded with foam (Flo-Form II). Load lifter straps
attach the upper front part of the shoulder harness to
the top of the stays. Adjusting these properly along
with the bottom harness straps allows me to adjust the
balance of weight between the hips and shoulders.
The back panel consists of three padded areas separated by a
'chimney ventilation channel'. The bottom pad (lumbar) is
similar to the top two except that it has an additional
rubbery coating to keep the waistbelt in place.
Other Features:
- An elastic sternum strap to keep the shoulder harness in place.
- Two ice axe loops are positioned well and allow an a tool to be
attached in addition to a pad at the bottom of the pack.
- Two adjustable gear loops at the middle of the pack for attaching
winter necessities like a snow picket, shovel, or holding the spike
end of an ice axe.
- A hydration port is located just above the right shoulder.
- A sleeve inside the main compartment is designed to hold a
hydration bladder.
One really cool feature is that the side pockets, front access
and sleeping bag compartment have shock cord in the fabric flaps
that cover the zipper, creating a much more weatherproof zipper
setup.
Things I don't like:
- The top pocket waistbelt buckle is a different sized buckle than
the pack waistbelt buckle (this used to be a feature of the larger
Gregory packs - if you manage to break or lose one, you've got a
replacement on the trail).
- The location of the side compression straps - directly over the
side pockets - is somewhat awkward.
Potential Improvements (just initial ideas):
- more compartments/pockets inside the top pocket.
- pockets sewn into hip belt (it's organization oriented right?)
- detachable (even an extra one) canted water bottle holder that
could be attached to the hip belt.
- secondary elastic keeper strap for the mesh side pocket to
help prevent things from falling out.
- why not a weatherproof zipper for the back pocket? (it's one of
the beefier zippers although the only weight it directly supports
is things attached to the daisy chain. The Front Access zipper is
smaller than the front pocket zipper.
Test Plan:
I've already had this monster out for one snow camping overnighter
(with a 50+ lb / 23+ kg load), but will report on that in the field
report. I'm hoping to get in at least one more (maybe two) snow
camping trip before the season finishes (there was enough snow last
weekend for digging a snow cave). These will tend to be the
heavier loads carried.
I expect several bear country weekend trips this summer where
canisters are required. (This should be MUCH more comfortable
than trying to squeeze a bear canister in a 3,000 cubic inch /
49 l pack!). Additionally, as promised, on at least one
Northern California Hikers trip this summer I'll drag along a
169 oz/ 5 l keg of beer. On the other side of the scale, I'll
try to squeeze in one ultralight (for me) trip during the testing
period shooting for a total pack weight of 20-25 lb / 9-11 kg to
see how well the pack carries a smaller volume load.
There's a nice trail about 3 mi / 5km from my apartment that gains
2,600' / 800 m over 5.5 mi / 8.9 km (one way) that I'm trying to
hike more frequently (generally with a heavy pack on the way up,
and shed weight (water/food) for the way down). Since soccer
season is almost underway, a time when we're home every other
weekend, this is a nice morning training hike before a game.
Currently, I'm trying to plan a few mountaineering trips this
summer, including the Mountaineer's Route on Mt. Whitney and
the standard Avalanche Gulch overnighter and a glacier route
(later in the season) on Mt. Shasta. At least one or two of
these better pan out!!!!
Due to the size and organizational nature of this pack, I may also
use it to pack for car camping.
Testing will be carried out at various locations across central/
northern California ranging from 0-14,000' / 0-4,350 m.
Read more reviews of Gregory gear
Read more gear reviews by David Sowards-Emmerd
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