Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Gregory Zulu Pack > Owner Review by David Phillips

Owner Review: Gregory Zulu Backpack

March 31, 2006

Personal Biographical Information

Name: David Phillips

Age: 29

Gender: Male

Height: 5'9” (1.75 m)

Weight: 150 lbs (68 kg)

Torso Length: 19 in (48 cm)

Waist Size: 32 in (81 cm)

email: dphilli1_00@yahoo.com

City, State, Country: Boston, MA, USA

Backpacking Background:

I started hiking before I could walk, being carried around in a babypack by my parents. Backpacking didn't start until somewhat later, in middle school. All of my actual backpacking has been in the mountains of North Georgia, but I've been hiking all over the country (Pacific Northwest, Southwest, New England, Southeast) in conditions from “Oh, wow, what a beautiful day!” to “You're crazy!”

I tend to be a bit of a gear-head, and carry too much stuff (35-40 lbs, 15-18 kg), but I'm working on getting my pack lighter.

Manufacture: Gregory

URL:  http://www.gregorypacks.com

Year of Manufacture: 2004

Listed Weight: Size Medium, 4 lbs, 11 oz (2.1 kg)

Delivered Weight: 4 lbs, 12 oz (2.1 kg)

Listed Capacity: w/o extension collar 2300 in^3 (37 L) / with collar extended 2900 in^3 (47.5 L)

Verified Capacity: ~2900 in^3 (via measuring with tape measure)

MSRP: $199 US

Description:

The Gregory Zulu is a hybrid top-loading mid-sized internal frame backpack (it also has a side zip). Constructed of a nylon pack-bag (made of “630 d HT” according to the Gregory website) attached to a rigid plastic back-panel (“Exo-Frame”) , this pack has a narrow profile making it good for backcountry work or narrow brushy trails. This pack was designed to carry winter toys, with pass-through pockets and ski-securing straps on the sides, and a semi-rigid panel backing a “shovel pocket” with buckles to secure a snowboard or snowshoes.

This pack is a hybrid top-loader, with a floating cover and a side zip for interior access without complete unpacking (see picture below). The cover has a pocket (~120 in^3/ 2 L) useful for storing medium-sized items (pocket #1). The snowboard/shovel pocket also has an external compression pocket (~ 60 in^3 / 1 L) with a vertical zipper (pocket #2). Two mesh water bottle pockets are available, one on each side, and a hydration bladder sleeve lurks inside.

The Zulu uses Gregory's AutoCant harness system, which means that all the major straps are connected to the frame via freely rotating slit thermoplastic panels. Large-scale adjustment is performed by changing which slit the strap passes through; standard webbing straps and buckles provide fine-tuning.

Field Use

I've had this pack for about three years, and have used it for everything from a two hour snowshoeing trip through the woods near my house to a nine hour slog through the Presidential Range. I've worn the pack mostly in dry weather, but it has had snow dumped on it from trees, and it has been carried in light drizzle/mist with no problems with water penetration (according to the web page, the pack-bag is urethane coated). According to general guides, 3000 in^3 (49 L) is supposed to be enough for a lightweight weekend backpack, but this pack just doesn't seem big enough for that. My sleeping bag (REI Sub-Kilo) takes up most of the pack, leaving little interior room for other necessities (like food). However, as a large technical day-pack for someone who takes approximately three times as much stuff as he actually uses, the Zulu has worked well. The size is big enough to easily swallow two large Nalgene water bottles, a hydration bladder, lunch, trail snacks, extra clothing (fleece, hardshell jacket and pants, mittens, extra socks, insulated pants), a sit pad, crampons, a first aid kit, alcohol stove and cook-kit without having to stuff the pack totally full (which has made extracting things with gloves on easier). Also, even when I've overpacked the bag for a winter hike, I haven't needed to use much of the extension collar (6 in/ 15 cm tall, adds 600 in^3/ 9.8 L).

Fit-wise, the basic strap position fit me out of the box. According to the Gregory web page, this pack is available in 3 sizes: Small (torso 15.5 - 17.5 in/ 39.3 – 44.4 cm) , Medium (torso 17.5 - 19.5 in/ 44.4 – 49.5 cm), and Large (torso 19.5 - 21.5 in/ 49.5 – 54.6 cm). One complaint I have about the hip-belt is that the tips of my hips are high, and with the way I have the pack set up (see details below), it is difficult for me to get the belt tight enough. I've carried the pack with far too much stuff (>35 lbs/16 kg) over above-treeline winter terrain (full crampons and ill-fitting rental plastic winter boots) and have felt comfortable, which indicates that the suspension is quite capable of these large loads. Also, with everything snugged up, I've never felt the least bit unstable or top-heavy even when the pack was overloaded.

As a gear-head, I like to have lots stuff accessible easily (food, camera, GPS, etc). In some ways, this is not an ideal pack for that attitude. The design of the hip belt, with wide webbing that passes into a reinforced narrow webbing for the lower stabilization straps means that it is difficult to attach any pouches without going over the entire padded portion of the hip-belt. This means that as soon as the pack is removed, the pouch will slide off. Furthermore, because the only convenient place for hip-belt pouches is near the buckle on the hip belt, the pouches get between the padded parts of the hip belt, making it difficult for me to get the belt tight enough. With a full winter pack, the bottle pockets are compressed to the point where replacing a standard large size Nalgene bottle requires a great deal of pushing and shoving (removal is easy though). Finally, the compression pocket on the outside of the shovel pocket (pocket #2) is a good idea, but really isn't big enough for anything more substantial than gloves and a wind jacket. Additional fabric pleats could make this pocket a little bigger and able to hold hard objects that don't compress well.

Overall, this has been a very good pack.

Summary:

The Gregory Zulu is a solid pack capable of handling large loads with aplomb. As a technical day pack for over-packers or a pack for a lightweight overnight it works well.

Things I like:

1. Able to be overloaded and still be comfortable.

2. Easy access to interior.

3. Size (for a day pack).

Things I don't like

1. Bottle pockets are not big enough.

2. Hip belt/should straps do not support accessory pouches.

3. Compression pocket is not truly useful.

(picture credit Gregory.com)

Reviews > Packs > Internal and External Framed Backpacks > Gregory Zulu Pack > Owner Review by David Phillips