Initial Review: Gregory Z55

The Gregory Z55- Initial Review

By Jonathan "Turtle" Janacek

Wednesday my new pack arrived.  Being the thrifty Boy Scout that I am, I had been watching ebay for awhile to find a new pack.  I finally won this pack on ebay for $77.  The Z55 retails for $200, and this pack looks brand new!  

    The pack I had been using is a 13 year old Gregory pack. It was a hand-me-down from my Dad.  The pack topped out at about 8 1/2 lbs.  A substantial amount of weight to be carrying for an empty bag.  The pack is also big enough to carry a large child, and not a good idea for a longer trip, as you will fill whatever pack size you own.

    My trip started last night as I began packing my gear.  I'm still not complete with gathering all of my gear for this trip. Most of my gear is still a bit on the old/heavy side and will need to be replaced before our AT trip in March.  

   The Gregory Z55 weighs in at 3 lbs 8 ounces with a total carrying capacity of 3660 cubic inches (60L) in the Large size.  It's rated to comfortably carry up to 38 lbs.  

    My first piece of gear to go in the bag was my sleeping bag.  My bag is the KLICKITAT™ X 0 MUMMY weighing in at 3 lbs 5 ounces from Coleman  The bag retails for $179.  Luckily for my Boy Scout contacts, I picked it up for $80.  It's a synthetic bag rated to 0 degrees.  I have yet to use the bag, but loaning out to Frank (a highly qualified member of the Legends Patrol to accurately evaluate a piece of equipment), he was happy to offer his opinion of it being a great bag for the value.  Only problem is the strap on the compression sack broke during the first outing.  I'll have to replace the bag, but in the mean time, I made it work for this trip.  

   The first pro AND con I found with the pack was the shape of the pack. The shape allows for a well ventilated back space (pro).  There is a piece of mesh running up and down the spine.  The internal frame of the pack is highly curved, keeping the actual pack off of your back providing about 1"-1.25" space between the pack and your back.  This is great for those of us who sweat a little more in that area.  The con, is that the shape of the pack makes it a little difficult to get gear in the bag.  it seems that at the center of the curve in the frame, the opening size is a little small in the pack, but I still squeezed the sleeping bag in. 

   The weight of the pack is awesome, it's lightweight and sure beats the 8lb bag I had before.  In-lieu of 1.25" straps of my larger bag, this one uses 3/4" and 1/2" straps.  Smaller straps also means smaller buckles.  There are a few straps that can probably be removed if you don't like things dangling off the sides.  I prefer to have everything internal on the pack vs strapped to the exterior.  I hate bouncy/swinging things on a pack. 

  The other feature of the pack I like is the waist belt.  My old pack used a standard buckle that  was also the source of adjustment.  The Z55 features a buckle in the center, and the adjustment fittings on the hip padding. This allows you to pull the belt forward on your body to tighten the belt, this works SO much better than the old school type.  I'm sure this is a standard feature on many new packs, but as I mentioned, my old pack is about 13 years old.  

    A "con" of this pack would have to be the loading points. It's a top and side load only. I haven't had to do this yet, but on an overnight trip, you will have to completely empty your backpack to get to your sleeping bag (assuming you put it at the bottom of your backpack).  I'm a big fan of bottom zippers and would have gladly given up the weight for the extra zipper....I might see if it's something I can get altered before the trip....but it might not be worth it.  

  The pack has 3 "compartments": the top "lid" of the pack, the main compartment, and the external accessory compartment. The lid is completely removable and I'm sure can be fashioned into a small fanny pack of sorts or removed for weight reduction.  Again, the curve in the pack makes filling the external compartment very difficult once the main compartment is full.  I'd suggest filling the small external compartment first. 

All zippers are the "sealed" type to minimize water intrusion.  The other feature of the pack is a separation of the main compartment and the external compartment.  Basically, they added one more piece of fabric to create a fouth "compartment". It has no zipper, draw strings of straps to keep it closed, only the lid covering it's opening.   I would not consider it a water resistant area, so it would be great for eating kits, rain gear and other equipment that could get wet if you got a heavy rain on the pack.  The pack also features a slot for a hydration bladder in the main compartment and what appeared to be a sleeve inside the pack for the bladder.  

  I loaded the pack up with everything I thought I would need for a 7 day trip, but I'm sure I missed a few things.  An overnight trip would have greatly helped in the "shake down" process, but this trip was solely to discover the comfort of the pack.  I topped out at 33lbs.  I carried 2 liters of water and in-lieu of carrying actual food, I took a 10lb weight and wrapped it in a thick towel to represent the weight and bulk of 5 days of food (2lbs per day).  I also packed 1/2 of my two man tent to try and round out my pack with a realistic idea. I could go into detail about the rest of the small items, but I'm sure you get the idea. 

   All the gear fit into the pack with room to spare, which is good b/c I'm sure there will be items I'm missing.  Considering I dropped 4lbs of my pack weight and at least 2lbs off my sleeping bag weight, I'm heading in a good direction.  

  -On The Trail

   Considering the short time I had to hike today, I chose the Shaddox Hollow Trail.  It's a 1.5 mile trail that begins with a pretty good decent towards Beaver Lake, and a good little climb back to the top followed by a flat section about .6 miles long.  The hike was over before I knew it, but it did allow me to discover some of the strength and weaknesses of the pack.  

    Within the first 20 steps, the first thing I noticed about the pack was the lumbar pad.  The pad is very prominent and it is where the majority of the pack sits.  When the waist belt was tightened, I felt the majority of the pressure on my lumbar and on the front of my pelvic bone, basically on the front side of my body, below my shoulders.  The adjustment straps for the shoulders are easy to access, both the upper and lower.  I did find that I had to firmly grip the straps when pulling b/c there are no "stops" at the end of the straps.  I wouldn't call this a con, just something a little different.  

   The pack rode very well and was a positive change from my "carry everything including the kitchen sink" pack.  When walking, I never felt my arms hit the pack at any point. It felt like it was smaller pack and rode a little further away from my body than I expected.  I could see this potentially being a problem if there are any steep ascents or rock climbing "poses" that we come across.  Again, the pack being so far away from the body is b/c of the curve of the pack.  Then again, I also have the Marmot "Bodie" daypack which has the same feature, so I believe it's safe to assume that this is a newer feature on packs than I am used to.  With the negative aspect of shape, I will say that the ventilation behind your back is a huge plus.  

  Also, there are no side pockets for water bottles.  It's a hydration bladder or you have to take the pack off and open the main compartment to get to your water.  There are two mesh zippered pockets on either side of the waist belt.  I slipped my new Princeton Tec "Fuel" headlamp into one of the pockets.  This would also be a great location for a pocket knife and a quick trail snack.  

   Overall, I do give the pack a strong "B+" and can't wait to get on an overnight hike very soon.  Until next time, this is Turtle signing off.