Backpack
Gregory Paragon 60 and Maven 58
$300, 60L/3,661 c.i., 3 lbs. 12 oz./1.7 kg (men’s SM/MD)
Sizes: men’s Paragon S/M and M/L, women’s Maven XS/S and S/M
Paragon 60: backcountry.com
Maven 58: backcountry.com
Since Gregory first introduced the men’s Paragon and women’s Maven packs, I’ve found myself choosing the Paragon repeatedly for a variety of backpacking trips, including pounding out 77 miles in five days (averaging over 15 miles and 8,000 vertical feet per day) on the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier and a more casual, four-day, 36-mile family hike on the Ruby Crest Trail. With the 2025 update of these packs, I took the Paragon 60 on a four-day, 40-mile walk in the Grand Canyon in late March that included humping up the brutally steep and rugged Boucher Trail—convincing myself that the fully featured Paragon 60 and women’s Maven 58 still offer everything that many backpackers look for in a pack for every kind of trip they take.
Updated with some changes for 2025, the Paragon 60 and nearly identical women’s Maven 58 (the only real difference being that the Maven packs are built to fit women) have support for carrying around 35 to 40 pounds quite comfortably and, for some backpackers, pushing loads over 40 pounds. (Gregory claims 50 pounds/22.7 kilos, but for routinely carrying that much weight, if you’re a fan of Gregory packs, I’d recommend the men’s Baltoro and women’s Deva.) After starting our Grand Canyon trip with about 35 pounds inside (including some of our group gear), I concluded that, for me, it would still be comfortable with another several pounds inside. (I also carried the Paragon 60 on a short overnight hike into Lower Muley Twist Canyon in Capitol Reef National Park in April.)
Credit the kind of frame primarily found in high-end backpacks: an alloy steel perimeter frame with a fiberglass cross-stay to improve stability and prevent barreling, plus Gregory’s FreeFloat Suspension System, with elasticized panels—located on the lower back panel, sewn into the hipbelt—that allow the hipbelt to move with your body, independent of the pack’s frame, resulting in a more stable carry and much less of the bouncing that causes fatigue and soreness in shoulders and hips.
Gregory’s newest generation of Air-Cushion mesh back panel consists of 90 percent air, which allowed abundant ventilation that kept my back cooler and drier even on unusually hot afternoons for late March in the Grand Canyon. Gregory has also updated the perforated dual-density shoulder straps with new materials to improve next-to-skin comfort. And the back panel, shoulder straps, and pre-curved hipbelt all have plenty of foam padding for the sort of moderate loads many backpackers usually carry.
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Both models come in two sizes and three volume capacities for backpacking, each with an adjustable suspension with about three inches of range for dialing in the fit. With an 18-inch torso that falls in the upper end of the fit range of the S/M Paragon 60 (15 to 18 inches), I achieved a good fit.
The most conspicuous new feature added for 2025 is a stretch-mesh pocket on the left shoulder strap that’s sized to hold a Garmin inReach Mini or inReach Messenger device or other small item. As someone who routinely carries an inReach, I find the pocket convenient for that; or, at times when I don’t have a need to keep my inReach at my fingertips, I’ll put it in the lid pocket and use the new shoulder strap pocket for occasionally stashing my sunglasses as needed.
Access is excellent in the top-loading Paragon 60 and Maven 58. The wide mouth and pack bag make it easy to insert one of the largest bear canisters—a Bear Vault BV500 bear canister—into the pack horizontally (on its side, the more space-efficient way to load a canister into a pack). Plus, top and side compression straps compress the packs when not full.
A half moon-shaped side zipper provides quick and convenient access to most of the main compartment—a must-have, in my opinion, in any fully featured backpacking pack in this weight class. Six external pockets include two spacious zippered hipbelt pockets that can each fit a large smartphone plus an energy bar or two; a roomy zippered pocket on the floating lid; a stretch-mesh front pocket that easily fits a rain jacket; and stretch-mesh side pockets large enough for a liter bottle. One of those side pockets opens to the top and forward, allowing me to stuff a liter bottle into it and grab it while wearing the pack.
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As usual, Gregory employs durable fabrics: 100-denier and 210-denier high-density nylon in the pack body and 300-denier nylon ripstop in the bottom that utilizes a 40 percent recycled nylon ripstop nylon (producing an average carbon footprint reduction of 25 percent, according to Gregory), all made without PFAS.
The Paragon and Maven also sport these features:
• A molded attachment loop and upper shock lock for trekking poles or an ice axe on the front.
• A safety whistle on the sternum strap.
• Zippered access to the segmented sleeping bag compartment.
• An internal hydration sleeve with SpeedClip hydration hanger compatible with Gregory’s 3D Hydro reservoir (reservoir not included).
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Although four ounces heavier (and with slightly more capacity) than the previous iteration, the Paragon 58, at under four pounds, the Paragon 60 and Maven 58 fall into a kind of super middleweight category among backpacking packs: They remain versatile enough for trips from overnighters up to a week without seeming either overbuilt for the short outings or inadequate for longer ones; but backpackers generally carrying no more than 30 to 35 pounds may want to compare these packs with lighter options and gauge whether those possess all the features they want.
Other packs in the line are the men’s Gregory Paragon 50 and Paragon 70 and the women’s Maven 48 and Maven 68.
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Gregory Paragon 60 and Maven 58
The Verdict
With good capacity, adjustability, a fully featured design, and the support to comfortably carry all that most backpackers need for trips of up to a week (or more), the Gregory men’s Paragon 60 and women’s Maven 58 may be all the backpack that many backpackers need.
BUY IT NOW
You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s Paragon 60 at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com, or a women’s Maven 58 at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com. And see all Paragon models at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com, or all Maven models at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com.
See all reviews of Gregory packs, my picks for “The 10 Best Backpacking Packs” and “The Best Ultralight Backpacks,” my “Top 5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpacking Pack,” and all reviews of backpacks and backpacking gear at The Big Outside.
Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my stories “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-book versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”
NOTE: I reviewed gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.
—Michael Lanza
You said: “The wide mouth and pack bag make it easy to insert one of the largest bear canisters—a Bear Vault BV500 bear canister—on its side in the pack (the more space-efficient way to load a canister into a pack).”
Seriously??
I have a Maven 55 (the new 2020 version), and while I can cram a BV500 on its side in the pack, it stretches the pack out so much that I cannot fit items (bottles etc) in the side pockets. Perhaps the Paragon 58 has a bit more space sideways to accommodate a BV500 sideways and still allow items to fit in the side pockets, but it’s a real stretch — literally — in the Maven 55.
Hi Rose,
Yup, seriously. After reading your comment I pulled out my Paragon 58 and BV500 canister to confirm and easily inserted the canister sideways into the pack. I did not use or obtain the Maven 55, and it’s conceivable that the women’s pack is designed with a slightly more narrow profile that does not fit a BV500 as easily. I’m going to see whether I can get an answer on that from Gregory. I’ll share it here if I do.
Thanks for pointing that out.
Thanks so much! Perhaps a BV 500 would fit sideways better in a Maven 65. I really like my Maven 55 otherwise, it’s very comfy.
I do think that canister should easily fit sideways into a Maven 65. You can, of course, just place the canister upright into your Maven 55 and pack other stuff around it. Good luck.
Hi Rose,
I’m not sure whether this helps much, but I got this response from Gregory:
“The Paragon 58 and Maven 55 have the same “block” (structure of the body of the pack) – for identical torso sizes. AKA: A Paragon 58 S/M torso is going to be the exact same width as a Maven 55 S/M. However, the different torso sizes differ in size. Example: M/L size is taller (the pack and frame), than a S/M torso size – though the width of the pack remains the same. That being said – with a taller volume, the packs have more material – so there is more “room” to accommodate gear.”
You didn’t mention the size of your Maven 55, but if you have the XS/X, it may be slightly more difficult to fit a large canister inside it sideways than it is with my S/M Paragon 58.
Let me know if I can answer any other questions. Thanks.