Daypack
Gregory Zulu 24 LT and Jade 24 LT
$170, 24L/1,465 c.i., 2 lbs. 5 oz./1.05kg (men’s Zulu 24 LT)
One size each for men and women, non-adjustable
Zulu 24 LT: backcountry.com
Jade 24 LT: backcountry.com
This first thing I noticed about carrying Gregory’s Zulu 24 LT on spring dayhikes of up to about 12 miles from southern Utah parks to New Zealand, with plenty of uphill and downhill and a bit of scrambling thrown in, was its exceptional comfort even when testing its maximum weight capacity: This daypack does not wilt under loads that push some daypacks beyond their “I’m still liking this pack” limit. But the more I used it—and actually interacted with the pack, pulling stuff out, stuffing stuff back in, using its various pockets—the more I liked how its design constantly rose to my demands.
Which leads me to a larger observation: Once in a while, a piece of gear comes along that just seems ideally designed for one broad purpose, and that’s the case with the men’s Zulu LT and women’s Jade LT daypacks: They are perfectly suited for dayhiking. That may sound a little silly at face value, but with the ever-increasing specialization in outdoor gear and hyper-focus on marketing low weight, a broader perspective on purpose sometimes gets lost.
From where I stand, it looks like Gregory stayed focused on purpose with the Zulu LT and Jade LT packs and that’s good news for dayhikers. My positive impressions of the Zulu LT were only reinforced the more I used it, including on a 17-mile, 6,000-foot dayhike of 11,253-foot Lone Peak in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains in November, starting out with upwards of 20 pounds include, including food and four liters of water plus layers for cold temps; and dayhiking New Zealand’s 12.6-mile/20.2-kilometer Tongariro Alpine Crossing, which involved more than 2,100 feet of uphill and 3,600 feet down, again carrying everything needed for a full day with wind-driven rain.
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Most obviously, the Zulu 24 LT felt extraordinarily comfortable carrying up to 20 pounds inside while dayhiking the 9.4-mile Navajo Knobs Trail in Capitol Reef National Park, with about 2,400 feet of uphill and downhill, and the 8.6-mile Fairyland Loop in Bryce Canyon National Park, with about 1,900 feet of uphill and downhill, in early May.
That comfort begins with the alloy steel wire perimeter internal frame with a stabilizing crossbar, which flexes enough to help the pack not feel heavy on your back while providing enough rigidity and support to keep most of the pack’s weight on your hips, not pulling against your shoulders.
Another distinguishing feature that you won’t find in daypacks that are even just a few ounces lighter is the seamless wrap of the hipbelt, which integrates with the back panel to enclose your hips so evenly that it feels like it was custom-built for your torso. I never felt any pressure points or sore spots from the hipbelt or the mesh shoulders straps. This harness helps distribute the pack’s weight evenly without feeling over-engineered or too bulky on my body or inhibiting movement.
And that Vaporspan ventilated back panel’s very open mesh and wide space between the tensioned panel and the pack bag creates excellent air flow that keeps your back cool on hot days while keeping the pack’s weight close enough to your spine to avoid the pack pulling against your shoulders, even when packed to the gills.
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Gregory rates the Zulu 24 LT and Jade 24 LT packs for carrying up to 20 pounds/9.1 kilos (and 25 pounds/11.3 kilos in the 28 LT models). I’m confident some stronger hikers would find the 24 LT fine with well over 20 pounds, while some smaller hikers might prefer keeping the weight to around 15 pounds/6.8 kilos.
That comfort helps greatly to compensate for the fact that the Zulu LT and Jade LT packs—available in volumes of 20, 24, and 28 liters—come in just one non-adjustable size each for men and women. Gregory says the men’s packs will fit torsos ranging from 16 to 21 inches/40.6 to 53.3 centimeters and the women’s packs will fit torsos of 14 to 19 inches/35.6 to 48.3 centimeters. (Torso sizing is the same for the Zulu 28 LT and Jade 28 LT Plus Sizes.) My 18-inch/45.7cm torso falls right in the middle of the Zulu’s fit range, so not surprisingly, it feels great on me. I often find that people at the extremes of a pack’s fit range will not find the fit as ideal; I suggest choosing the pack with the better torso sizing for you rather than based on the gender model.
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With a capacity of 24 liters/1,465 cubic inches, the Zulu 24 LT and Jade 24 LT have space for very long dayhikes, including adventures that require extra water, food, clothing layers, and gear—although these are definitely hiking packs, not to be mistaken for technical or climbing packs.
And for hikers who like to remain conscious of gear weight—and I do—for a pack with this much volume and weight-carrying capacity and features, its empty weight of two pounds five ounces/1.05 kilos is impressively light. Compare it against the best daypacks out there today and you may not find another that does this much and weighs less.
Access to the Zulu and Jade 24 LT packs is exactly what it should be in a daypack: easy, fast, convenient, and sufficiently abundant without superfluous excess. Rather than the multi-step process of opening and closing created by a traditional lid, a U-shaped zipper opens the main compartment up more widely than any lid—smart for a daypack.
Most useful of the six external pockets is a large, zippered, vertically aligned front pocket with space for a jacket or two and other lighter, bulkier items. Another, higher, smaller zippered front pocket replaces a traditional lid pocket, holding keys, sunglasses, sunblock, and such. Two stretch-mesh side pockets hold a liter bottle each and—worth noting—you can easily reach into them while wearing the pack. The two zippered hipbelt pockets will each hold four or five energy bars or a standard smartphone with room to spare.
Other nice details:
• You can run the bladder hose through a tiny loop or through a fabric tunnel, both positioned high on either shoulder strap, to control how the hose drops over your shoulder and how much it flops around; there’s also a clip at the sternum strap for the hose.
• You can easily grab the large, custom-molded pulls on all zippers with gloves on.
• The easy-to-adjust trekking poles attachment.
• The sternum strap’s one-hand buckle and easily adjustable fit.
• The internal hydration sleeve features Gregory’s SpeedClip hydration hanger that’s compatible with Gregory’s 3D Hydro and 3D Hydro Trek reservoirs.
Characteristic of Gregory packs, the Zulu LT and Jade LT are bomber, more durable than many packs (especially lighter ones) thanks to the 40 percent recycled, 400-denier polyester ripstop fabric in the body and 420-denier nylon in the bottom, all made without PFAS. As with many daypacks, the most vulnerable areas are the stretch-mesh side pockets, zippers, and seams; but Gregory has reinforced stress points and generally designed the pack to disperse weight evenly—good for the carrier and the pack’s lifespan.
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Gregory Zulu 24 LT and Jade 24 LT
The Verdict
If you’re a dayhiker who needs a pack with extra space and weight capacity and doesn’t need the absolute lightest pack out there, the Gregory men’s Zulu 24 LT and women’s Jade 24 LT deliver superior comfort with loads up to 20 pounds (or more) and a smart design that answers the needs of dayhikers. And, by the way, they don’t even weigh very much at all.
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 Gregory men’s Zulu 24 LT at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com, or a women’s Jade 24 LT at gregory.com or rei.com, or other versions of the Zulu LT at backcountry.com, gregory.com, or rei.com or the Jade LT at gregory.com or rei.com.
See “The 10 Best Hiking Daypacks,” “5 Tips For Buying the Right Backpack” (which includes daypacks), and all reviews of hiking gear at The Big Outside.
You may also be interested in my “8 Pro Tips for Preventing Blisters When Hiking,” my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles,” and my story “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” which you can read in its entirety with a paid subscription to The Big Outside or click here to purchase separately.
NOTE: I tested 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 Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all reviews and expert buying tips.
—Michael Lanza
Hello michael, how are you? i´ve been reading your site and i found lot of very useful information, thank you.
I had a Osprey Talon 22 for many years (2017-2026) and i need a replacement. IIt is the backpack i use the most for hiking (summer, autumn, spring and early – late winter), i don not climb but sometimes you walk among nawrrow places (rocks or bushes). I don´t want something bigger in size (i see talon 22 is bigger in size than others gregory with more liters but better used), so i´m around 22-24lts. My plan is a full day back pack, confortable, durable!, with belt, belt pockets (phone), a backpack for carrying the usual stuff for a day plus a mirrorless camera with 2 lenses and a couple of batteries (not every time, but it will be the usual) , eventually a small tripod such as gorillapod (this should go outside of the backpack), and action camera on one of the shoulders straps.
I have an old lowe alpine quest 37 lits airzone year 2015, an atmos AG 50 2016, and the talon to be reeplaced. (this are the systems i know and the ¨feelings¨ i´ve experienced).
I found the stratos 24 (wich is biggger in size and too bulky for me), the Inertia 24, the zulu 24 and the citro 24.
*What i like of the inertia 24 is there is no mesh on front, wich is one thing less to be worried ( my talon 22 got stucked and the mesh is ruined and is the first thing you see, a 2×2¨ hole), the weight, the price (is the cheapest of the choices), the dedicated pocket for the bladder (i wont use it, i like bottles so there is an special compartment for raincover and a jacket for example) and the color (is not my favourite but indigo is not too flashy compared wth the other orange colors. My doubt is about the comfort of the system compared with the talon 22 (the back and the belt) i would like to keep the comfort or increase it, is a backpack that i use the most, another concern is the size of the zipper pocket on the side (if it usable open to carry a tripod for example) and the lack of inner zipper pocket.
* What i like the zulu is the vertical zipper front pocket is no mesh (not sure how big it is when the back pack is loaded inside), the stronger material of the fabric compared to the others, the system of the back, the design but not much the horizon blue (it´s beautiful but hard con combine with clothing). I´m worried about the inner space (the rigid curve if you can put -eventually- a laptop, and how much space i have for the camera pouch, also the lack of accessories in the straps for carabiners or an action camera, or sunglasses and there is no zipper pocket inside either (as the talon for example). I know it is minimalistic, but…
*About the citro 24: i like everything except the PRICE and THE MESH in the front pocket. (having this experience with the talon 22). This is the weakest point. I love the two pockets (one inside one outside, the two side pockets, the belt (and pockets), the versatility of the shoulder straps (for sunglasses or hang whatever you need). Since is the most expensive one… i´m not sure if it worth paying this much knowing it´s weak spot.
I saw the kiro and the Arrio models, but not sure about the Cloud Control Flexible hipbelt feeling, i like to walk comfortable with almost no weight in my shoulders.
Also having in mind all this options does not come with a system to regulate the size (such as the talon or stratos).i´m 5´9¨
Any idea or guidance you can share with me will be welcome, please accept my apologies for my english, is not my ¨mother language¨ and i don´t want to use google translate for this.
Thank you in advance!
Cheers!
Hi J,
Well, I can see you’re a discriminating buyer of hiking daypacks, so I’m not sure I can give you a recommendation that will suit all of your requirements (and I certainly can’t do anything about prices). But of my favorite daypacks, based on your comments, I think another Osprey Talon or either the Gregory Miko or Zulu will best satisfy you. I’d say the Black Diamond Trail Vista 20 or 28 is worth a look, but may not have the features you want.
Good luck. Thanks for the comment.
Hello Michael, thank you for your time.
My concern was about the quality of those Gregory backpacks in your experience. (the mesh) and the comfort of the two systems (inertia and citro/zulu)
Regards!
Hi J,
The durability of the mesh pockets on the Citro and Zulu will compare with mesh exterior pockets on most hiking daypacks, that is, those will hold up to the typical use of most hikers. I’d say you only need more durable mesh if subjecting the packs to an unusual degree of direct contact against rock surfaces, which could certainly tear those pockets. The reviews speak specifically to the comfort of those packs, how much weight they carry with reasonable comfort; and that depends on achieving a good fit, so those reviews also note the number of sizes available.
I hope that’s helpful. Good luck.
Where is the hydration port on the Zulu 24 LT? I can’t find it!
Hi Sam,
Yes, it’s somewhat concealed under a flap at the top middle of the pack, right behind the back of your neck. There’s a small water drop icon marking it; the flap is under that.