Gregory pack reviews

Gear Review: Gregory Miwok 18 and Maya 16 Daypacks

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Gregory Miwok 18 daypack
Gregory Miwok 18 daypack

NOTE: This review covers an older version of these daypacks. Click here now to read my newer review of the 2019 versions of the Gregory Miwok 18 and Maya 16.

Daypack
Gregory Miwok 18/Maya 16
$100, 18L/1,098 c.i., 1 lb. 10 oz.
One size
moosejaw.com

For most three-season dayhikes—whether it’s several miles or an ultra-hike of 20 or more miles—I want to travel light, and I prefer a daypack that helps me achieve that goal, while remaining comfortable and having a utilitarian feature set. Having been a fan of the Gregory Miwok series for some years for just those reasons, I took the new men’s Miwok 18 out for a spin on various one-day hikes, including the 32-mile, 10,000-vertical-foot Pemi Loop over nine summits in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, and came away largely impressed with its versatility for most dayhikers.

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Gear Review: Gregory Salvo/Sula 28 Daypack

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Gregory Salvo 28
Gregory Salvo 28

Daypack
Gregory Salvo/Sula 28
$130, 28L/1,708 c.i., 2 lbs. 7 oz.
One size
moosejaw.com

The trend toward ever-lighter gear has resulted in a spate of minimalist, ultralight daypacks—many of which I have reviewed and liked. But if you prioritize comfort and features in a daypack, Gregory hasn’t forgotten you. On dayhikes ranging from seven to 12 miles, from Yellowstone’s Mount Washburn and Black Canyon of the Yellowstone River to Utah’s San Rafael Swell, Horseshoe Canyon in Canyonlands National Park, and Kane Gulch, and Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly, and even some cross-country skiing, I found the Salvo 28 rocks for comfort and ventilation.

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Review: Gregory Stout 45 and Amber 44 Backpacks

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Gregory Stout 45
Gregory Stout 45

Backpack
Gregory Stout 45 and Amber 44
$169, 3 lbs. 9 oz. (medium)

Men’s Stout 45 sizes:
M 45L/2,746 c.i., fits torsos 46-51cm/18-20 ins.
L 48L/2,929 c.i., fits torsos 51-56cm/20-22 ins.
backcountry.com

Women’s Amber 44 sizes:
S 44L/2,685 c.i., fits torsos 41-46cm/16-18 ins.
M 46L/2,807 c.i., fits torsos 46-51cm/18-20 ins.
backcountry.com

A weekend backpack that costs just $169—and is made by Gregory? How could I not put it to the test? Backpacking the Grand Canyon’s remote and very rugged, 34-mile Royal Arch Route—considered the hardest established, multi-day route on the canyon’s South Rim—we hiked many miles off-trail, scrambled over and around boulders and up and down sketchy, exposed ledges, made one big descent and a monster uphill slog in brutal desert heat, carried up to seven liters of water each, and even lowered our packs over a 20-foot cliff (that we had to rappel). Through all of that, I have to say, the Stout 45 carried comfortably and stably and tolerated a lot of abuse with no damage.

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Gear Review: Gregory Miwok 24 Daypack

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Gregory Miwok 24
Gregory Miwok 24

Daypack
Gregory Miwok 24
$119, 1 lb. 10 oz.
One size 24L/1,464 c.i.
gregorypacks.com

What do I look for in a daypack? I want it to have the capacity for all-day hikes with my family or really long dayhikes when I’m carrying extra food and clothing, be compact and hug my body for short hikes, have easy access without being over-engineered, and function well as a bike-commuting or airport carry-on pack. And I want it to remain lightweight. After carrying the Miwok 24 with up to 15 pounds inside it on a pair of very long dayhikes—a 13.5-hour, mostly off-trail, roughly 18-mile tour through Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, and a 19-mile, several-thousand-foot, seven-summit traverse of the Wildcat-Carter-Moriah Range in New Hampshire’s White Mountains—plus a seven-mile dayhike in Arches National Park and while biking around town and on a cross-country flight, I decided this streamlined daypack could be the only one I need.

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Gear Review: Gregory Contour 70L/Cairn 68L Backpack

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Gregory Contour 70
Gregory Contour 70

Backpack
Gregory Contour 70L/Cairn 68L
$299, 4 lbs. 5 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S, M, L (fit torsos from 16 to 22 inches), women’s XS, S, M (fit torsos from 14 to 20 inches)
gregorypacks.com

Whether on a family backpacking trip with young kids or a hike of more than about four days, you’re carrying a lot of stuff. In either scenario, I like a pack that can handle a big load and allows me to organize so that I can access items quickly. It doesn’t hurt if the pack is almost a pound lighter than many top competitors. That sums up the Contour 70L (and women’s version Cairn 68L, 58L, and 48L) in a nutshell. I carried the Contour 70L with up to 45 pounds in it on three family trips: skiing to a backcountry yurt (hauling the pack one day in and one day out); three days backpacking Utah’s Coyote Gulch; and five days backpacking Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness.

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