So, solo hiking is fun and all, but I'd rather go hiking with friends. So, I've been working on getting some of them to join me. My friend Kevin seems the most eager to get out on the trail with me, so we've been preparing him to go hiking with me this summer. His job schedule hasn't been matching up well with when our REI runs it's garage sales, so we decided that we'd go to REI and get a look at gear he might want and then I could go and hunt the garage sales for him. We wanted to get him fitted for a pack and boots at the very least, and look over what some of the tents were like.
Now, I've got a method for this. If you've been reading here, you know that I'd never buy a pack without a chance to put some weight in it and wear it for a halfhour or more. This is why I really love REI as a store, because they're well-equipped for this. They're happy to help you pick out packs and load them up with ~30lb of rice. So that's exactly what we did. First thing when we got to the store, we went over to the backpack area, and I grabbed a Gregory Baltoro 65 (in Medium) and a Osprey Aether 70 Figuring that 65-70 liters is about the sweet spot for multi-night backpacking trips. Too much more, and you overpack, too much less and you don't have enough room. We tried the Baltoro first, because I'm biased. My own pack that I am super fond of is a Gregory Baltoro 65 Large. We loaded him up and wandered through the store to scope out some of the other stuff we might want to get. But, after a halfhour wandering and browsing, Kevin complained of a knot near his shoulder blade just like I had experienced with the Osprey Aether when I tried it.
Switching packs, we equipped Kevin with a weighted Osprey Aether. Immediately he could tell that this wasn't the pack for him. We wandered around a little bit, including over to the climbing rocks in the shoe section, but he just felt like the tall and skinny build of the pack was too unbalancing for him. Interesting to me, was that Osprey changed the way that the back of the Aether is built. in 2014 when I tried one, there was a more distinct trampoline support between the pack and the person, while the 2015 (or 2016?) Aether has a somewhat different build there. By this point, I was glad that we'd come down to try them on, definitely wouldn't have wanted to order him either pack sight-unseen.
Our third candidate turned out to be the REI Traverse 70. This was an interesting combination of the Baltoro's more clingy build, with a trampoline back mesh like the 2014 Aethers had. Whatever the case, Kevin swiftly became sure that this was his new pack. Continued time wearing it only confirmed his suspicions. I was relieved, because we didn't have too many options after that, perhaps a larger REI XT or Deuter.
Conversely, picking out boots, our next task went rather swiftly. We had an excellent starting point, readers will know just how over the moon I am for the Vasque Breeze hiking boot. Well, it didn't take any more than that. Kevin tried them on, and felt an extreme and immediate sense of liberation. He'd been wearing the heavy duty work boots that he wears to his job, and switching from a heavy boot with a safety toe, to the relatively light and airy weight of the hiking boot put a real spring in his step. He didn't need to wear them long at all, he was sold. The salesperson assisting us said that he wasn't surprised about 70% of the people he's seen try the boot opted for it.
Anticipating filling up from my Gravity Camp 6L Kevin nabbed a 100oz Camelbak as well. Since we were looking at a relatively new, I believe new for this year, backpack our original "try and find it at a garage sale" plan wasn't going to work for his pack. However, since he signed up to be a REI Member, come spring he'll be getting 20% off, and we'll just wait till then to get the pack. Turns out though, that Kevin WILL be able to make the Garage Sale on March 12th.
Showing posts with label Backpack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Backpack. Show all posts
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
GEAR REVIEW: Gregory Baltoro 65 (2014)
One of the difficulties in properly reviewing this equipment is that to get the full impression of how gear handles, you need to use it out in the field. And some times, as in the case of this pack, that ends up meaning that you deliver a review for the 2014 edition of a product in 2015. (Also, I didn't blog about this sort of thing back when I first bought the pack.) I can as a result though, tell you that I am very happy with this bag and it's performance in the field. I can tell you that I know that it fits, but just barely, in most Amtrak overhead storage. You'll have to contort the waist belt a bit to squeeze it in, and you'll have to detatch the gear-tied-on foam roll, but it'll fit up there! Really though, take the foam off before you board, it'll barely make it up the train's stairs. I lived out of this bag for a month, in which I camped, hiked, partied and traveled by train. And the bag did not disappoint.
First, the small flaws in the bag, most of which have been resolved in the 2015 edition. What bugs me the most, is the pitifully small waist belt pockets. They're tiny! I keep a ton of junk on my keyring, and I can barely fit my keys into one of them. I'm not certain what the designers had in mind here, but it sure wasn't anything of substance. Fortunately, I have heard from a redditor with a 2015 version of the pack, that the pockets are more useful on the new edition. I'm jealous! Second, the trekking pole stowage is pretty much inaccessible while wearing it. There are velcro loops included on the back of the pack to attach your poles. You might even be able to reach them while wearing it, in order to disengage them. But you won't be able to put the poles back in, unless you've got arms longer than mine, and a wicked case of double jointedness. Again, I have it on authority that for 2015 they've switched to a system that lets you stow your poles at your waist. This was a feature I thought worthwhile on the pack I thought I was going to buy, the Osprey Aether. So, I'm impressed that Gregory has improved their pack since I bought mine, and a little jealous of the 2015 buyers.
One thing that doesn't seem to have changed, is that if it still has a pocket for a hydration pack (like a Camelbak or Platypus bladder) that it's still an internal one. One thing I liked about the Osprey Aether was that it kept the hydration pouch in a space created by the mesh suspension that keeps the pack from riding directly against your back. This seemed like a better place for it, since then my gear wouldn't be pressing against the bladder and making it difficult to get the bladder in and out of the bag.The work-around is that I'll probably just wind up pumping water directly into the camelbak hose, and refilling the bladder that way.
One thing that HAS changed, is that now the Baltoro series comes with an integrated pack cover. I'm not certain how to feel about that, if it got punctured or otherwise compromised, it'd become dead weight, or require me to replace the pack. I just obtained a separate gregory-made pack cover (their Large size seems to fit the Baltoro 65 well) and that would be independantly replaceable in the event of a problem. But, I also had to pay extra for it, whereas the integrated one is built in to the cost of the bag, and a guaranteed fit, too.
I can tell you though, that the pack still feels great even loaded down with 50lbs of gear and provisions. I can tell you that if you have to stand by the doors, waiting to load onto a train you arrived just in time to queue up for, that you will not regret buying this pack. I can also tell you that if you DO miss a train, and have to ride a little shuttlebus from Portland to Eugene, that the bag does take up roughly the size of another person, which could be good or bad, depending on if you want to monopolize a row all to yourself and have something to lean your head against as you fall asleep. And it wears just as well on the 20 minute hike from parking to campsite at Flint Ridge. Even with everything I was carrying, the bag felt like an extension of my body.
Fitting all that gear in did necessitate the use of a couple of compression bags. I picked up a couple of Sea To Summit large compression sacks, the blue colored ones. I used one for clean clothing, and another for dirty, but I've since heard a suggestion that I think I'll employ in the future, to put the clean clothes first into a trash compactor bag, and then put that into the compression sack, to help keep the clean clothes dry and clean. Then put the dirty into either a second bag, or loose in the same compression sack. Either way, I've got two for whatever I need. There's a bottom compartment that's just the right size for a Kelty Cosmic Down 20, or a Polar Fleece Sleeping bag. I have a hard time imagining, even in a compression sack, fitting in my big synthetic cold weather bag. The lower compartment is partitioned with a small nylon separator, but with that out of the way you can also access it from the top down, in addition to the exterior zippered access they provide. There are two side pockets, but they tend to expand into the pack itsself the more you put in them. If I grow sick of the interior pocket provided for my camelbak, I can however fit the bladder in one of them pretty easily. There's an exterior pouch on the back of the pack suitable for smaller items, and it does not impinge so badly on the interior space. A mid-level zipper arrangement allows access to the pack without removing the lid, with the zippers running around the sides of this rear pouch. As I mentioned before, there are also loops on the back and on the bottom for attaching additional gear, and there are ice axe/trekking pole velcro attachements that I don't think terribly highly of. I was able to use the exterior loops to gear-tie on my Foam Roll, and the adjustable exterior straps just outside the sleeping bag compartment were the right size to attach a rolled up L L Bean tent my Dad had purchased in his backpacking days.
Additionally, there's a two-compartment lid segment, that can be removed to serve a fanny pack if you have someplace to go, but don't want to carry your whole bag. a belt stows in the underside of the lid when not in use. The main compartment is accessible by reaching over your shoulder while wearing the bag, making it a good place for your phone, your maps, a knife, anything you might need to access without taking the pack off. Adjustable straps allow you to fit something in between the lid and the bag if you wish, and similar straps allow you to tighten the sides of the bag to keep the contents in place. There is a clip on the chest buckle that holds your hydration pack's mouthpiece nearby.
I've yet to take it on a 10-20 mile trail day, and perhaps I'll learn some new things about it when I do but I feel confident that it is more than ready for the experience. Also of note is that since I have the Large version of the pack, the volume is closer to 68 liters than the advertised 65.
Would I recommend it? I'd definitely recommend trying one on! It would have to fit you well, to get my full endorsement. Mine fits me great, but don't let that stop you from finding YOUR backpack the right way.
First, the small flaws in the bag, most of which have been resolved in the 2015 edition. What bugs me the most, is the pitifully small waist belt pockets. They're tiny! I keep a ton of junk on my keyring, and I can barely fit my keys into one of them. I'm not certain what the designers had in mind here, but it sure wasn't anything of substance. Fortunately, I have heard from a redditor with a 2015 version of the pack, that the pockets are more useful on the new edition. I'm jealous! Second, the trekking pole stowage is pretty much inaccessible while wearing it. There are velcro loops included on the back of the pack to attach your poles. You might even be able to reach them while wearing it, in order to disengage them. But you won't be able to put the poles back in, unless you've got arms longer than mine, and a wicked case of double jointedness. Again, I have it on authority that for 2015 they've switched to a system that lets you stow your poles at your waist. This was a feature I thought worthwhile on the pack I thought I was going to buy, the Osprey Aether. So, I'm impressed that Gregory has improved their pack since I bought mine, and a little jealous of the 2015 buyers.
One thing that doesn't seem to have changed, is that if it still has a pocket for a hydration pack (like a Camelbak or Platypus bladder) that it's still an internal one. One thing I liked about the Osprey Aether was that it kept the hydration pouch in a space created by the mesh suspension that keeps the pack from riding directly against your back. This seemed like a better place for it, since then my gear wouldn't be pressing against the bladder and making it difficult to get the bladder in and out of the bag.The work-around is that I'll probably just wind up pumping water directly into the camelbak hose, and refilling the bladder that way.
One thing that HAS changed, is that now the Baltoro series comes with an integrated pack cover. I'm not certain how to feel about that, if it got punctured or otherwise compromised, it'd become dead weight, or require me to replace the pack. I just obtained a separate gregory-made pack cover (their Large size seems to fit the Baltoro 65 well) and that would be independantly replaceable in the event of a problem. But, I also had to pay extra for it, whereas the integrated one is built in to the cost of the bag, and a guaranteed fit, too.
I can tell you though, that the pack still feels great even loaded down with 50lbs of gear and provisions. I can tell you that if you have to stand by the doors, waiting to load onto a train you arrived just in time to queue up for, that you will not regret buying this pack. I can also tell you that if you DO miss a train, and have to ride a little shuttlebus from Portland to Eugene, that the bag does take up roughly the size of another person, which could be good or bad, depending on if you want to monopolize a row all to yourself and have something to lean your head against as you fall asleep. And it wears just as well on the 20 minute hike from parking to campsite at Flint Ridge. Even with everything I was carrying, the bag felt like an extension of my body.
Fitting all that gear in did necessitate the use of a couple of compression bags. I picked up a couple of Sea To Summit large compression sacks, the blue colored ones. I used one for clean clothing, and another for dirty, but I've since heard a suggestion that I think I'll employ in the future, to put the clean clothes first into a trash compactor bag, and then put that into the compression sack, to help keep the clean clothes dry and clean. Then put the dirty into either a second bag, or loose in the same compression sack. Either way, I've got two for whatever I need. There's a bottom compartment that's just the right size for a Kelty Cosmic Down 20, or a Polar Fleece Sleeping bag. I have a hard time imagining, even in a compression sack, fitting in my big synthetic cold weather bag. The lower compartment is partitioned with a small nylon separator, but with that out of the way you can also access it from the top down, in addition to the exterior zippered access they provide. There are two side pockets, but they tend to expand into the pack itsself the more you put in them. If I grow sick of the interior pocket provided for my camelbak, I can however fit the bladder in one of them pretty easily. There's an exterior pouch on the back of the pack suitable for smaller items, and it does not impinge so badly on the interior space. A mid-level zipper arrangement allows access to the pack without removing the lid, with the zippers running around the sides of this rear pouch. As I mentioned before, there are also loops on the back and on the bottom for attaching additional gear, and there are ice axe/trekking pole velcro attachements that I don't think terribly highly of. I was able to use the exterior loops to gear-tie on my Foam Roll, and the adjustable exterior straps just outside the sleeping bag compartment were the right size to attach a rolled up L L Bean tent my Dad had purchased in his backpacking days.
Additionally, there's a two-compartment lid segment, that can be removed to serve a fanny pack if you have someplace to go, but don't want to carry your whole bag. a belt stows in the underside of the lid when not in use. The main compartment is accessible by reaching over your shoulder while wearing the bag, making it a good place for your phone, your maps, a knife, anything you might need to access without taking the pack off. Adjustable straps allow you to fit something in between the lid and the bag if you wish, and similar straps allow you to tighten the sides of the bag to keep the contents in place. There is a clip on the chest buckle that holds your hydration pack's mouthpiece nearby.
I've yet to take it on a 10-20 mile trail day, and perhaps I'll learn some new things about it when I do but I feel confident that it is more than ready for the experience. Also of note is that since I have the Large version of the pack, the volume is closer to 68 liters than the advertised 65.
Would I recommend it? I'd definitely recommend trying one on! It would have to fit you well, to get my full endorsement. Mine fits me great, but don't let that stop you from finding YOUR backpack the right way.
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