Gregory Z40 - Gear Review
I have had the Gregory Z40 for over a year now. It has been through five winter long weekend backpacking trips on the Appalachian Trail, a trip across Europe, a trip to Montreal, Louisville, and Bar Harbor. I have relied on the pack for my entire well being on a trail and in many foreign countries. It hasn't let me down once.I want to start off by saying that I think a 40 liter backpack is the perfect size if you can only afford to own one backpack. It's big enough for a long weekend and small enough for a single overnight.
I bought this backpack at REI in 2014 for around $150.00. It looks like it could be had today for about $110.00 which is an incredible deal. The main feature that led me to buy this backpack is the ability to unzip and open the entire main compartment. It almost works like a suitcase and makes it perfect for a travel trip. If you don't happen to buy this pack, make sure to look for this feature in yours. It is small enough to take on planes (including budget airlines) and it has compartments to separate all of your travel gear.
Using a 40 liter backpack for a backpacking hiking trip is pretty tough but the Z40 seems to have endless space. I pack my winter sleeping bag, sleeping pad, mess kit, food for three or four nights, extra set of clothes, mini shovel, one man tent, hiking poles, two liter water bladder, one liter soft bottle, and all sorts of backpacking essentials.
On every one of the five winter backpacking trips we've taken have been over twenty miles and between two and four days long. The backpack has a bunch of adjustments on the straps to allow for constant comfort throughout the day. The only thing that I have ever had discomfort in is in the lower back but after loosening and adjusting the straps, you can move the weight around and become comfortable again.
The Pros:
I bought this backpack at REI in 2014 for around $150.00. It looks like it could be had today for about $110.00 which is an incredible deal. The main feature that led me to buy this backpack is the ability to unzip and open the entire main compartment. It almost works like a suitcase and makes it perfect for a travel trip. If you don't happen to buy this pack, make sure to look for this feature in yours. It is small enough to take on planes (including budget airlines) and it has compartments to separate all of your travel gear.
Using a 40 liter backpack for a backpacking hiking trip is pretty tough but the Z40 seems to have endless space. I pack my winter sleeping bag, sleeping pad, mess kit, food for three or four nights, extra set of clothes, mini shovel, one man tent, hiking poles, two liter water bladder, one liter soft bottle, and all sorts of backpacking essentials.
On every one of the five winter backpacking trips we've taken have been over twenty miles and between two and four days long. The backpack has a bunch of adjustments on the straps to allow for constant comfort throughout the day. The only thing that I have ever had discomfort in is in the lower back but after loosening and adjusting the straps, you can move the weight around and become comfortable again.
The Pros:
- The number of pockets
- Accessibility inside and outside of the pack
- Strap placement on the outside of the pack is perfect
- Adjustment of the shoulder straps and belt strap
- Top cover
- Zippered entrance to the entire pack
- Back venting
- Included rain cover
- The placement of the water bottle pockets
- The bladder pocket is tough to access when pack is full
- Holding trekking poles without baskets
MSRP: $179.00
Online Pricing*: $106.03
*Online pricing at time of writing
0 comments: