“This pack rose to the top of a crowded- and very competitive- category due to its total load transfer, comfort, and conveniently laid-out packbag.” -Backpacker Magazine, 2010 Gear Guide
It sort of feels like snagging first place in the fourth grade science fair. Only this time, we don’t run the risk of being beat up at recess, and the judges, well, let’s just say they’re not meandering around a gym scrutinizing Styrofoam balls and foaming Coke bottles.
No, all jokes aside, these judges have put our packs through it all, rigorously testing every feature in environments they’re meant to handle. So to us, there is no higher compliment than to receive ‘best all around’ packs of 2010 from the good folks at Backpacker Magazine who really do put our packs through the paces.
Beyond the Z55 and the Jade 50 being named winner of ‘best all-around’ packs, a number of other packs were called out in the gear guide with notable comments. Here’s what they had to say:
Miwok – “Testers loved this soft-backed day pack for the way it shifts seamlessly from hiking to biking to running.”
Z35 – “Here’s a load hauler for day hikers who chronically overpack. The tubular steel stays and nylon framesheet can handle up to 30 pounds, and weight is effectively distributed to the hips.”
Baltoro 70 – “With a perfect capacity for longer trips, this stable, comfortable top-loader cruised to a 2008 Editor’s Choice Award. And those test packs from two years ago are still going strong today; our staff regularly bickers over them for weeklong trips with heavy loads.”
Denali Pro 105 – “ ‘I’ve carried a person in this pack,’ writes an editor who’s used it for almost 10 years. ‘That’s how big and supportive it is … Indestructible too.’ ”
utside Magazine
n updating you on 
es are the women’s specific counterparts to Gregory’s popular Z series packs, lightweight day and backpacking packs with ventilated back panels. In all there are five women’s specific packs in the Jade lineup currently, with two more new ones to be added to the line starting in January. Gotta like it when you get an A+ on your women’s packs from an outdoor shop that specializes in gear that works well for gals!
terested in what you’re doing.
rom Men’s Journal.
In addition, Gregory’s Z30 pack was named ‘Best All Around’ daypack in Backpacker’s annual Gear Guide, in the March issue. The magazine noted “their most finicky tester called the Z30 “darn close to the perfect daypack for general duty.”
