Archive for the 'Backpack tech' Category

Backpacker Magazine honors the Z55, Jade 50 with ‘best all-around’ pack

 

“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.’ ”

Published
by
Lauren
 on February 26, 2010
 in Awards, Backpack tech and Packs
. 0 Comments

World’s coolest pack: the Z 65

In the wise words of Roy Wallack from the LA Times, the Gregory Z 65 is the ‘world’s coolest pack.’

He calls the pack ‘very comfortable, smartly designed, and practical for overnight treks an all-out fast-packing.’ He also mentions its unique Jetstream ventilation system featuring a concave back panel, which allows the area between your shoulder straps and the small of your back to breathe.

And the best part? He couldn’t find anything he ‘disliked’ about the pack.

Read the full review HERE.

 

Published
by
Steph
 on January 27, 2010
 in Backpack tech, Hiking resources, Media and Packs
. 0 Comments

Second installment of Gregory tech glossary: Response AFS Suspension

Response AFS (Auto Fit Suspension)- AFS system was built to mirror your moves in order to carry mid-weight loads comfortably on a three-day to week-long trip. This system was designed for both the Baltoro70, Deva70, Triconi60, and the Deva60. Features of the AFS system:

•    Waistbelt Auto Adjust-The waistbelt on the AFS automatically adjusts to comfortably carry mid-weight load. When you put the pack on, the waist belt automatically adjusts to your hip angle, removing a step (figuring out what your hip angle is) on the Response CFS packs. This helps to keep your center of gravity aligned with you intended direction of movement and maximizes the load transfer area every time the pack is put on. Again, whether you lock the waist belt in place or not is an issue related to how much weight you’ll be carry. The right tool for the right job, as the saying goes.
•    Auto-Cant shoulder harness- This works just like it does on the Response CFS packs.
•    Aluminum stays- The frame sheet on the AFS is supported by a single 1″ aluminum stay that integrates with the upper thermo-molded composite load lifting panel to prevent barreling and provide optimum transfer. This suspension will effectively transfer up to 50 lbs.

Published
by
Lauren
 on December 3, 2009
 in Backpack tech
. 0 Comments

New 2010 JetStream series packs first to achieve true ventilation across your back

Ventilated backpack suspensions are great, but in our mind, no one has yet come up with a truly ventilated suspension. By that, we mean having nothing at all - no mesh or anything else - sitting against the middle part of your back. That is, until now …

Gregory’s new 2010 JetStream LTS packs just hit the streets this week, and are available on a limited basis for the next month, until they’re more widely available in 2010. That’s the earliest we’ve ever got our new packs for the next season on the market and, yes, it is - for you astute shoppers out there - just in time for the holiday shopping season.

What’s new and notable here is that the seven new packs in the 2010 JetStream LTS series (four Z series packs for men, and three Jade series packs for women) are the first packs to achieve ventilation without using the ubiquitous mesh panel that you’ve found to date on backpacks that offer ventilation across your back.

So why is this important? Continue reading >>

Published
by
Dave
 on November 30, 2009
 in Backpack tech and Gregory world
. 0 Comments

Gregory tech: What the heck is Gregory Response CFS suspension?

For those who don’t know what the heck we’re talking about when we mention terms like Response AFS or Jetstream LTS, we’ve put together a Gregory tech term glossary to help fill you in. We’ll post one tech term each week until we run out.

Response CFS (Custom Fit Suspension)- CFS system was designed for heavier weights, up to 70 lbs, and longer trips, like five days, a week or longer. You’ll find this system in both the Whitney95, Palisade80 and the Deva85. Features of the CFS system:

  •  5-point angle waistbelt- You’ll find a left and right pull tab by your waist. Both tabs are hooked up to a 5-point adjustment, which allows you to adjust the angle of the waistbelt by pulling up on the tab and then fixing it down to lock at the desired angle. For longer trips and heavier loads, we feel that it’s better to match your hip angle, then lock the hip belt in place, to provide better load transfer with heavier weights. This contracts with out Response AFS system which automatically adjusts to your hip angle, which we’ll discuss in a moment.
  • Auto-Cant shoulder harness- The shoulder straps are attached to the frame by rotating triangular panels that auto-adjust as you move, to adjust to your shoulder width. Those triangular panels also serve as a tool to micro-adjust the frame to your torso. The shoulder harnesses themselves come in Men’s and Women’s fit for different shoulder lengths.
  • Aluminum stays- The full frame sheet on the CFS is supported by two 2-3/4″ aluminum stays, along with a hollow anti-barreling cross stay, that will not buckle under extreme weight, but instead transfer pack weight superbly to lumbar region. That means comfort when carrying heavier weights.

Stay tuned for another installment of Gregory tech…

Published
by
Lauren
 on November 18, 2009
 in Backpack tech
. 0 Comments

How to: Using the ski/board attachment points on the Targhee and Drift packs

It’s about that time, as those of us who live in more northern climes are well aware, for the blower to turn on. People are already hiking for turns in the Wasatch and elsewhere, albeit with caution mode on (hopefully). Those rocks aren’t too deep yet …Are you riding your tails or just happy to see me?

Which makes it good timing for a little Gregory gear school, heading into ski season.  One of the beauties of Gregory’s award-winning Targhee and Drift ski and snowboard packs is that they carry skis and boards in a few different ways for different situations. However, because there’s a few options for attaching your snow toys, it’s also useful to have primer on the finer details.

Read on for some beta on how all this works. Continue reading >>

Published
by
Dave
 on November 3, 2009
 in Backpack tech and Hiking resources
. 0 Comments

Putting Active Trail through the paces

From adventure racing Team nuun-FeedTheMachine’s blog, some thoughts from Team Captain Cyril Jay-Rayon (in action in photo) after using Gregory’s new Active Trail line of backpacks this season: 

Five years ago, I was looking for a backpack sponsor for our team. After a lot of research and testing, we concluded that Gregory not only made superb packs but also was committed to innovating in the lightweight and fast moving pack category.  Luckily for us, Gregory agreed to support us through our good friend David Egan, owner of Egan & Associates LLC , who distributes Gregory products in the Northwest and Alaska (David also distributes product from 3 other amazing sponsors: Teko, Ibex, and Atlas). Sponsoring a team like ours should only be undertaking by the most confident of companies because we don’t treat our gear well when we take it through extreme conditions for days on end, So their commitment to innovation is expressed not only through their sponsorship of a team like ours (where we provide a constant feedback loop), but also through the actions they take every year when coming out with new designs. Some offer improvements on existing proven designs while others are quantum leaps in innovation. 2009 is one of those quantum leap year with the introduction of the Active Trail line. Continue reading >>

Published
by
Dave
 on October 20, 2009
 in Athletes and Backpack tech
. 0 Comments

Scouting for turns and ideas

A couple of the guys from the R+D department headed out in the Sierras last night to scout for places to locate the perfect backcountry skiing base camp this winter test some ideas for updating some of the current in-line pack designs, looking out toward Spring 2011.

OK, one of the beauties of working at a place like Gregory is that you can both work and look for places to go backcountry skiing at the same time. After all, recon missions like this are key when you’re a weekend warrior … don’t want to waste time ’scouting’ once the snow hits.

More seriously, the R+D crew frequently heads out on these post-work ‘research’ trips. While they definitely have their own rewards, they’re very key for both coming up with new product ideas, or, in this case, trying to improve on an existing design and always thinking about ways to take a product to the next level of performance. To know how to improve, you’ve got to put current designs to the test.

Looks like the first traces of winter are coming to the Sierra high country, just as they are many other places in the northern hemisphere.

Published
by
Dave
 on October 8, 2009
 in Backpack tech and Gregory world
. 1 Comment

Wasatch test in the Wasatch

Ori Hofer at Park City TV tests Gregory’s Wasatch in its namesake range.

Published
by
Dave
 on September 29, 2009
 in Backpack tech and Media
. 0 Comments

Gregory tech: Active Trail packs and staying hydrated on the go

While summer is officially over, prime trail running season has really just begun. Cooler temps mean longer runs, and longer runs mean a need to stay hydrated. And Gregory’s Active Trail packs, made with running and riding in mind, have a trick little system for staying hydrated on the go.

Packs in the Active Trail line, including models like the men’s Diablo, women’s Dipsea, and the Sungem and Rufous, the latter two being running specific, offer a unique bite-valve retention system, so that once you take a sip off your hydration tube, you can just let it go, and it’ll snap back into place on your shoulder harness, out of the way. Although this system works well, we’ve had some question about how exactly to thread your hydration tube/bite valve through the system. So, here’s a primer.

This system works by using elastic, bungee-type cord, both as the interface to loop the hydration tube/bite valve through, and also to allow the system to return to place on the shoulder harness. OK, that sounds a little complicated. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say, so check out the visuals on the right on how to thread the hydration tube/bite valve through the system.

Once it’s in place as depicted, it’s as simple as grabbing the bite valve, taking a drink, and letting go when you’re done. The elastic cord will snap the bite valve back into place on the shoulder harness, and a velcro attachment will make sure it stays there.

Questions? Post ‘em below!

Published
by
Lauren
 on September 10, 2009
 in Backpack tech
. 1 Comment