Backpacks – Gregory Z55 – Best All-around Weekend Pack

August 4th, 2010 Posted in Outdoors

Backpacks Overview

To get the most pleasure from your particular chosen trip whether it be just a day’s hike or a more adventurous multi day camping experience you will want a comfortable and convenient way to carry your supplies regardless of the quantitly you are taking.
The difference to your experience will depend on the backpack you choose in regard to the length of your trip.

BackPacks, of course, come in many shapes & sizes. There is a pack to suit everyone from the many brands that are available. Women’s packs and men’s packs provide a wide range of options of accessories and materials they can be manufactured from. If you’re new to the backpack world then the choices can seem overwhelming.

Okay, where to start?
A few things to consider when purchasing your pack:
What type of trip are you doing?
A one-day hike? An over-nighter? Two to three nights out or perhaps a week or longer?

As mentioned above – if it’s a day hike then you only need a small pack to carry the day’s essentials. There are extra items to consider if you are doing an overnighter. Cooking items and eating utensils, extra food, a sleeping bag and unless you are staying in a hut you will need a tent. Remember to throw in a roll of toilet paper unless of course you plan to take advantage of whatever mother nature provides in the way of broad leaves for use for these personal purposes. (A word of caution here that sometimes it pays to test plants on the back of your hand in case of irritation )
With all these things to consider the Gregory Z55 backpack is a great pack to look at.

For an extended ‘several days’ hike, you may find it advantageous to choose a backpack with a detachable smaller pack or lumbar pack that can be used for short day excursions from your base camp.

About the Gregory Backpack:
Being the first company, as sited on the GregoryPacks website, to incorporate a variety of waist belt, harness and frame sizes to suit most people, the Gregory backpacks make carrying heavy loads easier due to their focus on comfort.

The Gregory brand provides over two dozen different models of backpacks in sizes from small to large and for both women and men, so you are likely to find just the right pack for your requirements.

The main varieties are: Mountaineering packs, Backpacking packs, Ventilated hiking packs, Technical day packs, Active trail packs, Winter packs and Lifestyle packs for everyday use.
All packs have multiple storage compartments and some can be either ventilated or non-ventilated.

With the many detachable parts the weight of even the heaviest eight pound packs (as weighed when empty) can be greatly reduced.

‘Backpacker’ voted the Gregory Z55 Pack as the best all-around weekend pack.

 

Sizing Gregory Backpacks: An important step to choosing a mountaineering or backpacking pack is selecting the proper fit.

To do so, you can follow these steps:

Measure your torso and choose a frame that is right for that length. Large packs are recommended for a torso of more than 21 inches in length and small packs for torsos of lenghts less than 18 inches.)

Put the shoulder harness in the correct slot, based on the length of your torso.

Evenly distribute 20 pounds of weight into the pack and place the pack on your back.

Tighten the shoulder straps and the waistbelt.

The pad of the waistbelt should be positioned right where the hip and pelvis meet.

Make sure the waistbelt touches the thigh when one leg is bent at a 90 degree angle from the thigh.

The shoulder harness’s curve should be at the armpit.

Tighten the shoulder straps only enough to feel a little tension, leaving two inches loose at the bottom of each.

The sign that the pack is not the right size is that any of these steps are hard to do.

Gregory backpacks are worth your consideration.