Whitney

First the pluses:

1. The shoulder straps and waist adjustments are really well designed and this pays off in comfort. I packed this baby full with about 85 lbs of gear that I slogged up and down Rainier and I came away alot less pained than I had with my previous packs. (That's still too much weight to be slogging anyhow)



2. The waterproof reinforced bottom is ideal as its the part of the pack that seems to take the most wear and tear.



3. The angled water bottle holder and elastic strap is smart and right in the correct spot.



4. The rip stop fabric is top notch. I had many opportunities to puncture this baby and it pshawed my every attempt.



The minuses:



1. I find the side pockets are somewhat useless. They have zippered netting inside the pack they deem as functional but are of little use. instead of pockets they wind up being better served to just access the inside of the pack midway down.



2. The straps for the ice axe seem to be a bit of an afterthought and unless extra strapping is rigged, you can't tie the axe so that it lies flat, straight up and down against the pack.



3. The snap closures on the compression straps can't take too much compression before letting go (as I found out a few times).

Got my 05 version on Ebay for 200$, great price. Woulnd't pay more for this one. They say it's great for orginizenig your gear well, however the side pockets don't really work for me. Would welcome more pockets on the outside for small items I want to have handy!

Also the water bottle holder doesn't seem in the right spot, if loaded I cannot reach it to put the bottle back. I lost it few times while going downhill!!



You can detach the top pocket to wear it as a wais pack or so, but it's not too comfortable and it's not too big.



The good thing is, there is a lot of straps on the outside, you can put extra gear there. Snowshoes, hiking poles, tent, pad, cookware... Fit's great but didn't really hold my ice axe ...



Overall a good pack for 200$, but for retail price 360 it's way too expensive. Doesn't have features for that kind of money!!!

I have to agree with the other two reviewers. For what it is worth, I also have the '05 version ... and don't know how it compares to the previous iterations of this bag at all.



Pros:



1) I can stuff this thing silly. I've gone on several overnight trips where I've carried the gear for two people, and still had plenty of room left over ... and this is after the tent, the two sleepings pads, and the two sleeping bags were both stuffed in there.



2) It is plenty robust. I've gone on a lot of different terrain, and haven't seen the pack so much as groan in complaint. I've taken it on scree fields, boulder fields, extended river traverses, and been brushed up against many a fallen tree on scrambles and it is still in good shape.



Cons:



1) The side pockets aren't really that useful. Yes, they allow you access to the internals of the pack, but if you are going to be rooting around in there, you'll have the pack off and can just open it anyway. I would have been happier with full-blown "real" side-pockets that I could stuff to the gills.



2) The water bottle holder is "sort-of handy." On the one hand, having easy access to the water bottle when slogging uphill is a boon that I am still thankful for. However, I routinely find that the water bottle will come shooting out of my backpack and into the person in front of me or into the woods whenever I'm trotting at a good clip downhill and quickly change my momentum. While this can be amusing the first time ... by the third day of the backpacking trip the humor goes away.



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On the whole, I'm happy with it and don't have any real regrets. I agree with a previous reviewer that the pack really isn't worth the retail price of $360. But if you can find it on sale ... it is worth some serious consideration.

I bought this pack for a climb on Aconcagua and have enjoyed using it on many other trips. While I normally don't like to carry heavy loads, this pack seems to make them much more manageable. Even with a load of 75 lbs the pack still handles well... if you can get it on your back.

Pluses: Large capacity, well built, good load distribution, durable, easy to organize, detachable hip pack for dayhike is a perfect size for 2 nalgenes, well designed mesh where the pack meets the back keeps sweating to minimum.

Minuses: Water bottle holster is not very secure. The detachable top is inconvenient to access. Lack of ice axe sleeve.

with what has been written previously. I will add that the buckles are too small to work with most gloves, thus I only use this pack for 4-7 day backpacking trips. Solid construction, just good not great.

I've always been a fan of Gregory, and this pack didn't change my opinion. It is big, and you definitely pay for it with the weight (I'm tall, so I had to buy the large frame - my pack was almost 8 lbs I think... empty!), but it is still the most comfortable pack I've owned. I took it on a 3-day through the San Bernardinos with 50-60 lbs and I felt as good at the end as when I started. Great pack if you don't mind the monstrous-ness of it.

When Gregory redesigned their frame a few years ago they significantly increased my standard of living. This pack is the most comfortable thing ever built, and holds up to the heavy loads it's capable of engulfing. I used it to shuttle loads up and down Denali and was grateful for it every step of the way. I don't use it as often as I might due to it's monstrous size, and I'm considering shopping for a palisade or baltoro to round out my quiver.