Reviews of Gregory Z65 Pack

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I have found Gregory packs to be the most comfortable in class and the z65 follows suit for lightweight packs. Unfortunately, Gregory is usually the heaviest of comprable pack style and once again the z65 is probably a good pound plus heavier than most other lightweight packs. This pack was designed with an emphasis on durability and of course comfort, and it delivers in both areas. I think this pack may be a little over-engineered, and they could probably use lighter, less bullet proof fabrics to save weight. The things that are great are the large adjustable hip belt, the ample shoulder straps, and air flow suspension which only makes contact with your lumbar and shoulders. I also find the horseshoe zipper makes it easier to pack horizontally and therefore more evenly balanced. I have tried the arcteryx axios 50, Granite gear Vapor trail, boreas lost coast 60 and rei flash 60, but the Gregory was my pick for superior long term comfort.

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This backpack is by far the most comfortable with the best fit out there. I am 6.5 at 205 pounds. I have a 21 inch torso and i bought the large. I use it for extended backpack adventures, Backcounty skiing, mountaineering, rock climbing. Pros: -suspension, The jetstream suspension is simply amazing. It does have superior breathablity and load transfer. Other bags such as osprey claim to have good lumbar, hip belt load transfer. IT is nothing compared to gregory. The z series puts such an astounding amount of the load weight into the comfortable lumbar pad. -pack weight. The pack weights more than a pound less then the baltoro series. I would consider it ultralight. -hip belt, waist belt. Both are super breathable. You can see holes in the foam when you lift it up to the light. Both hip belt and waist belt are the most comfortable i have every worn. They are really well contoured to my body. -Amount of weight it can hold. When i first bought it i put 40 pounds of gear into it and found it ultra comfortable. I dont understand why anybody would need more than 30 pounds, but i guess it depends on the quality of your gear. -Waterproof Zippers, people were saying that they dont "look" waterproof. Rest assured, they are waterproof up to the point of near full submersion. I did an overnight last weekend. It was poring with wind above 30 miles an hour. After 2 hours of hiking in these condition everything was completely dry, except me. Cons -the only thing that bugs me about this bag is that it is missing the loop to connect the a hydration resevor to the top of the hydration pouch. Every gregory pack I have ever seen has had a loop to hang the hydration resevor. I am wondering if this is a mistake to only this bag? I have owned several different brands of backpack. Osprey, Northface, Kelty, Gregory. Gregory has always been the most confortable with the best weight distribution.

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This was my first new backpack since the REI Senior Cruiser produced circa 1970. I am not making this up. I bought this in a hurry and on sale at the flagship store with some help from the staff who were clearly younger than my old pack. All in all I am happy with the pack. I have to figure out another way to carry my synthetic sleeping bag as it takes up too much of the space inside. With the caveat that I am coming from a frame pack background, I was astonished how well the pack seemed to become part of me, and moved when I moved. I could have ascended all day wearing this pack.

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i have used this pack on a couple overnight camping/hiking trips and a travel/camp trip to costa rica. i think the quality and weight is nice and has thus far held up well. the pack straps down well to secure your weight close to your back. i have found it very comfy up to 22 lbs for extended hiking but i found the shoulder straps are a bit narrow for extended treks with heavier loads and make my shoulders sore. i found the waist belt to be very comfy under all loads carried. i am 6'- 180 and the medium fit me well.

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Just bought this pack and used it for a three-day trip to Cumberland Island, GA. Size is good, should hold everything for a 4-6 day trip. Is very comfortable with good padding--like the back ventilation. Fabric seems thin--not nearly as robust as the Jan Sport that it replaced--hope it holds up to a planned 6-day trip to the Grand Canyon....

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This happens to be my 4th addition to my list of pack experience, and I say it is an all-around amazing pack. I happened to use it for a 3 day trip, with a load of about 18 pounds of base-weight. (about 23 lbs total weight) For reference to my review I am 5'9" and approx. 142 lbs. with a slim build. Performance was above average: The comfort was a definite plus with the Z65. Padding is generous, though I still experienced a little collarbone/shoulder fatigue towards the end of each day. Nothing major to complain about as I have pretty boney shoulders. Hip padding was great too, felt solid on my back and hips. I can't emphasize comfort enough; the z65 really performs in that department. The one gripe I have yet to complain about is the main compartment front access opening. The front access isn't hard to get to, with just the unclipping of two straps, but it still is annoying to pull larger things out through it. (i.e. sleeping bag) I believe I now would prefer a side access than front access for that reason. Other than that I am very satisfied with my purchase. I will be moving down from the large to a medium, as my dad will be taking the large (he loved it that much when we swapped packs mid-trip for a few miles) I did a home measurement of my torso and though we measured about 19 in. The large doesn't seem to acommodate my 30in waist too well, and likes to rest right on my rear end. A little to low for my preference. I don't quite understand the gripes about weight, nor the complaints about it not being able to hold over 40 lbs or so. This isn't the type of pack to be loading with 40+ lbs. But as they say, your mileage may vary.

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This is based on an older model, but decided to write a review anyway. Overall, the Z65 backpack is a great backpack to own. If you do some backpacking camping as well as backpacking countries, this is the ideal pack. The front-opening compartment is extremely helpful while traveling abroad. The pack is a tad on the heavy side, but it distributes the weight onto the belt very well. The zippers sang sometimes, but nothing too serious. I used it for more than 2 years and am very satisfied with the product.

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i bought this backpack about 2 years ago, I have been hiking in colorado and this pack is so durable i have even fallen on my back into rocks and the pack didn't even rip one bit, great pack good size and vary Comfortable.

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While working with the Park Service, I used this pack everyday for four months. Mostly it was used as a day-pack for carrying lots of equipment and tools. It was also used for many 2 to 3 night trips. It held up to some serious abuse. This pack may not seems tough because it is so light, but it is. It was also very comfortable. No shoulder or hip pains. It also had great air flow across my back.

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I'm a 130lb guy that has one of the smallest waist lines of any man I've met. I bought this pack, it's the first one I've owned, after a month long search for the perfect fit. I was convinced that I was going to have to buy a woman's pack for a proper fit until I found this one. I wore it on the AT for a 33 mile trek without any break-in time and a starting weight of 46lbs, this pack held up great. I have now used the pack on several multi-day trips, with a more practical weight, and I can hardly even tell its on my back.

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I used this backpack for the first time hiking the Grand Canyon from rim to rim and back. Four days of gear and three days of acutal hiking with this backpack hugging my back and I hardly new it was there. I had it completely filled weighing in at 35+- pounds. It helps to watch the REI video on "How to Pack your backpack" to get the most comfortable fit. The storage access is well designed, the only drawback is the pack lacks places to add lashing strapes, so if you have items to attach to the outside of your pack, there are minimal places to do so.

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I preface this comment with the fact that I have only taken this pack out a hand full of times so far so durability is not something that I can speak on. That aside this is an awesome pack Several well located compartments made sudden storms and lack energy easy to overcome. It sat well on the shoulders. Not huge so space was limited.

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I was lucky enough to find this pack at a Used Gear Sale. I spent over an hour deciding between this and another pack, but since getting it home I haven't looked back. This pack is sturdy, roomy, extremely adjustable, comfortable, and, on top of all of that, it's a great looking bag too (I got the Azul). When I show up for a trip with this pack, friends comment on how practical and well-made it is. I love that you can unbuckle/unzip practically every part of the bag for easy, customizable packing and organizing. The Z65 is much lighter than my last pack and is well-padded. At 5'7" and 155lbs, the medium is a perfect fit. I am usually a fairly light packer, but I have also used this to pack for car camping and you can fit a TON of gear in it if you really want too (and if you don't have to carry it very far). Like another reviewer, I was initially worried this bag would be too delicate, but I'm happy to report those concerns were unfounded. I stuffed everything but the kitchen sink in there till the seams were bulging and this bag never complained about being dropped, stuffed into a packed-full car, or dragged around camp by one strap. In conclusion, I couldn't be happier with this pack. I can't believe I thought twice about buying it!

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I bought this pack to replace a Gregory Reality pack. I enjoyed the Reality for years, but was looking to shave some weight. The Z65 more than lived up to the comfort i was expecting and is large enough for the 3 to 6 day trips i typically take. I was skeptical about the thinner shoulder straps and waist belt, but they turned out to be very comfortable with the weight loads i use. The maximum weight i've used with this pack is 40 lbs, and that felt as if it was pushing the limit of comfort. To be fair, this is close to the stated weight limit for his pack. So i'd say that if you carry more weight then look at a higher capacity pack. Otherwise, i've enjoyed how it has preformed over the last year and it has held up very well although it may appear it can't handle the abuse.

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I bought the Z65 hoping that it was my end all pack for 3 day hikes into the wilderness. Its not bad, just not great. Here is what is good: It is lightweight, has great pockets on the hip belt, Air flow was excellent and workmanship looks well made and fairly mild rain resistant. The improvements needed: Impossible to pull out a 1 Liter bottle while wearing the pack,which is a pain since I don't trust putting in a water pack inside the bag (possibly leaking all over). No seperate sleeping bag compartment (which puts at risk your sleeping bag to rips, leaks, or goo all over your bag). Also no hooks on top of the bag for bear vault(actually very few hooks on this bag for attachments). On the suspension: it can't really handle 40lbs plus without neck pain on uphills and knee pain on downhills (I assume because of the arc placing pressure points). 40lbs with water is typical for 3 days unless you bought super light gear or eat off the land. Pouch on outside with zipper (on top of zipper opening) is tight when bag is packed, making it less usefull - I barely fit a jacket in it. It wasn't sizing, I had it sized in the store and tried it in the field with pros. It just didn't work for me. Finally, it didn't have a removable hip pack for day adventures - all fixed. I guess that is how they saved weight. Overall, I returned it. After a 20 mile hike, my knees were injured and I was done hiking for the summer :(- hint bag weight isn't everything if suspension puts it on your knees and upper back (BTW, suspension should not pound your upper back... hiking poles may help but don't solve the design issues. Baltoro uses different suspension, but I'm looking at other company offerings...I think Greggory lost me.