Gregory Palisade 80 Pack

Comments about Gregory Palisade 80 Pack:

One thing I've noticed about a lot of the reviews here is that people write them prematurely. After walking around the house or taking a 20-mile hike or a 60-mile hike, they say this pack is incredible. Well, of course it’s incredible when it’s brand freaking new.I don’t think many of the reviewers on this web site actually use the equipment they buy. They just buy the stuff because they fancy themselves as outdoorsy types, but then all their gear just sits in the closet for years and years. If you’re going to write a review, write a review about a piece of equipment you’ve put through hell.End rant…Here's the deal: If you buy the Palisade 80 (or the Whitney 95) AND ACTUALLY USE IT for more than a couple days (unlike most of the people who write these reviews), the plastic reinforcement behind the hipbelt will break. It might take a week or it might take a couple months, but it WILL break, no matter how much you baby it. And when that happens, you will probably be nowhere near an REI store, so you'll be stuck carrying 50+ lbs of gear on your shoulders instead of your hips.The worst thing is that these plastic pieces are not available separately as replacement parts. The only way to get a new one is for an REI employee (or manager) to dismantle a brand new Gregory pack from their stock and transplant a new part onto your broken pack. It takes a lot of time and labor, and then you end up feeling like a jerk for asking them to take care of a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.I started using my Palisade 80 in August 2008. Within a week or so (mid/late August), I noticed that the seams holding the gray material at the bottom of the pack were unraveling at every tension point. I was a little bothered by that, but I didn’t rush to REI to have it replaced. Aside from that issue, I still loved the pack because it feels great in almost every way.But in early October, after spending a couple weeks walking from Santa Monica to Palm Springs, I woke up one morning to find half of my hipbelt totally disconnected from every part of the backpack, held on only by the tension strap. So instead of walking any further east (into a big, empty desert), I had to try to hitch a ride back to Rancho Cucamonga, to the nearest REI store. I wanted to replace the entire backpack, but since there were no medium Palisade 80s available anywhere in southern California[...]At that point, I thought maybe I was at least partially to blame for the damaged hipbelt because I sometimes sat on the sleeping bag compartment while the pack was in a horizontal position. Consequently, once I had that part replaced, I stopped putting any kind pressure on the pack whenever I laid it down. Nevertheless, it broke again less than a month later, possibly still in October. I can’t remember exactly when it broke, but I know I found my way to the Arcadia, California REI store on Election Day (November 4th?).In Arcadia, I ended up trading in my Palisade 80 for a Whitney 95 because there still were no medium Palisade 80s available anywhere in SoCal. With this new pack, I took great caution to make sure there was never ANY weight or pressure on the hipbelt. Whenever I was not carrying the pack, I always made sure to find a way to lean the pack against something, to keep it upright, thus keeping the weight from ruining yet another hipbelt reinforcement.But guess what: The hipbelt still broke. From what I can tell, Gregory makes incredible backpacks. Their packs feel comfortable and they do what they’re supposed to do. But Gregory packs have one major design flaw that cancels out all the good qualities. Like I said before: If you actually use one of these Gregory packs how they were designed to be used, the hipbelt reinforcement pieces will break, no matter how much you baby it. It’s that simple. When this happens, it will suck big-time and you will be really screwed and "urinated" off.I think the problem lies in the hipbelt’s adjustable angle feature, which I also don’t think is a necessary option. The plastic simply is not strong enough to support unreinforced holes for the angle-changing mechanism. I’ve used setting 5 as well as setting 2, and I didn’t feel like either setting was any more ergonomic than the other setting. They did feel slightly different, but I could have used it either way, even though I tend to be pretty picky--obsessive/compulsive even--when it comes to comfort issues. Additionally, once the plastic part breaks, you can no longer change the angle anyway.The multiple hipbelt angle feature needs to go. If that’s not an option, then Gregory needs to use a stronger material for the piece behind the hipbelt, and/or they need to put some kind of reinforcement around the holes.I’m going to return my Whitney 95 for an Osprey or something whenever I get a chance because even though I think the Gregory could and should be a great pack, IT ALWAYS BREAKS, and I don’t want to deal with that anymore. Unfortunately, the nearest REI store to me is 200 miles away.One more thing: Even though I think this web site’s review feature is awesome, I think these reviews should be set up so people can respond to them individually and create threads. You know, like a discussion.[...]

Comments about Gregory Palisade 80 Pack:

I bought this pack to hike the John Muir Trail with. It never did fit quite right. Then 10 days into the hike the plastic holding the side belt on broke and was only held on by a little snap button. So for the next 13 days most of the weight of the pack had to be supported by my shoulders, which cause plenty of problems. A woman hiking with us also had a Gregory Diva and both of her hip belts broke. Don't buy this pack.

Comments about Gregory Palisade 80 Pack:

Took this pack on a five-day hike through a the SNP section of the AT. 63.5 miles. Excellent pack. Forgot I had it on at times. Very comfortable after minimal break-in period. Loads of room. Perfect for a winter/early spring/late fall hike. May be big for the summer, but who says you have to fill it up? Right-hand pocket for water bottle a little hard to find with pack on. Took me about a couple of days to get used to it, but after that I could hit it every time. Pocket in top could use a see-through bottom. Divider between sleeping bag compartment and rest of pack has holes on either side. When the sleeping bag is out, stuff falls through from the main compartment. Overall, the best pack I've ever owned.

Comments about Gregory Palisade 80 Pack:

I picked up this pack with my REI check this year and I am extremely glad that I did. I took it out on a 5 day test run through Pt Reyes National Seashore. I encountered everything from rain to hail and this pack held up perfectly. I did use a duck back most of the trip, but regardless nothing in the back was even the least bit damp. The pack felt great on my back, even on the 15 mile days and up and down the hills. There are plenty of well placed pockets and there is more then enough room for all of your gear, clothes, and food. I am really stoked that I picked this pack up and I cannot wait to get out again soon...

Comments about Gregory Palisade 80 Pack:

When I originally bought this backpack, I took it with me on a test hike to the Franconian Ridge. It was the most comfortable backpack I've ever worn. It was so great that I convinced my friend to buy it as well for our upcoming trip to South America.

We went backpacking/trekking in south america for four months. Normally, I always take extreme care of my backpack. About 1 month in, my friends hip belt broke. I thought it was because he wasn't careful enough with the back so I was even more delicate with mine. And then we met 2 other people with the palisade backpack--both of their hipbelts had broken. A week later, mine broke. When I wrote to Gregory, they told me that they were "aware of the defect in the waistbelt panel of your Palisade."
They sent me a new part to Peru, no questions asked but it still was not/is not worth the trouble.

Bottom Line: As great and comfortable as the bag is, the hip panel will break. It's a defective prodect

Comments about Gregory Palisade 80 Pack:

Bought the Palisdae 80 as my first gregory pack. It carries a load well, is easy to pack. Even hold my bear cannister snugly. Took it on its first trip and had only two gripes. It didn't repel water from a light rain very well at all and the elastomer bottom that they claim is so durable ripped pretty easily(3 places). Must have been from branch snags..not sure. Taking it back as it should not have ripped this easily.

Comments about Gregory Palisade 80 Pack:

i use this pack ALL the time-even more than 60miles! loaded to the gills, thrown around, dragged, sat on, etc... no problem! you don't even need to reach around for a water bottle, because it has a sleeve and port for a bladder system. seams are still tight with no tears or separations.
i have had this pack for almost 22 months and it has been and still is used almost daily with no issues.
some have stated that they have had problems with theirs, but after my experience with the pack, it sounds like they could be a few isolated incidents. some even sounded very angry, maybe they should keep walking until they find the "perfect" pack!!-----i did!!

Comments about Gregory Palisade 80 Pack:

This is the first pack I've owned and will be my last considering it over exceeds my expectations. I do not know how this pack magically converts 60 to 70 lbs of equipment into the equivalent of 10 to 15 lbs in a normal backpack. Though the price might be a little high for your budget, but your not going to regret it since your back is honestly paying for it. Two thumbs up!

Comments about Gregory Palisade 80 Pack:

The first few days I spent wearing this pack, I noticed that after I was done hiking, my hip bones were swollen. I took it into the store and they adjusted it... and lo and behold, my problem was solved. Great pack and pretty comfortable, the hip belt's a little hard but still pretty good. Highly adjustable with lots of ways to pack it, and the load transfer's excellent. Plus I love the little pockets on the hip belt, great for storing trail snacks.
The only complaint that I have is that there are no docks or anything for the hydration tube which should be standard for a pack of this quality. I fixed this by simply using a velcro strap to hold the tube to the load lifter strap on my right side, so now the tube hangs on my chest quite nicely when not in use.
Overall, a great pack with plenty of room and adjustibility to fulfill all your weekend and extended trip needs. And it looks cool :D

Comments about Gregory Palisade 80 Pack:

This pack is so comfortable it makes sleeping on a cloud of freshly baked muffins feel like pushing tacks through your esophagus.

But really, I do like this backpack. It is built tough, and is extrememly large. Gregory did a real good job on this one.

Make sure you measure your torsos kids