Gregory Jade Women's Pack - 50 Liters - '08 Closeout

Comments about Gregory Jade 50 Pack - Women's - '08 Closeout:

I own the "extra small" version of this pack which is perfect for me since I am 5' 3" with a 15" torso. Very lightweight yet holds MUCH more (45 liters)than other packs I've tried for 15" woman's torso. Very comfortable to wear, even stuffed full. I underpacked it a bit so I could use it as a carry-on and it could still hold all that was needed for a 3 week trip to Tanzania (no tent). Held up beautifully through rough treatment, thorny hiking treks in the rainforest. Outside mesh was a good place to stash raingear. Only con- no spot specifically for holding a water bottle. Great overall for women who want a light weight, but sturdy, pack that can hold a lot. Slim width made it easy to manuever through thick underbrush or while getting on/off crowded buses. My daughter owns this pack in a size "medium" which works well for her height.

Comments about Gregory Jade 50 Pack - Women's - '08 Closeout:

I bought this bag for my month long trip to New Zealand. I have a few other packs but I either end up loading them with stuff I don't need or not having enough room. This was the perfect size for my 1 person tent, bag, and clothes for a month in summer. If you don't overstuff it, it can even fly carry on. The side access zipper is also great for grabbing a fleece or stashing food and the outside mesh pockets were perfect for wet items like bathing suits. I used this pack for everything from travel bag to backpacking while I was over there.

Comments about Gregory Jade 50 Pack - Women's - '08 Closeout:

I am not a backpack expert but have been trying on women's packs for years. This is one of the most comfortable with about 25-30 lbs on. Easy to adjust. Haven't taken it out yet but looking forward to it.

Comments about Gregory Jade 50 Pack - Women's - '08 Closeout:

I will try to write an objective review, but bear in mind that my pack doesn't fit me so I'm a little cranky.The best feature of the Jade 50 is the lightweight padding, which can carry 25 pounds comfortably. The padding is flexible and feels better (to me) than the full padding of something bulky and rigid like the Gregory Baltoro.But when you choose thin padding for its flexibility and low weight/bulk, you are giving up comfort with higher loads. I have packed 30 pounds in the Jade 50 and did not find it comfortable at all, especially with the terrible lumbar pad (see below). 20 pounds is great, 25 pounds is ok. 30 pounds is painful. (Which I'm sure is expectable with a pack that doesn't really fit.)Gregory packs fit a sort of stereotyped body, where everything is nicely proportioned---you need to have an average torso length, shoulder straps, and waist/hips. If you don't fit that average size and shape, you may have trouble fitting the Jade 50 because it has no adjustability. The shoulder straps and waistbelt are not removeable and the torso is not adjustable. One size is supposed to fit a 2" range of torso length, but if you fall between two sizes you may end up with a poor fit, as I did---I need a short torso with medium harness and waistbelt. That is painful because the weight won't be shared by your shoulders and hips.I find the lumbar pad on the Jade 50 particularly awful. It is hard and digs into my back. A fitter at a popular outdoor gear store told me he had a lot of returns on the Jade series for that reason. The hollow aluminum support stay cannot be bent to the shape of your back (it will break).Another inconvenience: the top pocket is not convertible to a day pack. On a recent trip I had to use the full 50-liter pack to do a day hike away from my camp.One of the best features of the Jade 50 is the stuff pocket--large and useful. The lower side pockets with the zippers I find truly useless. A water bottle easily pops out of the pockets (when you don't want it to), whereas there is no secure closure for other small items you might want to put in there. So I put my water bottles in the stuff pocket. What's wrong with providing a simple, large, functional mesh pocket for water bottles? I'm sort of amazed at how nonfunctional these fancy zippered pockets are.The waistbelt pockets are very handy. A digital camera fits in there easily, along with trail snacks.This pack has too many straps and they are all the same color. Often you have to hunt for the right straps.I think I would give this pack 4 stars (large penalty for no workable water bottle pockets) if it fit me. I don't feel Gregory is trying hard enough to make their packs fit real people of a variety of shapes and sizes. Compare for example to the adjustable torsos of the Lowe Alpine Centro series and the Osprey Kestrel series. When you pay [$] and up for a pack, it should have adjustable fit features. A pack can't live up to its weight capacity claims unless it fits you to with an inch or less in the torso length. Torso fit is especially important with a heavy load, lightweight padding, and only one support stay.

Comments about Gregory Jade 50 Pack - Women's - '08 Closeout:

Great backpack for the most part ... I hauled it all over China for a few weeks and it held up really well. Since I ordered it online I was initially thinking the front part came off as a separate smaller backpack, which it doesn't. Also, no matter how I packed it, it would never balance out to where I could stand it up on it's own without me holding it. A silly little detail, but it bothered me all the same.
Otherwise, it was a great buy and I will be using it lots in the future!

Comments about Gregory Jade 50 Pack - Women's - '08 Closeout:

I bought this pack when we went to India. It is perfect for traveling.

Also went backpacking in Yosemite and the pack was great. However, over an extended time, it can bruise your hips--but this seems to happen with all packs over a long distance. I was carrying about 25 lbs...and I'm about 5'5

One thing I wish it had was a detachable top pouch that I could use as a day pack for smaller hikes once we pitched our tent.

Looking forward to more adventures with this pack!