Gregory Z65 Pack

Comments about Gregory Z65 Pack:

I bought this pack after trying out the Osprey Atmos and Osprey Stratos. Compared to those, the z65 is a winner for comfort. It's lightweight and the back padding and recessed frame work great to keep you cool and happy.

The Osprey suspension is great but their version of the recessed frame is too much, throwing the weight so far away from your back that it moves your center of gravity and makes you feel unbalanced.

The z65 is perfect for lighter loads and can easily fit all your gear for a weekend hike. At 5'7 and 165 pounds, the medium fits great. The front panel access is a great feature so you don't have to unpack everything to get at the bottom. It's got two big zippered pockets for easy access to smaller items. I wish there were more pockets as I love to keep things separate: stove and fuel in one pocket, toiletries in another, head lamp and towel in another etc...

My only problem is that I discovered that I tend to pack a little heavy.
30 pounds is probably the max you can comfortably carry in this pack. Over this and the padding in the harness and hipbelt just doesn't cut it. With 35 pounds, my back started to get sore after a 5 mile test hike on easy terrain. The belt pinched at my hips and made me feel like I was carrying a much heavier load.

Bottom line is that this is an awesome pack for minimalist/ultralight backpacking but if you're like me and tend to pack a little on the heavy side you probably want to move up to the Baltoro. On the plus side, you can cinch the z65 down so well that it works as a day bag, albiet a large one.

Comments about Gregory Z65 Pack:

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.

Comments about Gregory Z65 Pack:

This backpack has outperformed beyond what I was expecting to get out of it. I have had this pack out in a massive thunderstorm with no pack cover and all of my contents stayed dry. I have forded through rivers that were neck deep and only the bottom most items in the pack get damp (not wet, just damp). This back has been thoroughly abused and it holds on through it all. From lowering it down cliff sides attached to ropes to simply dropping it distances of around 10 feet. No seams are ripping and no rips in any of the materials. Pack is very versatile also. I have used it to pack ultralight for multi-day hikes to packing all my climbing gear (40+ lbs) for climbing trips. Regardless to pack holds it all and even makes walking with heavy loads comfortable. A sure buy if you are looking for a well made and designed back pack.

Comments about Gregory Z65 Pack:

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.

Comments about Gregory Z65 Pack:

I ordered this pack on-line to replace my old Dana designs "Terra-Plane". I recieved it today and boy was I in for a suprise! I use to work in the camping and hiking section of the Austin REI (for two years) and am a PCT thru-hiker alumni(1997)...but I was not prepared for how small this pack was. Other reviewers wrote that this pack was good for "extended hikes" I agree if all you carry on your "extended hikes" is a summer down bag and a food bag with your groceries for a week. I own school book bags with more room in them than this little weekender. Also I know I'm a little old school and maybe out of touch with new materials but this Z65 looks weak in construction. I'm afraid that picking it up by a shoulder strap is liable to break it once its loaded. Also the zippers look rediculous to me...how can a zipper so tiny stand up to the wilderness, busses and planes, being thrown and over loaded? Lastly I read that the padding and support in the hip belt was good on these. I am of course recalling the bomb proof hip-belts of the Danas but this hip belt is a shriveled little thing although it does seem rather strong in relation to how small it is. The specs sheet on REIs web site said that a large pack would not cinch down to fit a 32" waist so I sacrificed and got a medium pack which is even smaller and not quite as long as I'd like in the spine or torso. This medium's hip belt is way too small for me and makes me wish now that I'd gotten the large...theres no way that the Large won't fit a small wasted guy because these are just not that type of hip belt. You could actually have a 24" waist and this medium would cinch down to fit you because the pad part of the belt is so small and insignificant. I leave for Mexico for a month in a couple days and although I'm so dissapointed in the look and feel of this pack...I will take it and try to make it work but I'm predicting tears! (I am five feet elevin and 168 lbs with a 32-33" waist)

Comments about Gregory Z65 Pack:

First off, I went with this as my very first backpack, about 2 years ago (so not the most current model listed). I liked the side opening ability, and the large capacity. However, the pack was not able to hold up at all well to the Alaskan landscape. *All* repeat all, zippers broke. This is a tremendously frustrating thing to have happen when backpacking. Plus, it simply wasn't tall enough to fit my frame. I'm 6'2", but pretty lean, and the waste belt could not cinch tight enough around my waist. Its an ok pack, but I don't think its worth the hype its getting. I have since ordered in an Arc'teryx Axios 50 so will have that to compare it too. I *would* recommend this to someone who's not going to use it in a rather abusive landscape, but not to any serious back country use.

Comments about Gregory Z65 Pack:

Purchased as an addition to my Gregory Whitney which is way too big for most of my trips now that the kids can carry their own loads and my gear has been upgraded.
Starting out at around 43lb with food and water maxed out the pack but it was almost as comfortable as the Whitney. Once a few days food were gone it was every bit as comfortable...exactly what I was hoping for!

Comments about Gregory Z65 Pack:

Weight is a little high but the comfort factor outweighs that 10 fold. Tough sturdy well made pack. Good size and comfortable as all hell. Make u feel like ur pack weighs 20-30 lbs less then it does.

Comments about Gregory Z65 Pack:

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.

Comments about Gregory Z65 Pack:

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.