Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack

Comments about Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack:

I bought this pack in January 2007 in preparation for some international back-packing. Over the years, I have taken this pack on at least five separate long international trips (Central American, South America, Japan, Europe, Caribbean), packed it on cross-country ski trips, and multiple other trips throughout the states. I have lived out of this back pack. While many people know this, it is easy to get attached to back pack due to the amount of intimate time spent with it. I love it.

From what I can tell, the pack has changed very little over the years. It is tough and dependable. Whether you are crashing on that mile-long descent on your Nordic skis or its getting thrown on top of a country bus in the pouring rain for a 10 hour ride, you will not have to worry about this pack. It is comfortable when loaded, with lots of easy access pockets. I repeat, it is tough. Gets better with age.

A few drawbacks: the main compartment is basically a large stuff sack. Despite the fact that the front of the pack opens, it is still very hard/impractical to reach anything on the bottom without a total unpack. The top of the pack (essentially a large pocket) fits awkwardly due to odd strap/tie down location. There is also wearing tearing where the internal structure rubs on the fabric.

After seven years, I would wholeheartedly recommend this pack. It is expensive, but it will last.

Comments about Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack:

I bought this backpack in a pinch. My previous gear was completetly ruined by water and I had a backpacking trip planned in a matter of days. It came recomended by a friend who has the same exact model. It was very easy to learn to adjust, very easy to fit on my back and while on the trail it was comfortable and felt very solid overall. I took a second trip since and it has started to fit me even better and I started to appreciate the feature it has.
I will say it is capable of fitting more than the 75 liters advertised and seems like it would handle more than the 50 lbs of gear the brochure mentions.
It is a great piece of equipment . the only questionmark is : how will it handle the wear and tear?

Comments about Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack:

Awesome pack, easy to load, holds a ton of gear, detachable fanny pack on top, plenty of pockets but not too many, hip belt pockets are great. All in all I love this pack. I had a Kelty Coyote for over 10 years before I updated and went with the Baltoro. It is leaps and bounds greater from a comfort and suspension standpoint. I highly recommend this pack to anyone who loves to backpack.

Comments about Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack:

I bought my Baltoro 75 pack about a year ago and have used it many times backpacking with my son's scout troop. My typical weight in the pack is 40 to 45 pounds and our hikes usually are no more than four miles. When I put this pack on and adjust the straps, I have to tell you it's almost like not having it on at all. It somewhat becomes a part of my body. I have never experienced any swaying or shifting at all. It's a great pack. I'll be using it at Philmont next year and can hardly weight, . . uh wait!

Comments about Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack:

I am a father of 2 boys (8 & 2 years) and while I load the 8yo with his own REI meteor pack, I still have to carry everything that is needed to make hiking/camping a pleasure at such a young age to prevent scaring them away from the outdoors. That means a large 4man tent to ensure everyone can sleep together (we are all very tall), and warm bags, proper clothing to keep 3yo warm, and of course fishing gear. We are not usually on hikes longer than 2-3 days with all of us though the 8yo and I will be doing 5-10 day trips, but our terrain is 3.5 on 1-5 scale. (imagine Blood mountain section of AT x2).
I will have to update review later because I have only had the pack for about a month and have only been on 2 pack trips, both 3 days. Like I stated above I need to carry a lot of stuff so my load out for these trips were 84 & 71 lbs. I wont always be loading this way. Prob. next season the 3yo will be handling his own gear. The trails I hiked on with this load were very rough fishing trails approx 3 miles in and 3 out. Once adjusted the pack handled well and was comfortable. At that weight I like to alternate between heavy on hip then heavy on shoulder then even weight and the baltoro allowed me to do this. I could maneuver the trails as well as anybody could with an 84 lb loadout and on a short day hike with only 48lb, I felt like I could do my crossfit workout with the pack on.
The seams handled everything well and the Zippers worked fine. My divider between the bottom bedroll area and the contents area does not attach, it just kinda free floats. I must be missing straps or something. The only complaint I have really is on the bottom outside of the pack the straps are disfunctional they dont really allow for proper adjustment.
I would compare to MOLE 2 with more user friendly capacity. If needed you could set up a tactical outpost for extended periods with this pack. Time will tell about durability but for now I am pleased. I am 6'2", 230lbs, in mission ready shape, I bought the Medium. Measure properly when fitting, very important. Would be a 4 star but I dont want to spray all over this thing without it earning its stripes.

Comments about Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack:

This works great for all my needs. Used it on Mt Zion Narrows Top to bottom overnight hike. I used it to pack my and my wife's stuff. did well for everything except the food, and I had to place the tent under the top lid. I wish it was larger for everything for this trip, but should work better when the wife gets her own pack. Very comfortable. fits well. rides well. didn't have any issues with sore back or neck after 2 days hiking and rock scrambling with this on.

4 stars only because 5stars = "Perfect, doesn't get any better" and I think it would be better for this trip if it was larger. otherwise would give it 5 stars.

Comments about Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack:

I purchased this pack for my 12 year old son. I have owned a total of two Gregories in the 36 years of backpacking. I have found their historical quality to be top notch. This pack is no different...it might even be better. The pack is light, easy to use and durable. We just took on a climb up Whitney, and my son found it to be easy to carry-he had the tent and water. I had all the food. Can't recommend this pack and this brand enough.

Comments about Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack:

The pack is heavy, but for me the extra weight is worth it for the comfort. One piece of information I couldn't find anywhere and had to test myself at the store: a Bear Vault BV500 will barely fit horizontally inside the bottom of a medium size Baltoro 75 (where you would normally put a sleeping bag). You can't access it though the lower compartment flap because the opening is too small. You have to insert it from top or through the larger, upper flap.

Comments about Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack:

This pack worked great! I had it stuffed full and while it was heavy, you could hardly tell. I got this pack after using a Gregory my dad had from the 1980's and the technology has definitely improved!!

The multiple openings are a huge plus, they add weight but being able to get to the middle without pulling everything out is amazing. Also the water bottle holders and side pockets are awesome (did people in the 80's not drink water?).

It rained some on the last hike and the padding got a little wet/muddy so we'll see if it'll clean up (the padding is a light grey so it will show dirt better than my previous black padded pack)

Comments about Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack:

I wanted to get my son a special gift for his 13th birthday. Knowing that he has 2-3 trips planned this summer with Boy Scouts and Philmont is just around the corner for him, getting him a hiking backpack was the perfect gift! He and I went to our local REI store where David help us out! David explained all the different packs, their uses, and features. He talked to my son about everything he was intending to do now and in the future with Scouting and hiking adventures. David was an avid hiker and I very much appreciated all of his knowledge, patience, and time he took fitting my son with the right pack and answering all of our questions. My son received this pack 2 days ago and hasn't used it yet. As soon as he does, I'll update my review. But as of right now, we are very happy with the quality of this pack and all of its features. As my son was testing it out at the store, another customer said, "Wow, you're testing the cadillac of backpacks!" Yes, this pack was at the higher range in price, but my son will be enjoying it for many, many years and may never need to purchase another one.