Gregory  Miko 20 Pack - Men's

7/30: 7 mile Day hike into the Beartooth Mountains (Bear Country), caught in a thunderstorm, and surprisingly the pack stayed dry. The foam shoulder straps dried our very quickly, nice webbing design with holes in the foam for wicking moisture. I thought the belt was probably overkill for a day pack, but I ended up liking it and the fit was very good and allowed freedom of movement. Barely fits my Samsung GS21 phone, so if you have a larger phone it may not fit, and is a bit of a hassle while wearing the pack to pull the phone out easily. Bear spray also didn't stay put on the belt strap, so I just clipped it to my pants belt instead. Not the fault of the pack. I was surprised by how much stuff I could get into this little day pack. Easily fit my 1.5L hydration pack, and a 24oz steel water bottle. 8/11-8/13: 2 day backpacking trip into the Absaroka Mountains @ 9,500 ft ASL (just outside YNP). The pack was very comfortable, and fit a Nemo Forte 20 sleeping bag, Nemo air mattress, rain gear, and camp food (see pics). The hydration pack clip on the strap is placed too low to use and it broke on my first day after unclipping it only a few times.

I'm writing this review after taking the Miko 20 out on 3 hikes ranging between 5 and 16 miles each, for a total of 34 miles. Pros: - Overall it was a very comfortable pack, including when I packed it with 20lbs (the recommended max weight capacity) for 12 miles. I like how the pack holds the load close to you, resulting in being pretty nimble on trail with a good center of gravity. - The capacity is good for most day hikes. I think it might get a little tight on winter hikes when I carry more cold weather gear and may opt for a larger pack. - If you use a water bladder, the separate reservoir-focused zippered compartment is very convenient when you need to refill on the trail. The bladder I have isn't a Gregory, and the built in reservoir hook wasn't compatible. But that didn't really affect the usefulness of the separate compartment. - Outside mesh pocket was nice for me to throw in my small towel after taking a dip in the water. - I tend not to use hipbelt pockets much, but they were handy when I came across some trail litter to pick up. - I like the small interior valuables pocket with a key clip. I always prefer having the key clip on an interior pocket than an exterior one. - For day hikes, I don't mind the weight / extra features tradeoff. When I'm carrying a lighter load (< 20 lbs), I don't mind a 2lb pack. - I think the pack looks pretty good. Cons: - The single gear attachment isn't as secure as I would like. It gets the job done, but I prefer packs with two attachments and them being more secure. - I wish the small outside zippered pocket was a little bit larger. My sunglasses case takes up most of the pocket. - If you don't use a water reservoir, I'm not sure how useful having that specific compartment would be. Bottom line: A very comfortable full-featured pack for moving quickly on longer day hikes. Though not all of the pack's features may provide added value based on individual hiker preferences.

I received these products for free from the REI Trailblazers sampling program in exchange for my honest review. This is a nice lightweight backpack. The materials and craftsmanship are high quality and well thought out. The side mesh pockets as well as the quick access back center pocket are deep and convenient for bike rides or hiking! I also appreciate the high contrast lining material. Overall, a nice pack!

Just took the tags off and getting it ready for my trip tomorrow and the plastic piece that holds your chest straps snapped like the cheap piece of plastic that it is. Crazy that a piece designed to hold the weight only your chest snaps. I am looking forward to my trip with my new bag and now have to return it. My first Gregory bag and now my last. I should have listened.

Loving this Miko 20L. The two side pouches make snacks and my phone accessible without taking the entire pack off. The two water bottle pouches on the side allow me to grab my bottles without taking the entire pack off.

Great pack for a day hike with the family. Took this out several times with my six year old. It held what we needed nicely. Our water bottles were held snugly in place. Plenty of room for raincoats and snacks. I didn't love the pole attachments. I put them in just to check it out for the hike. I'll need to play around a little more with this. Overall, the pack was comfortable and had enough room for a day of hiking.

The backpack has a great shape and size. The adjustable arm straps to fit different body types was really useful. The top strap however, was a low quality strap. It failed with normal usage. I returned thinking it could have been that specific pack. The second bag also failed with normal use. A backpack should last longer than that, but now it's outside the year return policy.

For my purposes, 14ers and 13ers, this pack is near perfect. The harness is amazing, the pockets and organization are well laid out and... it looks cool. I typically hike with the 10 essentials, even on shorter hikes, and this pack lets me carry everything including a mount for trekking poles (which are clutch for safe descents, IMHO). The external pockets are great for items you might need quickly: gloves, microspikes, physical map, etc. The hip pouches both zip and are handy for stashing things like lip balm, gummies, etc. I can easily shove a climbing helmet in the stretchy external pouch for those class 3 and such climbs where rocks raining down are a real risk. I've owned a lot of day packs since I first started hiking/mountaineering in my teens and this is easily the best of them. I'd recommend grabbing a rain cover (like most packs its not waterproof) and the Gregory bladder (which just snaps in). It's held up beautifully and the red color makes you quite visible.

I wanted to upgrade my 3-season pack, and this one has everything I was looking for: comfy hip belt with pockets, stuff pocket, great panelized organization, 20L, and light. I started with the women's version, Maya, since I am a gal and my torso length did fall within its specs, but that bag proved to be a bit short for my 18-19" torso even adjusted to the longest length. This bag fits like a dream and is the perfect size for carrying 2-3L water, the essentials, and a few extras. Love it.

This daypack was a bit heavier than I was looking for and I had really wanted a pack with a stiffer frame. However, with that said, once I used it for AT section hikes through Shenandoah National Park, I am so, so happy with this pack. It can fit as snug to my back as I want, carries well (many adjustments, including load lifters…a must have for me) and has great capacity with convenient pockets and pulls…especially the pulls on the belt pockets that enable me to open/close each with one hand. Given its durability, I’m looking forward to many years of use on and off the trail.