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Great for long day hikes or anytime you're heading out with lots of gear, the men's Gregory Zulu 30 pack has a comfortable, dynamic suspension and plenty of space to carry all of your essentials.
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Imported.
View the Gregory Zulu Product LineView all Gregory DaypacksBest Use | Hiking |
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Bag Style | Backpack |
Frame Type | Internal Frame |
Gear Capacity (L) | 30 liters |
Gear Capacity (cu. in.) | 1,831 cubic inches |
Weight | S/M: 3 lbs. 0.6 oz. M/L: 3 lbs. 1.9 oz. |
Adjustable Torso Length | Yes |
Fits Torso Length (in.) | S/M: 15-19 inches M/L: 18-22 inches |
Fits Waist/Hips | S/M: 25-48 inches M/L: 27-53 inches |
Material(s) | 400-denier ripstop polyester (40% recycled) with PFC-free durable water repellent (DWR); lining: 135-denier polyester (40% postconsumer recycled) with PFC-free DWR; suspension: Lifespan EVA foam |
Frame Material | Alloy steel |
Number of Stays | 1 perimeter wire |
Suspended Mesh Back Panel | Yes |
Pack Access | Top / Panel |
Number of Exterior Pockets | 4 + main compartment |
Hipbelt | Yes |
Hipbelt Pockets | Yes |
Raincover Included | No |
Reservoir Compatible | Yes |
Dimensions | S/M: 22.5 x 12.75 x 11 inches M/L: 24.5 x 12.75 x 11 inches |
Gender | Men's |
Sustainability | Contains recycled materials |
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1. Overall look of the Backpack - This a sharp looking backpack and it works great! 2. Features 1. Mesh back panel - this helps with air circulation around the back. 2. Supportive straps - the wide straps are very supportive and take the load easily. 3. Waist strap - This bag has a well built and a very useful waist strap. This works very well and conforms to the contours of your waist and it does transfer a good chunk of the load onto your hips. The waist strap has two huge zippered pockets. These are super convenient and pretty voluminous. Keys, snacks, phones, etc can be put in here. 4. Sternum Strap - this has a good feel to it and allows for proper vertical placement. It also has a built in whistle to help in emergencies. 5. Pockets/compartments 1. This bag is definitely short of pockets and organizers. 1. There is the huge open main storage area that opens from a nice big zippered opening. The main storage can take lot of items. It is like one bottomless well. 2. In the main compartment, there is a pocket for holding water bladder and there is also a hook for attaching the bladder. There are outlets at the top for the water tube. 3. Then, inside the main storage, there is a small zippered pocket. Small items such as snacks, matchbox’s etc can fit in here. 4. There is a zippered pocket on the outside top flap of the bag. You can put in snacks, creams, flashlights, phones etc. 5. Also, for quick access is a front mesh pocket for quick stowaway of rain jackets, etc. 6. Zips and zip strings - The zips could be of better quality. This bag could use bigger zips that are easier to pull on. The strings themselves are of good size and can be operated with a gloved hand! 7. Torso adjustment - The torso adjustment on this works really well. This allows for a greatly customized fit. See pictures for explanation on this. 3. What can I pack into it - this bag is quite large and can easily take a day-hike worth of essentials. 1. Rain jacket + Fleece 2. Water bladder - 3 L 3. A change of dress 4. Snacks 5. Leatherman/Tool 6. Extra water 7. Flashlight 8. Emergency blanket 9. Matchbox 10. First aid kit 11. Compass 4. While hiking - 1. Comfort - With all the above loaded, the bag was well balanced and pretty comfortable to hike in and also do some trail running. 2. Ease of use - this is easy to put on and take off. The main compartment is huge and at times, finding items can be tricky. Use small organizers/cubes to put similar items together. Overall verdict - this is a well designed day-trip backpack with great comfort. Gregory could improve on organizational elements a bit with additional pockets/dividers.
This is my first Gregory daypack, but not my first Gregory Zulu pack - having used their Zulu 65 on several backpacking adventures across the Rocky Mountain West. Just like it's bigger sibling, the Zulu 30 is a worthy choice for everyone from a new hiker to an experienced adventurer. The Zulu 30 is constructed in typical Gregory fashion from what appear to be very durable materials. My previous experience with the Zulu 65 has shown that they will stand the test of time with just a little care. This new iteration of the Zulu 30 deviates from its predecessor in a few ways - mostly in what I would consider improvements. Gregory has put a lot of emphasis on being eco-friendly with the materials and means of construction for this pack. In addition, they have made the front shovel or rainjacket pocket from a much thicker material than previously used - which protects your gear more thoroughly when the pack is laid on the ground. It seems a touch narrower in this version of the pocket, but it's surprisingly deep and has a bit of stretch to accommodate your items. The one area of the new design that might be considered a negative is that the Zulu 30 no longer includes an integrated raincover. I tried a number of different brands and sizes raincovers that were in the range of this pack and can confirm that, owing to its beefy construction and capacity, most of the covers that went to 30 or 35L were too small for comfort - especially if the pack was fully loaded or had any significant gear on the outside. A 30-50L cover fit well and gave me that bit of extra coverage. As I said above, this pack is beefy. It has nicely padded shoulder straps and hipbelt (including a "FreeFloat" suspension that allows the Zulu 30 to naturally ride with the movements of your body while hiking. Having come from a 25L daypack with no suspension, I can attest to the comfort and load-carrying capabilities of the Zulu 30 - this thing is built to handle everything from a light load all the way up beyond what most daypacks are designed to carry. I even placed a 25-lb bag of birdseed in it and it was as comfortable as its 65L sibling. Now, all that capability and durability mean this is not an ultralight pack like something made from DCF. But, at 3 pounds 1.9-oz for my M/L - the Zulu 30 does not feel heavy at any time. A few other nice design features to point out are the typical durable and right-sized Gregory stretchy side pockets. These will easily swallow two 1L water bottles each and include cinch straps when needed. The back panel is nicely padded and allows for a bit of airflow to help keep the sweat at bay during those long hikes on a hot day. Naturally, the Zulu 30 is hydration reservoir capable - including integrated tube management on the right-side shoulder strap. Also, while the hydration hanger is designed for the Gregory reservoir connection, many other bladders will securely fit. All in all, this is a great tweak to the Zulu 30 and has replaced my previous daypack for daytime adventures.
At first I wasn’t sold on the red of this Gregory pack, nor the quality of lesser and smaller plastic-y components…but then I went playing on a bike in the desert and the “dust rust red” of a little dirt has the colorful choice growing on me. The pack is well made for stitching, making up nowadays in technique what we’d skimp on materials (and weight!) - to boot, the red can actually help on the medical side as that was my original intent for the pack - a lightweight med/crash kit (white marker to list the contents of pouches and/or “+” sign). I loaded maybe 15-20lbs total, with some extra water at the pack bottom to simulate a more robust kit. Suffice to say the pack hugs fairly well for your average 6fter with plenty of cushioned airflow. You could use it for a 3-day pack most likely. The straps seem to be secure enough tempting the edge of airflow versus taut-to-body comfort. First thing I noticed was a fine spinal caress, making me question some other packs of mine without “that dinky airflow mesh”. It’s solid. Even the hip pouches are large enough for a 4x4” bag or most smartphones. The only downside I’d anticipate with this pack is the temptation to overload it, where the straps might break and/or weight may not be distributed well for the back…but loaded consciously, the pack is rugged as most with airflow to boast!
When I first got this pack, I thought it was huge for a day pack. But it's deceiving because it has a very narrow profile and is taller. I've come to like that narrow profile, common in a lot of trail running backpacks, because it allows my arms to move freely. But it is a bit taller than a typical day pack, and my head hit the frame when looking straight up (like at trees or the stars). That's not really an issue, but something to be aware of. I really feel this bag was built for comfort and convenience. There are plenty of pockets, including an interior one for keys and valuables. The straps are well-padded and there's a chest and waist belt. There also pouches on the waist belt which I really like for small things I want to keep accessible. There's a sleeve for a hydration bladder and a hole to route the hose through. Overall I am very pleased with it. It's definitely not an ultra light piece of equipment, but I doubt you would be looking at this if that's your goal. This is a comfortable and versatile day pack, well designed with a narrow profile and everything you would look for in a day pack.
Great pack, I got this for use as a daypack and it is quite capable of handling a large load for extended hikes. If your gear is compact enough you can actually use this pack for an overnight hike. Very comfortable pack to wear.
I've had the Gregory Zulu 30 pack for 4 months . I loved the pack very comfortable and the right size that I needed. It was a keeper until the plastic slide that held the sternum strap to the right shoulder strap broke rendering it useless! I will be returning!
I like this pack a lot- it is roomy, light, comfortable, and has great suspension. Like all Gregory packs I've owned it is easy to adjust. I chose not to give it 5 stars because of the relatively small top pocket, which may not seem justified, but my hope is that helps Gregory to improve the pack. I have a lot of items I like to have easy access to (sunglasses, regular prescription glasses, head lamp, first aid kit, snacks), and I can only get a couple of things into the top pocket- the rest end up in the bottom of the main compartment or in the external large pocket.
Honestly I want to love this pack but it is missing key features. I replaced my last Gregory Jade (same family of packs) which was a stellar pack. I usually love Gregory for its attention to detail and hearty construction. For example, my last pack from them was purchased in 2013 and used very hard for 10 years. Scrapping over rock, as a crag bag, as my main field pack for my job as a field ecologist. The fabric remains intact, the suspension still bomber. Unfortunately, on this rendition Gregory decided to drop key features. Here are some I miss. 1. Enough pockets. They dropped a pocket on the front that was really nice. I had hoped that they compensated by making the remaining gear pockets larger. Nope they are both tiny. There is barely room to hold keys-wallet-phone. That's a huge downgrade from the earlier models. 2. no rainfly. Are you kidding me? This is a premium bag at a premium price and y'all removed that feature? I am considering returning. I love Gregory for their construction but this pack is a disappointment.
Compared to the previous Zulu 30 and Zulu 35 model. This model doesn’t have as many features. It does not come with an included rain fly. Leaving the consumer on the hook to purchase one on top of the increased price for the bag. They’ve removed the nifty sunglasses holder on the straps. The bag also got heavier, but it does have 2L more storage than the previous model. Lastly, the exterior pocket on the back is no longer mesh, which was a really nice feature for throwing in exterior layers rapidly. On the upside, it contains more recycled materials.
Overall, I love this pack. Cut to the chase with the bad: The sternum strap failed with very light use. It broke where the plastic piece clips to the right shoulder strap and can slide up/down a cable to adjust the height. It's not a piece you can buy a replacement for, I'll have to ship it to a repair shop. I bought a different generic strap and looped it around the shoulder strap in the meantime, but it is an annoying work around. I'm unsure if I'll pay to have it repaired because I don't have much faith a replacement plastic clip will last. As for the pack before it broke: The suspended back and ventilation is great. Very comfortable. The hip belt pockets are larger than the old version and able to tightly squeeze in my iPhone 15 Pro Max. The side pockets are deep with straps to secure tall items such as travel tripods or large water bottles. I bought a hydration pouch for it and it is very easy to fill, remove, hang on the hook, etc.