User Review: Gregory Z 55

Gregory Z 55
Above: The current Z 55, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed August 8, 2007 by aardvark

Rating:
Size: medium
Max. Load Carried: 35 lbs
Height of Owner: 5'10"

Just finished 7 days in the Oregon Cascades with this pack. I generally like it. The pockets, including the shove-it, are reasonably well designed. The fabric is sturdy--much better than the nylsilk used in the comparable REI UL90. We were scrambling cross country through sharp volcanic rock. The only damage to the pack is a tear in the web of a hip strap pocket. The pack easily held all my gear and food for 7 days, with nothing strapped on the outside. I go light, but not ultralight.

I found the side zip cumbersome. You have to unclip the compression straps to access it, which sorta defeats the purpose. I seldom used it.

My one complaint is the lack of adjustability in the suspension. At 5'10, I fell between a large and a medium. I would have preferred the large, but the waist strap was too large even when cinched all the way down. I ended up with a medium, but the shoulder straps should be an inch higher for me. Nothing is adjustable even the upper load control straps are sewn to the shoulder straps. I also note that Gregory appears to be designing for a fattening US market even on the medium, I have to cinch the waist strap all the way to get the right fit after 30 minutes on the trail.

I don’t understand Jordan’s comment above about lots of straps for adjustment. The pack is equipped only with the typical hip belt, shoulder straps, and load straps on both (which are not movable as on most quality packs). The hip strap is sewn in; so it can’t be swapped for a different size. The shoulder straps are sewn on; so they can be adjusted up or down for different torso lengths.

The concave back panel is a bit of an enigma. I like the ventilation for my back, but the cavity is right where you should be packing the heaviest items. The resul is to shift the center of gravity away from your body. With heavier loads, I always felt like the back was pulling me backwards. I absolutely would not climb class IV or V with this pack.

So in summary, I rate this pack fairly high, but it just does not deserve the 5 that Backpacking gave it.