Gregory Z45

Summary

The Z45 is a versatile little backpack... large enough for a 2- or 3-night trip into the wilderness, but small enough for a day pack or even a summit bag.

This is a great medium sized backpack from Gregory. It has the quality construction you would expect from Gregory. I have used it as my summit backpack for a few months and it has worked great for this. It is a very comfortable backpack.  

Here is my full, detailed video review:

Have had this for about a month now and have taken it on several short day hikes.

I did a lot of research and really like the way this pack fits in to my lower lumbar region. This pack is from the Gregory Jetstream LTS (Load Transfer Suspension) line of packs.

What I really like about that series is that it minimizes the points of contact with your back and thus provides great ventilation without the use of mesh or "trampoline" style systems that have become so popular.

It also has an adjustable hip belt system that is great at fine tuning to you body type.

Being tall and thin I could dial this in and have the load ride very comfortably on my hips and not the shoulders. The pack does not slip down my hips the way many others did that I have tried.

The 45 liter capacity (actually 50L for me since I have the large size) is a perfect compromise for me. It allows for full day winter hikes here in the Northeast where lots of gear is required.I had no problem strapping my snowshoes to the outside and carrying full winter gear including crampons,poles etc.

It will be big enough for 3 season overnight hikes as well.

Very comfortable carry and weighs in right at 4 lbs. Not ultralight but very solidly built and I like the fabrics. I am suspicious of 2lb, 50-60 liter packs as far as longevity is concerned.

The front shove it style pocket is great for quick access to windbreakers etc. The 2 pockets on the hipbelt are great for my camera and cliff bars

The only improvement I would like to see, and this is typical for almost all packs, would be the ability to remove and replace water bottles easily from the 2 side mesh pockets. I am old school and do not like hydration systems and water bladders as they are a pain to clean and prone to freezing on winter hikes.

Overall am very happy with this and hope to use for many years.