Gregory "Z" Pack?

“I'm thinkin' pretty hard about this as an ultralite pack, anyone here consider or have this pack? Looks pretty god from specs, I played with one yesterday at REI, seemd pretty well made.
Specs:
S 3560 CU. IN. / 58 liters 2 LBS. 14 OZ. / 1.3 KG
M 3760 CU. IN. / 62 liters 3 LBS. 2 OZ. / 1.4 KG
L 3950 CU. IN. / 65 liters 3 LBS. 5 OZ. / 1.5 KG

COLOR:
Castor Gray, Flame


SUSPENSION

Sewn-in Sport harness

Gullwing™ Plus waistbelt

Single, hollow 1/2" 7075-T6 stay

Remove the stay and framesheet to save 9 ounces

FOAM-X hourglass framesheet

Chimney ventilated backpanel
PACK

Top and side access

Front "bucket" pocket

Secondary front pocket with water resistant zipper

140d Dyneema® body fabric

210d HT nylon fabric reinforcements

Water resistant top pocket zippers and side access”

“I'm thinking about that pack too. I've never been disappointed with Gregory, As a matter of fact I'm pretty much sold I think I'm gonna get it.”

“I'm saving up for the V Pack.”

“I think LtHiker has one and maybe he'll chime in with a report.

I own 2 Gregorys (Reality and Whitney) and I ordered a Z for those trips when light is right. I liked almost everything about the pack but 2 things made me send it back.

The big mesh pocket in the front that extends around to the sides is a nice feature and all, but cumbersome for placing water bottles. I'm not a big fan of bladders and prefer nalgenes so I like individual mesh pockets on the sides. The second drawback was that I couldn't fit my bear cannister in it.

I ended up sending it back and ordered an Osprey Aether 60. If you're a water bladder person and not carrying a bear cannister, I would recommend the Z.”

“Hmmm, never thought about my cannister, thanks Pennsy! I'll try to take mine over tomorrow & see if it fits. I carry a Bearicade weekender when I take a cannister, otherwise just an Ursack. Which cannister do you have that wouldn't fit??”

“I have a weekender also (and an Ursack), and I tried and tried to get it into the Z. It goes in lengthwise but that sure takes up a lot of room. It fits into the Osprey, but as a middle "layer."”

“Gregory "Z" Peck :-)”

“Funny Liz. I liked him very much as Aticus Bluebird”

“funny, I looked at this pack about one hour ago. I really like it, but I would like a couple more straps to put my tent on the outside.

I saw the pack once in our local store, since then...well it's on my mind.

I do have the osprey ariel 60. it's a little heavier, but nice. I maybe should update my tent and save weight this way huh?”

“I looked at this pack. It was on sale at my local outfitter for $100. Normal retail was $149. This made me curious so I did some investigation. One of the salesmen finally admitted that Gregory has had some problems with the sil nylon pulling away from the seams. He told me if you buy it do not try to overload it. Still looks like a nice pack.”

“Where is there silnylon on this pack?

Maybe you're thinking of the "G" pack.”

“I think you guys are getting the Z-pack and the G-pack confused. I originally bought a G-pack and returned it for the Z-pack. The straps on the G-pack started to pull loose after 2 hikes with under 20lbs. When I returned it they had just gotten the Z-pack in. The G-pack is sil-nylon and the Z-pack is Dyneema, with the grid pattern of kevlar(I Think).

Pennsy, I am not happy that a bear cannister does not fit in it, I was thinking about getting a Bearikade. Was it too long to go in sideways? I noticed on the Bearikade site that they will make a smaller version that is only 8" long would that work?

Overall I like the Z-pack, it is not an ultralight pack but for a 20lb load it rides really nice.
It does not have any straps to attach a sleeping pad or a tent, but at the smaller loads that this pack was designed for it all fits inside. The mesh pocket is a great place to stuff your tarp and/or bivy, rain gear, etc.
I use water bladders most of the time although I have had nalgenes in the pockets. I can't get them in or out without taking off the pack but I can't do that with my Forester either. Arms are to short I guess. My MSR Bladder fits nicely into either the top pocket or the internal bladder pocket.

I don't think that the real ultralight packs can stand the abuse that my packs get. Scrambling over rocks and crawling under blow downs is tough on packs. I wore a hole in the bottom of my Gregory forrester sliding down rocks on the Devils Path in the Catskills. I like the fact that the Z-pack is more durable, worth the weight in my opinion. And the suspension is much better than the G-pack.”

“You're right, I got them mixed up. Sorry.”

“No problem Solitary hiker. The G-pack just wasn't rugged enough for me. To go really light I am thining about a 14oz Golite pack I forget the name it is a new one, that has a hipbelt. I don;t like packs without hipbelts.”

“Wanderer - yes, the Bearikade Weekender is too long to fit in the Z sideways. I didn't know they were (or did already?) coming out with an 8" version. That might work. Oh yeah, and I also forgot to mention what Lt said about not having straps for a pad or tent. There are straps on the side but I found it awkward.

Have you looked at the Osprey Aether 60? It's just a few ounces heavier than the Z with the same capacity. I used it this past weekend for the first time and I really liked it.”

“Pennsy that was me with the 8" Bearikade. I read it on their site they don't stock tem but they will make one to order.”

“I have the g-pack and only use it as a daypack. No way I would trust it with 20 lbs or more.... :)”

“Hey guys I just returned from REI, took my Weekender over to try it out. It DOES fit in the Z pack sideways. I tried it on the large model, there is a small, med & large Z pack.”

“Hmm maybe I will try fitting Pennsys in my pack sometime. Although I can't quite convince myself that I need a bear cannister.”

“Wow, it actually fit? But can you get it out? LOL! That sucker must be tight. Mine was a medium but I didn't a large would be that much bigger. Cool!

Lt - yeah, I knew it was you. I felt like talking to Wanderer, not you. ;o)”

“Sure, Hey I got my lightsabre checkout the thread.”

“It was snug, but not that bad. I guess the size diff between the med & Large was just enough. And I do have an older bearicade so it's original size (didn't know they were coming out w a smaller one!)

Lt Hiker, I have no choice re the cannister... I hike in some areas of the Sierra where they're required!”

“I am now the pround owner of a z pack, I went to REI, threw 35 pounds in it (I'll prob. never carry more than 25 in it) and walked around the store. It was obviously a little too much weight for the pack, but being a Gregory it was still comfortable. I used my 20% off so I got a good deal on it. I'm sure it will be a fine addition to my growing stable of Gregory (and 1 Mountainsmith) packs.”

“how would you compare the z pack in volume to the gregory siren (womens design) that rei currently has on sale?”

“I didn't see that pack, but according to the website it's 2700 ci, the z pack is 3950 ci. 2700 seems pretty small for an overnighter.”

“om, what kind of pack were you using in ocala?”

“cyndee...a GPV4....i love it.,my only complaint is that i would like to have more than one access point to the inside.

bison. thanks for your thoughts...although it is a good deal...the siren weighs 5 lbs ..too heavy for just the pack

So.....do you think the weight you can expect to carry is limited more by the volume of the pack or by the suspension system of the pack? with all the ultra light and micro this and micro that gear, seems like (especially in summer when you dont need a lot of bulky jackets, etc) you can stuff lots of gear into a smaller space.

i guess i should have a direct experience with the packs, because i am having trouble visualizing 2700 ci's anyway. i have 3 packs, but i couldnt tell you what their volume is at all...i am more interested in the process of using them...personal comfort etc, than i am in the details of their construction. to a yogi...size doesnt matter one iota..heh”

“Obviously pack size plays a big role in how much weight, you can cram more stuff in a bigger bag, but how much I would carry is limited by the suspension. I probably wouldn't want to carry the same amount of weight in a similiar size pack by another manufacturer as I would carry in my Robson. That's part of the reason I wanted the z-pack when looking for something for overnighters. If I want to pack something heavier along I know I have a gregory suspension to load it on to. And of course the suspension plays alot into the comfort of carrying a load no matter what the weight is.”

“Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone knew about the Gregory z35 pack? Is this the same as the Z pack? I was told that the z35 was last years z pack model by a clerk at Eastern MT. Sports - is this true? They were selling it for $100 and I was a bit suspicious...
Also, can anyone recommend a good pack for a 5 day hike during August? Thanks!”

“I don't know what the Z35 designation is but I love my Zpack, it might be alittle small for a beginner backpacker unless you are serious about cutting weight or you will be sharing gear for the week. I have done some winter weekend trips with mine and had room for my gear but I don't use a tent and my food is pretty compact.”

“where do you hang your sleeping pad?”

“Lthiker, I even used mine for my 4-night winter trip in the Yukon. It was pretty full, but the 43 pounds, more or less, was comfortable enough. I had my REI Half Dome with me; everything went inside except for the sleeping pads, shovel, snow saw, and a few things (fuel, water) in the mesh on the outside.


Deano - it goes inside the pack. For summer, even this weekend, e.g., when I'm carrying a little extra 'cuz BowlderSon is coming with me, everything except the pad goes inside. I just figure out how to put the pad on with little bungees....”

“actually havnt used mine yet. last hike was a 10 dayer in the high sierra so i fell back on my ole favorite, my gregory palisades.
i just noticed the z pack doesnt have the bottom straps like most packs for pad.

ill work it out though

thanks”

“I don't have a Z-pack, but use a pack that is about the same size. I role my sleeping pad into a tube, place it inside my pack, and stuff all of my gear inside the tube.”

“I have a z-pack that I use for one or two nighters, I stick my pad on the side.”

“Bowlder...you still like your Z pack..I am seriously thinking about getting one..anyone else want to chime in I would greatly appreciate it.”

“I have one, almost brand new, never use it. Willing to sell it.”

“I used mine on the High Sierra Trail two years ago. In the end, I returned mine and got an Osprey Aether 60. To me, the pack was just not comfortable. That was probably my fault. Our trip was 7 days, and we had to carry bear cannisters, so I most likely overloaded the pack. Also, at the end of the trip, I had several small holes in the bottom of the pack where rocks rubbed the fabric when I put the pack on the ground.

The switch to the Aether was great. The Aether has a much heftier suspension system, so the load feels much better.

If you are a true lightweighter or do short trips, the Gregory Z will be fine, but for longer trips, I enjoy something with a little more support.”

“Osprey is the better choice imho. The other problem with the Zpack is that you can't reach back and get your water bottles out and the hydration system is pretty lame.”

“I have a Gregory G pack hardly ever used I am willing to part with.”

“Yes. Still have it, still love it. I think I mentioned once before that I once carried a bit over 40 pounds in it (my Yukon winter trip) on a 4-nighter. It was totally comfortable. Maybe I'm not as sensitive to a pack with less support, but I didn't have any trouble with such a "heavy" load in it.

I will have to figure out if I want to use it for the half-JMT next summer - I think I have a max load of around 42-43 at the beginning or after the resupply. As of right now, I'm planning to go ahead and use it. Heck, I save over 2 pounds just using it versus my bigger pack.”

“Love my Z pack, I only use it for 1-3 nights, anything longer than that I use a larger pack. I wouldn't pack much more than thirty pounds in it, but it is superb for lighter loads.”

“Thanks guys (and gals if so) this is the reason I really stay here. So I will begin the search for the Aether....

As for pack comfort...you are talking to someone who spent 4 years wearing the Alice Pack with around 90 to 100lbs of equipment.

A number of years ago I had a person measure my torso...told me 20" (guys I am a 5'8" person). I finally got a professional measurement...18" this explained why my packs had not fit as well as I would have wanted.

Well Osprey it is...Thanks”