Gregory Whitney pack

[trail ronin]

I'm thinking of buying this pack. If you have owned and used this pack , tell me the pro's and cons as you see them. If you haven't owned or used it , don't comment.

[iamscottym]

I had a whitney (L) which has been replaced by an osprey crescent 85 (L).
The whitney is great for organization, and the pivoting hipbelt is nice. I also like the color (as opposed to the fire truck red of my osprey). The extension collar is also quite large, allowing well over 5500cu in of stuff when you need it. However, stuffing it like this is not advisable, as the top tends to sway around a lot even with careful packing. The waist belt and shoulder straps are a little thin given the size of the pack, and they really dig in with over 60 lbs. With 100lbs the straps become excrutiating. However, I much prefer my osprey.

At first I thought the osprey was a little gimmicky with the compression panels and the curved stays and the 'bioform' hipbelt. However, after several weeks on the AT with in excess of 100 lbs, it blows the gregory out of the water. There is plenty of airflow between your back and the pack due to the 'recurve' suspension, which is great when you're sweating like a pig under ridiculous loads.

The hipbelt fits better than any other I've ever used, including the gregory. The hipbelt webbing actually runs along the top and bottom of the belt rather than a single piece through the middle like most belts. This spreads the weight better. The buckle is much stronger than the gregory, and is tighten by pulling forwards rather than back. I find that I can get the belt tight more easily this way. For me, the hipbelt is very important as I have a small waist (30") and thus don't have the extra padding others have.

The shoulder straps are similarly great- they're much more substantial than the gregory's straps. The suspension is unbelieveable- even with 100lbs it carried better than the gregory with 60. There's also this great indentation in the pack behind your head, allowing you to look at something besides your feet. The osprey's torso length fit much better than the gregory as well- I'm a 21" torso. The fabric also feels much tougher than the gregory.

However, I wish the osprey had more pockets, and when you tighten down the compression panels you can't get to your hydration bladder if you put it in the outer pack sleeve. I ended up hanging a camelbak unbottle off the back to make it easier to get to. The curved suspension also makes packing a little weird, but you get used to it. All in all, I recommend the osprey hands down. However, I've heard good things about the new gregory packs like the baltoro so you might check them out as well.

-iamscottym

[minnesotasmith]

Specifically, from Waynesboro to Kent CT and the White Mtns. The pack will hold everything you could reasonably need, even for 9+ days hiking in winter weather, and holds up under Trail conditions superbly. Some thoughts I had on it:

1) Not all models have the center-back zipped pouch (presumably for a hydration system). Mine did. I loved putting my water treatment stuff in there, so it was easy to get to when I found water. You may want to make sure the model you get has this feature.

2) Likewise, not all Whitneys come with a sternum strap. Not having one is easy to remedy; the Whitney sternum strap just clips on.

3) The pack is HEAVY; the Medium is easily 7 pounds. I found it worthwhile to carry a high-end school pack along as well for when I could slackpack. In summer, you can definitely get by with a smaller pack (Palisade or smaller). IMO the dividing line is when you switch to summer sleeping bag. Note that the choice of a small/medium/large is determined by your back length. If you wanted a smaller (or, God forbid, a larger) pack than the one that is a "fit" for your back, you need a different style, and can't just change between S - M - L.

4) The side-back vertical straps hold both a Thermarest and a tarptent quite nicely. Those are where I put mine.

5) The straps on the back bottom held my Ursack even when it was stuffed full.

6) The pack being so large, it's difficult to find a pack cover to fit. Larges don't work very well; you'll need an XL. I got to where I didn't use a pack cover any more for rain or snow; only falling in mud, or freezing rain are really worth the hassle of a pack cover IMO. You could go with a Packa and avoid that issue, of course.

7) If you carry a Whitney on your thruhike, you will likely catch no end of BS from other thrus perennially harping that "You'll never get to Maine with a pack that big.". (Never mind that most of the gram weenies attempting a thru will quit before they get to PA.) ;)

8) I added (from my retired Dana POS) a strapped side pouch that holds a Nalgene, lunch, maps, and Wingnut. It's called a "wet rib". Marmot makes them now. Worked pretty handily with my Gregory.

9) You'll need to have its fit professionally adjusted at an outfitter. Do what you must to make this happen.



Hope that all this helps.

[SteveJ]

I'm thinking of buying this pack. If you have owned and used this pack , tell me the pro's and cons as you see them. If you haven't owned or used it , don't comment.

I own this pack, and have used it. It's a great pack for carrying 50+ lb loads. It weighs over 7 lbs - and that's just the pack. It currently resides in my closet - I pull it out for the occassional car camping trip when I'm carrying a bunch of gear that I wouldn't carry on a backpacking trip.

I should just return it to REI, where I purchased it 4 yrs ago - before I figured out that my 45+year old knees just couldn't handle 50+ lb loads, and that I have a lot more fun w/ a 25 or 30 lb pack. I guess I hang onto it in the remote hope that I'll be able to actually go somewhere where I'll not be able to resupply for 10+ days....

It's a great pack, if you carry heavy loads....and, uh, I think I heard a rumor that someone completed a thru-hike w/ one last year! ;)

[buckowens]

I also have the Whitney in Large, and have found it to be a very comfortable pack. I have nmot had it loaded with 50lbs yet, but am confident it would do well. I am taking it on my June section hikle for two weeks, and was very happy to read "Minnesotasmiths" comments . I got mine at E-bags.com for a reasonable price, but would also advise a professional fitting.

[TwoForty]

I have a Shasta which is the same thing sans the extra pockets. It has the main cavity with bottom access and the option of dividing it for the sleeping bag. It also have a very large top pocket that can be used as a hip belt. It also has the standard side "wand" pocket and a nifty Nalgene holster. More stuff can be strapped outside.For my winter hikes and summer forest service uses, it has been great. Sure it's heavy, but it can carry a 60lb load like a champ. You can overload it to your hearts content. Just be careful or you'll pack too much! I'd also recommend getting the biggest gregory rain cover you can find.I really have no complaints and I'd buy one again! Although I'd like to try this Osprey Crescent. Maybe the Arcteryx Bora too.Wait, I thought of one complaint. Unless you have it filled up, when you cinch the top pocket down, it sometimes interferes with the load lifter straps, changing their angle. The solution is to try and keep it full and cinch down the front on the pocket as much as you can before the part nearest your head.

[trail ronin]

Plan on buying a mystry ranch G-5000 instead. Went last weekend to neels gap and tried one out at the outfitters there . About the same weight,about the same capacity, a little less organizational capability ( Not much less ) but greatly increased comfort with a heavy load and much increased durability. I Plan on picking it up April 1st. Here's the URL if anyone intrested in looking at these packs. http://www.mysteryranch.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&zenid=e6a0f11b4c8a4e2acd57667711cad684

[Phreak]

dig in with over 60 lbs. With 100lbs the straps become excrutiating.

The Comfort Zone rating for this pack is 65 pounds. I don't know of any pack that isn't going to be excrutiating with 100lbs in it.

The Whitney is the only large/heavy pack I still have in my closet. It rarely gets used these days but I was very impressed with it for the year I did hike with it.

[BirchBark]

I have a Whitney.

Had it for a few years now, and used it on a 3 week section hike last summer. For reference I'm 6'4", 240lbs. My pack does not have the integrated hydration system thing.

The Good:
- lots of room to keep all of your stuff
- convenient and numerous access points and partitions
- seems durable so far

The Bad:
- lots of room will tempt you to carry too much stuff
- grasping a bottle from the holster might pop your shoulder out of joint

If I was smarter, smaller or wealthier, I'd never lug a Whitney (but I'm 0-3).

[jasonklass]

I've had this pack and loved the comfort and organization of it. I really liked the fact that you can access the inside from so many different points; however, it's WAAAAAYYYY too heavy! I dropped down to a lighter pack and now the total of my pack, tent, and sleeping bag weighs less than an empty Whitney! There's absolutely no need for a pack so heavy and overbuilt in this day and age (even though it is a well-made one).