The Gregory Baltoro has lengthy been the Rolls Royce of expedition-sized backpacks, combining excellent load-carrying consolation with a extremely useful set of pockets, entry factors, and exterior attachment choices for wilderness backpacking and worldwide trekking (out there in 65L and 75L fashions). Whereas the looks and storage choices on the brand new 2022 Baltoro 65 are fairly much like the earlier mannequin, the brand new mannequin has a brand new body and adjustable match system that accommodates totally different torso lengths, hip belt lengths, and physique shapes to dial in a customized match. Obtainable in a number of overlapping sizes (S,M,L), the backpack can be barely lighter weight, bringing it below 5 lbs in weight. We nonetheless suppose the Baltoro 65 is a winner and that the brand new match system makes it a lot simpler to measurement correctly whereas eliminating the necessity to particular order substitute parts.
Specs at a Look
- Kind: Inside body
- Weight: 4 lbs 14.4 ouncesin measurement, medium (contains 4 ouncesof optionally available parts)
- Body: Adjustable torso size and adjustable hip belt size
- Quantity: 65L + extension collar and open pockets (approx 10L extra)
- Gender: Males’s (the ladies’s mannequin known as the Gregory Deva 60)
- Pockets: 8 closed, 3 open
- Entry: Prime, entrance panel, sleeping bag compartment
- Hydration suitable: Sure
- Load lifters: Sure
- Rain cowl: included (3.3 oz)
- Bear canister compatibility: BV500 matches vertically and horizontally (wow!)
- Supplies: 210d (physique) and 425d (base) excessive tenacity nylon, (135d lining) polyester
- Most really useful load: 50 lbs
Backpack Storage and Group
The 65L Baltoro can maintain an unlimited quantity of drugs, way over you’d count on in a 65L backpack. Gregory doesn’t embrace the extension collar quantity or open pockets of their pack quantity computations, which explains why the Baltoro can swallow a lot gear (about 10-12 liters greater than spec). Along with the principle compartment, the Baltoro additionally has 8 exterior closed pockets for storing gear: the principle compartment, 3 pockets within the prime lid, 2 on the hip belt, and a couple of on both aspect of the entrance stretch pocket, together with 3 exterior open pockets: a entrance stretch mesh pocket, a tall aspect mesh pocket, and a collapsible water bottle sleeve sized to carry a 1L Nalgene bottle. The principle compartment features a hydration sleeve with two aspect hydrations ports. Gone is the detachable hydration pocket current on the earlier era Baltoro, which might be used as a day pack.
Major compartment
Whereas the Baltoro is configured as a top-loading backpack with a floating lid pocket, there are a number of alternative ways you’ll be able to entry gear saved within the pack with out having to pop the lid and grope round blindly inside to seek out it. These further openings could be a actual comfort on high-volume packs, so you’ll be able to entry gear with out having to unpack all of it.
The entrance of the pack may be opened with a big U-shaped zipper, panel-style, so you’ll be able to pull out gear buried deep inside. There’s additionally a sleeping bag hatch that opens the underside of the pack. There’s an optionally available cloth “shelf” you could connect to toggles contained in the pack to create a separate sleeping bag compartment, however you get higher area utilization in the event you take away it. A bear canister, on this case, a BV500, can slot in the principle compartment each vertically or horizontally, with room to spare, or lashed below the floating prime lid pocket.
Should you plan to make the most of the entrance panel and sleeping bag pocket zippers, you’ll in all probability wish to use waterproof stuff sacks to pack the gear saved in the principle compartment since these entry factors should not suitable with a pack liner.
Floating Prime Lid
The highest lid is floating, so you’ll be able to scrunch cumbersome gear beneath it, like rope, snowshoes, a tent physique, or a sleeping pad in the event you want further carrying capability. The lid has three pockets, one small pocket on prime and one massive one, and a pocket within the underside of the lid. I wish to put necessities within the small prime pocket, like a headlamp, compass, map, and SmartPhone, whereas utilizing the big pocket for gloves, hats, and snacks. The underside pocket is nice for stashing my pockets, keys (on the offered key fob), and toiletry articles in order that they’re simply accessible however out of the best way. This pocket can be used to retailer the rain cowl and nonetheless has numerous room left over.
Entrance Panel Pockets
The entrance panel flap has three pockets constructed into it, an open mesh stuff-it pocket, and two lengthy aspect pockets beneath it. The mesh pocket is nice for storing moist gear like a water filter, rain layers, or snacks for quick entry. The mesh may be very sturdy, with small holes that resist snagging or tearing. The aspect pockets below the mesh pocket are lengthy and tall, with sufficient capability to carry a jacket, further pair of sneakers, or sandals, one on all sides. You can too simply match a small tent physique or a hammock and tarp in these pockets, so you’ll be able to set them up within the rain with out having to open your pack up and expose the contents. The entire coil zippers on these pockets have burly #5 or #8 YKK sliders and are coated with rain flaps to cut back leaking.
Aspect pockets
The Baltoro is a bit uncommon as a result of it doesn’t have symmetric aspect pockets. Whereas there’s a aspect mesh pocket on the left aspect of the pack, it’s not massive sufficient to retailer a water bottle and is finest used to seize the underside of lengthy skinny objects, like tent poles, glacier needs, or a collapsible fishing rod.
You may, nevertheless, retailer a water bottle on the correct aspect of the pack in a water bottle holster, sized for a 1 liter Nalgene bottle, making it straightforward to succeed in again and seize or change the water bottle whereas sporting the Baltoro. Should you don’t wish to use the holster, it folds away below a protecting flap on the aspect of the pack. I’ve discovered that the bottle will fall out of this pocket everytime you put the pack down on the bottom and it ideas over, so that you’ll in all probability wish to connect a leash to it in the event you use it. Should you want carrying extra water than that 1 liter, it’s a must to use a hydration reservoir w/hose or pack further bottles elsewhere on the pack.
Hip belt pockets
The hip belt comes with two very massive pockets, each zippered, with stable exterior faces for sturdiness. The zippers have massive toggles on the slides and are straightforward to tug open when sporting gloves. The earlier model of the Baltoro has a single specialised waterproof pocket on the hipbelt, however it has been changed and is now not included.
Backpack Compression and Exterior Attachment System
The Baltoro comes with two tiers of aspect compression (webbing) straps that shut with side-release buckles, making it simpler to connect gear, together with snowshoes to the perimeters of the pack. The underside tier of compression straps is further lengthy, to allow them to be looped and related across the entrance of the backpack (both horizontally or crisscrossed on a diagonal), for instance, if you wish to connect snowshoes or a snowboard over the rear mesh pocket. It’s a intelligent functionality you solely discover on the perfect backpacks.
Sleeping Pad Straps
The Baltoro additionally comes with sleeping pad straps that can be utilized to connect a foam sleeping pad or tent physique to the underside of the backpack. There are completely connected to the Baltoro and never detachable as on the earlier mannequin.
Ice/Axe and Trekking Pole Holders
Webbing loops on the entrance corners make it straightforward to connect twin ice axes or trekking poles in transit, with separate elastic shaft holders or tip holders, a element that’s left off many backpacks. Whereas the elastic twine on the shaft holders isn’t lengthy sufficient to stretch over a really lengthy strolling axe over 65cm, the twine is definitely replaceable if you wish to lengthen it.
Additional Gear Loops
There are 14 gear loops sewn into the seams and distributed round key areas of the Baltoro for attaching extra gear to the surface of the pack. Along with the 4 gear loops for routing the sleeping pad straps on the base of the pack, there are 2 gear loops on the highest lid which can be utilized for attaching a photo voltaic recharging panel, and eight loops surrounding the entrance mesh pocket, together with 2 recessed daisy chains below the ice axe shaft holders. You may actually load up the outside of this pack if it’s a must to go heavy or haul further gear to a base camp.
Backpack Body and Suspension
If the storage, organizational, compression, and exterior attachment options on the Baltoro haven’t wowed you, the backpack body and suspension system certainly will. That is an internal-frame backpack designed for comfortably carrying heavy hundreds and dynamically adapting to a variety of various physique shapes.
The Baltoro body is a 360-degree aluminum hoop with a further horizontal keep to forestall barrelling when the principle compartment is overstuffed or carrying a rounded bear canister. That hoop creates an air cavity behind the backpanel to assist ventilate perspiration, though not as a lot as a completely ventilated trampoline body just like the one on the brand new Gregory Focal or Side backpacks. The Baltoro like a lot of Gregory’s current fashions features a Polygiene anti-odor remedy, additionally generally used on searching backpacks, to forestall sweat from making the backpack odor.
New on this mannequin is a rip-and-stick model adjustable torso size function that permits you to reposition the peak of the shoulder straps in an effort to lengthen or shrink the gap between the shoulder straps and hip belt. Obtainable in 3 torso lengths: S (16-19″), M (17-20″), and L (18-21″), every measurement has three inches of torso size adjustability, with two inches of overlap between the sizes so you’ll be able to dial in a fantastic match. The earlier model of this pack additionally had an adjustable torso functionality however solely had a 2 cm vary. This new body has one that’s three inches huge making it nearly 4 occasions bigger.
The shoulder pads are S-shaped, not J-shaped, to allow them to be utilized by ladies and men, together with males with “well-developed” or broad chests, whereas the sternum strap peak is straightforward to regulate on a rail system. The pads are closely padded with wicking mesh covers to supply added consolation and preserve you drier.
The highest of the shoulder straps are designed to dynamically pivot on hidden hinges as your torso angle modifications, so the pack strikes with you for scrambling or climbing and also you don’t should combat towards its inertia. The pivot mechanism additionally offers an necessary match profit, even once you’re not transferring, for the reason that shoulder straps adapt to your physique form and curves. It’s an progressive strategy to handle particular person match variations throughout a variety of various physique shapes.
The brand new hipbelt is seamless and likewise adjustable in size utilizing a rip-and-stick system, with totally different hip belt sizes S (26-48″), M (28-50″), L (30-52″) comparable to the pack’s torso lengths. The hip belt is properly padded and likewise coated with wicking mesh. It closes with a push-forward buckle system for mechanical benefit. Just like the shoulder straps, the hip belt has been re-engineered on this new mannequin to adapt to modifications in your physique place, in order that the pack strikes with you, enhancing your stability when scrambling or mountain climbing over uneven terrain. The bottom of the hip belt remains to be anchored on the body for load switch, however there’s a little bit extra freedom of motion within the hip belt wings to adapt to the angle of your hips and gait.
New on this mannequin is an unobtrusive sticky lumbar pad (see above) designed to forestall the hip belt from slipping down the again of your pants. It really works nice and we expect it’s an particularly intelligent addition to a backpack that’s supposed to hold heavier hundreds. The earlier mannequin had the same functionality along with a detachable lumbar pad, however we like this new system higher as a result of it’s so unobtrusive and easy for a novice person to learn from.
What’s the Baltoro really feel like when it’s bursting with gear? Surprisingly light-weight. The hip belt, body, and cargo lifters do such a fantastic job of transferring the load to your hips and holding the middle of gravity near your backbone/core muscle groups, that heavy hundreds actually really feel lighter. If it’s a must to carry heavier hundreds, upwards of 40 lbs, it actually does pay to have a beefier hip belt and body to cut back fatigue and enhance your consolation.
Comparable Backpacks
| Make and Mannequin | Weight | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| Gregory Baltoro 65 | 4 lbs 14.4. oz | Prime, entrance, backside |
| Gregory Baltoro 75 | 4 lbs 15.7 oz | Prime, entrance, backside |
| Gregory Katmai 65 | 4 lbs 11.8 oz | Prime, backside, aspect |
| Gregory Paragon 68 | 3 lbs 11 oz | Prime, backside, aspect |
| Mountain Hardwear AMG 75 | 4 lbs 15.4 oz | Prime |
| Osprey Aether 65 | 4 lbs 14.7 oz | Prime, entrance, backside |
| Osprey Aether Plus 70 | 5 lbs 8 oz | Prime, entrance, backside |
| Osprey Aether Professional 70 | 3 lbs 15 oz | Prime |
| Osprey Atmos AG 65 | 4 lb. 9 oz. | Prime, backside |
| REI Trailbreak 60 | 3 lbs 13 oz | Prime, backside |
Suggestion
The Gregory Baltoro 65 is a extremely configurable, high-volume backpack designed for carrying heavy or excessive quantity hundreds, north of 40 lbs. It’s loaded with options that make it straightforward to pack and arrange your gear, with an progressive body and suspension system that permits you to dial in a customized match. Whereas the storage and group of this new Baltoro is kind of much like the earlier mannequin, the body and suspension system had been redesigned to suit a broader vary of sizes and physique shapes, out of the field. The earlier mannequin usually required the acquisition of substitute shoulder straps or a hipbelt in the event you wanted to change the pack’s match. That made it rather more tough for retailers and customers to assist or configure. The brand new adjustable torso and hip belt present a degree of adjustment that’s utilized by many manufacturers, together with Gregory’s different backpacks, and is rather more acquainted for customers to make use of.
Who is that this pack designed for? It’s supposed for backpackers who want to hold larger quantity, heavier hundreds when mountain climbing with a household group (the place dad carries extra), for {couples}, or for prolonged backpacking journeys with rare resupply. Whenever you carry a high-volume backpack, you rapidly uncover the worth of getting a number of entry factors (prime, backside, panel) to extract gear with out having to unpack your complete load to get gear on the backside of the pack. The identical goes for having extra closed exterior pockets, just like the three within the Baltoro prime lid and the 2 lengthy pockets sandwiched in between the entrance mesh pocket and the principle compartment. The Baltoro is fairly distinctive and extremely useful, on this respect, when in comparison with different backpacks in its quantity class.
Should you personal the earlier mannequin of the Baltoro, I don’t suppose it is advisable to improve to the brand new model except you’ve struggled with match points, as a result of the best way the pack carries below load is remarkably much like that of the earlier mannequin. There are a couple of minor modifications to the pack’s storage and group structure which might be totally different. For instance, the pockets on the highest lid at the moment are stacked as an alternative of aspect by aspect, the detachable hydration pocket/day pack has been eradicated, in addition to the waterproof accent pocket on the hip belt.
Disclosure: Gregory donated a backpack for this evaluate.
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Final up to date: 2022-02-13 16:38:23
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