Gregory Baltoro 65 Pack for Men Small Alaska Blue

2024-09-04T20:00:00

This is the most comfortable pack I've worn in almost 30 years of backpacking. Love the cushy fit with real padding on the hip belt and shoulder harness. If you have to carry heavier loads, the Baltoros are the way to go. The grippy silicone accents on the bottom of the lumbar area should be made standard on all Gregory packs, it helps keep the pack from sliding down really well. The Polygiene is also a game-changer for keeping that trail smell off when you get home. I like the clean design free of stitching/thread on the outside of the pack, and the Alaska Blue color is gorgeous, wish they'd offer that in all their packs. The fabric has held up well without being too heavy, though Gregory needs to stop with the hard parts of the frame at the bottom sides of the pack, covered in a heavier duty material. Though it is thicker there, mine is showing wear and will eventually fail. I see this on a lot of their models (I own 3). Other improvements should be to get rid of the fold out water bottle holder and put another stretch mesh pocket on the side (that is easy to access with pack on). Many of us don't use Nalgene for backpacking anymore, and dedicating a whole side to such a limited use pocket really kills the space. Also on that note, Gregory's stretch mesh should be a better, tighter weave. The current stuff does not inspire confidence. Access and organization on this pack are another huge plus, with plenty of space to separate things on, and still get to them. It's not the lightest pack out there, but given its capacity and how well it carries, it's actually not too bad. And you can strip it a bit without the lid and dividers to get down closer to 4 lbs, which isn't bad at all. All in all I love it, but just wish Gregory would improve those few things soon before I might need another.

JoPh

Originally posted at

2024-06-24T20:00:00

I previously had a Baltoro 75 which I liked, but it had some shortcomings in the adjustability of the pack length and other items. Glad to see they took care of the previous issues. But they created a new one. They no longer include the waterproof cover with these bags like they did with the last model. I guess shame on me for not making sure it was included like the first bag I bought and shame on Wanderlust Outfitters for not informing me.

marko

Originally posted at

2024-06-06T20:00:00

I purchased this pack from REI as a quality of life upgrade from a Teton Explorer 4000 (Which I purchased for sub $80 new on Amazon at the time). That pack weight was 5 lbs as well but otherwise has been a great pack. So much so a friend bought one to get into backpacking. One of the members i hike with has a Outdoor Vitals Shadowlight 60, one has an Osprey Atmos 65, and one has a Mystery Mountain, though I don't know the model. approx 60L. All of those were high on my list but I settled on the Baltoro because of the years of positive reviews. I have a long torso (22.5") and so it's hard enough to get a pack to fit well, but this seemed to. The Atmos seemed to as well but Honestly I hated the bright blue color option I had. Generally speaking I am alright with this pack, but I don't feel it has much my other pack didn't minus hip pockets. But that is canceled out by lack of rainfly included as I mainly use these for snacks and not storage.

Celery

Originally posted at

2022-02-27T19:00:00

I made my first trip with my Baltoro 65 to Big Bend Ranch State Park not long ago. We were 5 days and 4 nights in the back country. There was everything from gravel wash to boulder scrambling during our hike. The pack performed exceptionally well. It was very balanced and comfortable throughout. I highly recommend it!

HowieD

Originally posted at