Gregory Baltoro 75 Pack for Men Small Brick Red

2025-06-25T20:00:00

Took this pack on its first adventure on the Healy Pass to Egypt Lake in Banff. The pack was comfortable and breathable on the back. Nice to not be super sweaty on the climbs. Carried a total weight including the bag of 38lbs. Its nice to have the headroom for longer trips which I have planned for later this year. The mid pack access zippers and extra pockets were nice to have. Don't have to tear your pack apart if you forgot to take out snacks for the day. I wish the bag came with the summit pack and rain cover. I also wish the bag had longer shoulder straps but that might just be something I can work out with moving the back panel around. Overall, I think this bag is great and I would buy it again. I will take it on a few multi-day trips and feel confident it will work out great.

Rocky M.

Originally posted at

2025-05-16T20:00:00

Introduction For reference, I started backpacking in 1982 at age 12, heading into the mountains and backcountry with my dad. I still have his Unlimited Outdoors external frame pack, which-despite modifications to belts and shoulder straps over the years-is still kicking and pulling its weight. That pack is nearly 50 years old, maybe older though as I never asked my dad exactly when he bought it. Over the years, I've packed in deserts, rainforests, mountains, and along roadways. I've not done everything, nor do I claim to know much of anything, but I feel I can write an honest review of what I purchased from this site. Hope this helps you make up your mind. First Impressions Right out of the box, the Baltoro 75 looked exactly as advertised, with a robust design and plenty of attachment points for gear. Adjusting the various straps took some time, given the many customization options, but the process was intuitive. Despite its reputation for being on the heavier side, I found it lighter than expected. Everything-from the materials to the construction-feels premium and built to last. Comfort & Fit My first real test of the Baltoro 75 was an 11-day hike in the mountains, covering snow, rain, and sleet, with temperatures ranging from 18°F to 56°F. Since I packed heavy for fishing and camping, the backpack was fully loaded. Despite that, it remained incredibly comfortable, even when pushing the boundaries of its intended capacity. One standout feature is how easy it is to adjust on the move-tightening one strap or loosening another slightly helped relieve pressure in different areas. That kind of adaptability made a noticeable difference over long distances. Super plus here. My only minor gripe is that some of the adjustment straps could be about three inches longer for added flexibility, but overall, this pack exceeded expectations in comfort. Storage & Organization Since I was camping in snow, I needed a zero-degree sleeping bag. My previous bag had served me well, but I upgraded new model. Unfortunately, the bottom sleeping bag zipper opening wasn't quite large enough for the stuff sack-it seems designed more for compact, warmer-weather bags. I had to stuff the bag in without the sack, which worked, but made me nervous about sharing space with other gear in the same compartment. The main compartment is massive-it easily held my 20L dry-bag of food, fishing gear, camp fuel, and minimal clothing. I treated it like a stuff sack, which seems to be the common approach. The process: prep gear in dry bags, remove items, cram everything into the pack tightly, and endure the inevitable sore hands from forcing it all in. Once at base camp, gear goes back into the dry bags for better organization. You can definitely exceed the pack's recommended weight limit, so be mindful-it gets heavy fast. One design feature I didn't expect to love as much as I did? The small stretchy pocket opposite the water bottle holder. When trying to figure out where to stash my stove, I realized the pocket stretched far beyond what I expected, securely holding it. That pocket is surprisingly versatile. There are two more back pockets that work well-but only if filled before stuffing the main compartment. Otherwise, they become hard to access. I ended up using one for water-based items and the other for separating certain gear. The top lid compartments seem endless-there are three or four, though I had to check to be sure. I used one for emergency fire gear, another for vehicle keys and my wallet. Gregory includes an extra zipper puller for your keys, which is a nice security feature-though mine broke, so buyers might want to consider making their own backup solution. The U-shaped zipper is a well-thought-out design-it allows easy access to the base of the pack, making it simple to pull out a tent or hammock first and start repacking gear into dry bags. It works really well, but can be challenging to zip back up if you've only unzipped it to look at stuff. When fully packed, opening it up can require creative squeezing to close it again. So be warned, I used some paracord and attached it to the many other straps and holdings to sinch it closed enough to zip. At first, the many attachment points seemed like a great feature, but I realized some are specific for certain gear, such as hiking poles, rather than general mounting points. My shovel kept slipping off the strap, and the clip placement made securing it awkward. It took some trial and error to get a proper fit. And, of course, the forecast for day one called for clear skies-which meant rain showed up halfway through the day. Because that's just how it goes. My raincoat became my makeshift rain cover, supported by a tarp (since the garbage bag I had wasn't cutting it). I keep telling myself to just buy an actual rain cover. I just can't do it as tarps have worked fine all these years. Then I think they cost like $12 on some sites. Oh well tarps it is.... So far? I really like the pack. Durability & Weather Resistance If this pack has any weather resistance, I couldn't find it. Then again it should have that any ways, that's reality. Rain, sleet, and snow were unavoidable on this trip, and there's no built-in protection against the elements. A dedicated rain cover seems essential if you want to keep gear dry-which I admittedly still haven't purchased. Then I realize a cheap does the same thing, if not better with multiples uses. Thus, one less piece of useless gear. Beyond that, durability issues surfaced surprisingly fast: ? Day 4: The bungee cord for the top opening frayed so badly it couldn't go through the lockdown anymore, effectively turning it into a one-sided pull. This was a small pain for securing the pack, so I've already decided to replace it with paracord. Honestly, paracord is a better option anyway-there's really no reason this closure system needs to stretch. Save yourself the hassle and swap it out from the start. ? Day 10: The clip for cinching down the top of the sack broke, forcing me to jury-rig a tiedown. While not a catastrophic failure, it's frustrating that a key component snapped before the trip even ended. ? The extra zipper pull for the vehicle keys broke, with the cord pulling out of the plastic as I unzipped the wallet and key pocket. This wasn't an overstuffed compartment-just a standard unzip, and yet the cord pulled out of the plastic. I wasn't thrilled about this one, so I made my own key holder instead. This was my first-ever trip with this pack, so I'm not sure yet if these issues were just early flukes or if I'll experience more breakage each time I take it out. Only time will tell. Final Verdict Despite some possible durability concerns, the Gregory Baltoro 75 is an impressively comfortable and high-capacity pack. It handles heavy loads well, offers excellent adjustability on the move, and features thoughtfully designed storage options-with plenty of pockets and compartments to keep gear organized. While I ran into some hardware failures, including a broken cinch clip, frayed bungee cord, and a failed zipper pull, I still recommend this pack. Not like the frame broke or the stitching came out. Trust me, I'm not nice to gear and the stitching and cloth held up. If you're comfortable making minor modifications, like swapping the bungee cord for paracord, the Baltoro 75 can serve you well on long treks. Best suited for: ? Backpackers looking for a Mid Almost Heavy-capacity pack with great comfort. ? Multi-day trekkers carrying large loads who need adjustability on the move. ? Those willing to do minor DIY fixes to reinforce a couple points. If weather resistance is a priority, buy a lightweight tarp learn to tie a knot.

Terryt

Originally posted at

2025-05-13T20:00:00

Purchased 7 months ago , because of the quality of the pack. Numerous pockets to help maximize organization of contents

JAPE

Originally posted at

2025-01-17T19:00:00

I bought this about a month ago at REI, and I freaking love it, it has plenty of space for whatever you throw at, and it's durable, it's gotten wet while on one trek and I left it in the sun after wiping it down and it's like nothing happened, no mold or anything!

JamisH

Originally posted at

2024-11-08T19:00:00

Took it on the Rae Lakes Loop in Kings Canyon for 4 nights and 5 days. It carried the weight comfortably. It was large enough to fit my food, clothes, and gear. My son bought one, too. So three of us have this pack.

koronisken

Originally posted at

2024-09-09T20:00:00

I've been using this pack for a year now and I love it. It has so many great features but my favorite is the fact that I can access my main pack from zippers on the outside. No more fear that I've buried something I might need to access before getting to camp. Now I can easily access those items from the outside zippers. Also love the 3 pocket brain, dual outside pockets, mesh pocket and bottle holster.

avergJoe

Originally posted at

2023-06-04T20:00:00

This is a great pack! I wish that they kept the removable day pack that was on some of the older models of the pack. It has room for pretty much everything. I got it at REI and they helped me size it so that I got the right one.

jlipschitz

Originally posted at

2022-05-25T20:00:00

i have used this pack for several 5+ days on the AT through all kinds of weather including rain, sleet and extreme heat (not a winter backpacker here) over the course of two years since i bought the pack (40+ trail days so moderate use i would say). i have loaded it up to its max when going on more cush trip (is there such a thing in the backcountry?) and have used it for fast solo hikes of several days. i love the functionality with the multiple tie down points, clips, pockets, etc. i have always been able to find a place for my gear (have secured a solar panel to the top of the pack at times when required and not even noticed it). i even like the little hideaway nalgene bottle holder. the fit has been incredible and always comfortable. my one gripe- i have no clue who designed the pockets for the phones on the hip belt, but i have never had a phablet and cannot fit my relatively small sized iphone11 into these. they are fine for snacks, but if designed for phone use need to be bigger

goosh

Originally posted at

2022-03-10T19:00:00

Great update to the last Baltoro.....kinda. I had purcahsed the 85L Baltoro but the sizing wasnt quite right. I sent it back and they had discontinued it, so i bought this one. This one is great and has more torso adjustment than the other. I was however disappointed that they took away the 20L Nano and the raincover?!?!?! I really liked those. Overall i do like the 75L Baltoro!

Wrong W.

Originally posted at

2022-02-21T19:00:00

I work as a guide and this pack is my go-to for guided trips, overnights, travel, and even shorter day trips. It's been very durable overall through quite a bit of abuse, and comfortable to wear whether I've had it cinched down with 10 lbs or fully loaded with 70+ pounds. Particularly love the two waterproof hip belt pockets that can hold larger phones, smaller cameras, batteries, etc, which was a game changer over the previous pocket design. The stacked brain pockets on top of the bag are easily accessible (with some practice) without taking off the pack, and so between the hip pockets and those, you can keep quite a few things soon hand.

Roulette T.

Originally posted at