Whilst up in the peak district recently, I was lucky enough to try out the Gregory Z25 rucksack for my wanders. We’ve not stocked this before, and I wanted to see how Gregory’s lightweight daypack performed, having previously used the Z65 on a wildcamp before in the Brecons, and been quietly impressed by it’s weight distribution and comfort.
The version I had was the grey and red, rather than the natty blue we have on the site right now. Weight was 1.3kg which is not ultra-lightweight, but for me Gregory offer that great blend between being lightweight, but not too over the top and compromising on comfort as a result.
Feature wise, it is pretty stacked, boasting the following;
* JetStream DTS Suspension
* Auto-Fit harness system
* Dual hydration ports and sleeve
* Top stash pocket
* Expandable front pouch
* Side and bottom compression
* Quick access waistbelt pockets
* Side mesh pockets with compression pass-through
* Dual axe/tool attachment points
* Interior organization pocket
* 210d double box ripstop and broken twill nylon fabrics
Out of all those, what made it uber practical for me was the front pouch that is expandable. I managed to get a whole host of stuff in there and still have more space. It was super useful for gloves, hats, maps etc, all items I needed quick access to that benefited from being able to be yanked out straight away without having to unzip, dig around and zip up the main compartment again.
Along with the pouch, the other thing that stood out for me was the comfort. The Z25 features Jet Stream Suspension which is engineered to the pack size, and the weight it is designed to carry. The Z25 features an ‘active’ suspension that automatically adjusts according to how much weight is loaded in the pack. Having stuffed the Z25 pretty full with a lot of gear, it performed rather well. I have never been a fan of air back systems, but the Gregory JetStream DTS Suspension was supremely comfortable when carrying all day long, despite me carrying both mine and my better half’s gear!
Attention to detail, build quality married with the Jet Stream suspension & the really useful kangaroo pouch made it a super practical daysack, . If you are looking for a lightweight, comfortable pack with some great features head on over to take a look at the Gregory Z25