Gear review: Gregory Baltoro

Publication date: 05 Sep 2024

BackpacksGear

The Gregory Baltoro backpack is a premium pack for multi-day long-distance trails, offering great comfort, durability, and enough space to organize your gear, food, and water. Below is an extensive review with some pros and cons and my own experience with this pack. It comes in different sizes such as 65 and 75 liters.

I’ve used this backpack on several hiking trails in Europe. I camped on most of these long-distance trails, such as the West Highland Way and the Coast to Coast in England. I was more than happy with the Baltoro on these trails. As I often go for lighter packs, the Baltoro stands out for its comfort. I found it to be perfect for camping and carrying so much stuff like gear, food, water, and sometimes also photography equipment. The Baltoro distributes the weight with its robust carry system so it never felt as too much weight on my shoulders.

Editor

Elmar Teegelbeckers

Passionate hiker Elmar spends months of his time on the trail. He’s usually on the lookout for hidden gems in one of his favourite countries such as Slovenia, Switzerland and Japan. He founded hiking-trails.com in need for a community and detailed information about the trails. Before this, he worked for the Alpine asscociation in the Netherlands[ (NKBV) but lost his heart to the trails.

Not long ago, Elmar published the book (in Dutch) Hiking Trails – best long-distance trails in Europe. With this book, website and socials, he hopes to inspire and shape an inclusive community for hikers all over world. No matter your speed, experience or level, you can get out there to enjoy the trails and connect with the heartwarming hiking community. Life is so much better outside and he hopes to inspire hikers to take their first, or next, step on the trail.

You can reach Elmar at info@hiking-trails.com.

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About the Gregory Baltoro

The Gregory Baltoro is a well-loved backpack in the outdoor community, known for its design for long-distance hikers and backpackers.

The pack is constructed using 210D Nylon and 300D Nylon, making it both resilient and resistant to abrasion. The choice of materials ensures that it can handle rough outdoor use without succumbing to wear and tear quickly.

The pack features Gregory’s A3 suspension system, which stands for “Automatic Angle Adjust.” This system allows the hip belts and shoulder harness to pivot independently, adapting to your movements. This technology provides a great level of comfort by improving load stability and distribution.

The backpack is hydration compatible, meaning it has a dedicated compartment for a hydration bladder and a port for the hose, making it easy to stay hydrated on the trail without having to stop and reach for a water bottle. What I love is the loose compartments on the sides that are perfect for your water bottles like Nalgenes. They make it easy to reach even when you’re hiking without putting down your pack.

The main compartment has liters of space, enough for all your camping gear and food for multiple days. This pack also comes in larger variants like 75 liters.

Besides the top-loading access, it also has a front U-zip opening that allows for front access to the contents of the pack, making it easier to reach items packed at the bottom without having to unpack everything on top.

It includes a sleeping bag compartment with a removable divider, dual side-mounted zippered gear pockets, and a large front pocket. In the top pocket, you’ll find the integrated, color-matched rain cover which is always needed on the trails.

Top comfort

The Baltoro stands out for its exceptional comfort under heavy loads. I also love how durable the material is for tough conditions and demanding use.

The Baltoro includes an adjustable torso length and adjustable hip belt and shoulder straps for a close, personalized fit. For me, this is the best feature of the pack. It creates optimal weight distribution, with features like side compression straps to stabilize loads and a full-body U-shaped zipper for easy packing and management.

Overall, the Gregory Baltoro 65 is a great pack for those who prioritize comfort and functionality in a backpack, It’s also an ideal pack for beginning long-distance hikers and backpackers.

pro's

Comfort and Fit: its exceptional comfort. an advanced suspension system that helps distribute weight evenly, reducing strain on any single point of the body.

Durability: Its robust construction includes durable zippers, reinforced stress points, and a high-denier outer fabric that resists wear and tear.

Organization and Accessibility: It includes a large U-shaped zipper for the main compartment, side pockets for water bottles, and a removable top lid that doubles as a daypack for short excursions.

Load Management: The load transfer mechanism is particularly effective in managing heavy loads, making it ideal for long treks.

Padding: well-padded shoulder straps and hip belt for extra comfort

con's

Weight: At over 2.3kg (5lb) when empty, the Baltoro 65 is on the heavier side compared to some other backpacks in its class.

Cost: The Gregory Baltoro 65 comes with a relatively high price tag

Bulkiness: Some people say that the backpack can feel bulky, especially when fully packed. This might be an issue in more confined spaces or when maneuvering through dense brush or narrow canyons.

Over-Engineering: While the numerous features and pockets are generally a plus, they can be overkill for those who prefer a simpler, more streamlined pack.

Conclusion

The Gregory Baltoro backpack is a great and safe choice for long-distance hikers and backpackers. I’m happiest with the comfort and all the space and compartments for organizing my gear, which I love on the trails. Due to the padding of the shoulder straps and hip belts and even weight distribution, I hike with more comfort. If you value comfort, organization, and durability over weight, savings, and simplicity, go for this pack. Overall, you can’t go wrong with the Baltoro.

Gear review: Gregory Baltoro

About the Gregory Baltoro

Top comfort

Conclusion

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Happy trails!