Gregory Whitney 95 Backpack - 5309-6285cu in

Like many other reviewers have said, if you're not careful, the hipbelt might break. I've had two hipbelts fail on me so far, one after 50+ miles with only about a 40 pound load. I also am not a fan of Gregory's attempt at ice axe loops as they're weak, but this pack wasn't really made for mountaineering purposes. Besides those things, this pack is pretty burly and monstrous in its size. I've beaten this pack around and it still looks new. But for now, I'm going to stick with Opsrey.

I had this pack loaded with 70+ lbs. for every step of the AT in 2009. I loved it. It was incredibly comfortable and easy to carry. I did have trouble with the side pocket zippers blowing-out early on, but that was an easy fix. That season, just about everyone with a Gregory pack had hip belt failures and I was no different. I replaced my hip belt at Damascus with an older model which took me almost all of the rest of the way to Katahdin. After 1800 miles, a couple of the seams near the top of the pack began to fail, but then again I was hauling 70 lbs. everyday. All in all, a great pack with some easy/cheap fixes. I just can't bring myself to have mine replaced yet.

I'm pretty pleased with my Whitney pack so far. Although I haven't done a ton of trips with it, its definitely seen a fair share of use/abuse as it doubles as my suitcase from time to time. Still, I recently completed a six day/50mile trip through the Great Smoky Mountains through the backcountry and along the AT. I probably had 60lbs+ on my back at the beginning of the trip (yeah, I overpacked) but the load never really felt heavy to my 5'11" 185lbs. The CFS suspension system on this pack is awesome, and offers more adjustment and denser padding than other packs I've looked at. And although normally I'm not a huge organization freak, it was really nice to have so many different access points on this pack to compartmentalize my food, rain gear, etc. I never had to pull a bunch of crap out to get at what I needed, which was nice for sure. Still, my only complaint is that after six days of walking the minimal waterproofing laminate on the lower pocket was worn off from my cookset rubbing against it. No worries though, I have the rain cover for the pack so it stayed dry even in the rain. Overall, I would recommend this pack to anyone that wants to go on week long+ adventures and isn't a minimalist freak. If you're strong hiker, and like a comfortable organized pack, look no further than the Whitney, you won't be disappointed.

I freaking love this pack. Let's be clear; it is bigger than anything that 90% of people who go backpacking will ever need. For those 10% of us who live for long gear intensive expeditions and deep winter travel, however, this is the pack of dreams. I personally hate tying anything other than my Z Rest to the outside of my pack (meaning I like to keep the tent on the inside, where its weight can stay close to my body), so this extra big backpack is perfect. I've used it a great deal in all kinds of conditions and not had any issues with anything breaking; this pack is solid! I can fit enough gear for a week of backcountry camping, plus rock climbing gear, my rope, and food, and carry it more comfortably than any other pack I've ever tried on would allow me to. This pack is very heavy, but that weight translates into LOADS of support, which is crucial for carrying heavy loads. My favorite part about it is how easy it is to access everything. There are a whopping FIVE points of entry to the main compartment; one from the bottom, one on each side, one from the front of the pack, and one from the top. Most packs offer only top and bottom entry, making it much harder to organize your gear effectively or find crucial items quickly.

For what its worth, my wife and I have a few Gregory packs and found their quality and customer service to be excellent.

I've put 300+ miles on my Whitney carrying loads varying from 45- 70lbs. The weight transfer and organization this pack offers are absolutely the best on the market.

However, this pack has been widely vilified for its Achilles heel - the plastic inserts used in the hipbelt.

(My wife has an older version of the deva which uses the same design, but uses more robust plastic and composite materials. If Gregory only used these on this pack, this would be a non-issue.)

Anyway, My Whitney also had a partial failure on one side during a heavy 9 day Isle Royale trek, but I suspect it was broken by the porters on the ferry, not during regular use.

When buckled around the waist, the belt is at its strongest and is subject to stresses it was designed for. When unbuckled, as when lying on the ground, its at its weakest, and may be vulnerable to hyper-extension and the kind of shear-forces that cause the plastic to tear. In other words, be careful with handling your loaded Whitney when its not on your back and you may never have this issue.

the ice axe and tool loops at the botton of the pack are fine, but Gregory uses velcro-ed straps now rather than buckle straps to attach the ice axe / tool handle to the pack's back. The veclro simply doesnt work. your tools and ice axe HANDLES will eventually come undone (this happened to me) and dangle in the back of the pack. NOT good if your climbing in the Andes like I was.

All the newer Gregorys have this feature (except th Denali pro). This is simply a poor enginerring design which needs to be fixed.

I never actually used this pack, but my friend did on 20 trip to the Wind Rivers. The hipbelt on his back broke in each side where some plastic attaches it to the frame. Major gear failure. Luckily enough was still attached for us to finish the trip, but we could have easily been SOL.

The product is okay, average quality, heavy for what you get. The harness system is good, and there is tons of room.
BIG PROBLEM: Gregory the company. If you have to deal with them. I was trying to get a clip from them, one of the buckles broke and they wouldn't send me one, even if I wanted to pay for it. They wanted me to package up the pack and send it to them for a quote on how much it will cost to fix. Um? Spend $25 on shipping to get "quoted" how much it will cost for a $.035 clip? I don't think so. Why does this happen? They wisely outsource their repairs to Summit House...so now my Gregory Pack is at the back of my closet, where it will stay, and I am proudly using an Osprey Pack.

I bought this pack online. When I got it, I was VERY disappointed. It looked like it was going to fall apart with me just holding it. There is no way I could trust it to hold up to any lengthy trip. I returned it.