My wife and I took the "Balto" and the women's specific "Deva" to Thailand for 8 months to travel around South East Asia while we teaching English. These travel companions were the perfect fit for our lifestyles.
Easy to pack, small divider between the bottom and top compartment that was removable, front zipper pocket with included rain fly, comfortable straps, with a water resistant zipper pouch on the hip belt.

The BEST part of the backpack and the most used feature was the removable hydration sleeve that doubled as a small day pack!!! This made it easy to travel around once we got to our destination without taking everything with us.

Overall, I was super happy with how the Medium Balto fit me with my 155lbs and 6' frame and 32'' inseam and the removable backpack/hydration sleeve was perfect for our adventures.

Gregory created comfort perfection with this pack! If you are looking for the hands down most comfortable backpack look no further. The hip belt and shoulder straps are super padded allowing ultimate comfort with heavy loads. At 20-30 pounds of gear you wont even feel this pack on your back, and it is one of the few packs capable of carrying 40 plus pounds comfortably.

Gave as a gift, but here's what they had to share!

The pack is extremely comfortable. Very well made and quality materials. Lots of pockets for organization. I loaded the pack with 40 lbs of gear and it rested very well on my lower back. My only gripe is that the waterproof waist pocket is a too small. I have a standard size iphone 6s with a slim case and it was difficult to get the phone in and out of the pocket. I was able to get it to fit using some force. The bag is a bit on the heavier end, but it makes up for it based on how well it handles heavy loads. I'm planning on using the pack for a 2-3 week thru hike on the JMT.

Comfort is the number one thing when i think about this bag. After having the bag on my back after 15 to 20 miles i had almost forgotten I was carring an extra 35 pounds around with me. Second the added day pack that comes with it is such a bonus. I was doing some trekking in the himalayas and after stoping in a village or two i could just drop my bag off and take a walk around with out leaving my water or my camera which was awesome and i have also done a few day hikes where the full 65 was not needed. Thirdly, there are pockets on top of pockets in this thing and im not sure ive even found all of them yet. so for a guy who loves an organized pack that helps out a ton. Gregory has done a wonderful job on this one and I am super happy with it. Now on to the Grand Tetons see you all on the trail.

Having only previously had a pack that was a little big for me, I finally decided to invest in a better-fitting one. So far, I've only used it for a two-nighter in the Uintas but it worked great! Like with any new pack, it took me a minute to dial in the straps and fit but after that It was pretty comfortable and fit all my junk (I tend to overpack) nicely.

Some folk say it's a bit on the heavy side. I'm sorry, 5lbs for sheer comfort across your shoulders and back is hardly on the heavy side. If you want something lighter, it is equipped with a tiny day pack inside, which is one of many great features inside this light 5lb beauty. Do yourself a favor, go with this pack. Sure there are packs that weigh 3-4 lbs. but they don't even compare to this "luxurious," "super comfortable," "hey, I have delicious food and treats and plenty of water and I can't even feel their weight on my shoulders because this pack kicks ass!" There is no substitute! Get this pack!

When I was looking to get a pack, I spent hours researching and finally landed on the Baltoro. I love the overall design and all the little things like the lumbar pad and the daypack reservoir. The construction seems rock solid is plenty adjustable to dial in fit. I haven't gotten on the trail with it yet, hence only four stars, but I can't wait to see how it works in the wild!

On the heavy side, but a solid pack. I'll take this over a frameless ultralight pack any day. Very comfortable carrying 40+ lbs. Feels and carries like my old external frame Jansport.

Tried a few different packs for section hiking the AT,the lightweight ones gave up comfort and toughness,this one is the sweet spot.Love it.It will be the pack I use when attempting my thru hike.

I really like this backpack. The 65 liter makes a weekend trip luxurious and is the perfect size for 5 day trips. It is extremely comfortable to wear, even when weighed down with a lot of crap. I prefer to strap the tent and pad to the outside freeing up inside room for clothes, food, etc. You can really load this thing down! My entire life's in that bag, no joke. If you cant fit it in this pack, you probably dont need it for your trip.

Just did a 3-day hike in Japan's Northern Alps...Mt Sugoroku and Mt Kasagatake, roughly around 2,700m up. Bought this pack for the trip and was very satisfied. I carried about 25lbs (incl food & water) and for the most part, didn't feel much stress at all. Shoulder straps were super comfy, no soreness from the hipbelts, and everything packed in very easily. The hydration bladder / daypack were nice, but didn't need to use the daypack function. Really liked the angled bottle holder that can fold away. Just reach back and grab, easy to put back too...well designed. Comes with a raincover too, and while I didn't have to use it, it's great to have just in case and saves $$ by not having to buy one. Really only 2 things which I think could improve the design (but could also increase weight slightly). 1) the waterproof hipbelt pocket is a bit small. Can't fit my iPhone 6-plus in it. 2) the side stretch pocket is only on one side. Having it on both sides would be nice. Other than that, very glad I purchased this pack. Not to mention (although aesthetics don't really matter when backpacking) this pack is prob one of the best looking designs out there right now!

I picked up the Baltoro in May, and I have used it twice since then. Both trips were 4 days 3 nights in Northern New Mexico (Santa Fe National Forrest). The pack has straps and clips in all of the places you would need them. The lower straps held my tent perfectly, and I didn't need to use an additional strap for security as I had with my previous pack. The main compartment is cavernous and holds just about everything you could possibly need. There is a nice clip to hang your hydration bladder (I have a 2.5L camel bak), and even with the bladder there is still ample room inside to carry all your essentials (I put my sleeping bag at the top of the compartment). There is also a detachable "daypack" inside, but I haven't had the need to use it yet. The outside vertical compartment is also roomy, and even with a full main compartment, the external compartment holds a lot of gear. The rain cover comes standard, which is awesome and saves you 20-30 bucks from having to buy aftermarket. The compartments all adjust with external straps, so you can tighten everything down once its packed up. There is literally plenty of usable storage in any compartment at any capacity(that can't always be said of many packs). Here is the BEST part... it is the most comfortable pack I have worn. The shoulder harness and belt fit like a glove, and are heavily padded for comfort. After 18 miles on my previous trip I finally started feeling the straps (it was about 5 with my old pack).It is incredibly stout and sturdy, and doesn't give even when bounding down mountain trails. I'll let the technical experts at Gregory explain their frame system, but just know that it works and works WELL! I found that it vented extremely well too. I am very satisfied with this pack, and Gregory hit a home run (must be why it was the backpack of the year). I would highly recommend this for anyone doing 3-4 day trips. Also, it had enough room to carry my fly rod and fly fishing essentials on top of all my camping gear!

I've had a bunch of packs and just didn't like the aesthetic of the big towering jobs. However, as I got more gear I needed more space and finally caved. This pack devours my 70m rope, drawers, gear, helmet (lunch fits nicely under it in its own specific pouch), platypus, guidebooks, first aid kit, webbing, knife, the lot. It's totally comfy, adjusts easily and I've not one complaint about it (and the net side pockets are great for that odwalla or whatever you're drinking on the way to a crag). The Velcro hoops snag a clipstick perfectly on one side, and your hiking poles on the other if you're facing a scramble or sketchy part of the hike so as to free up your hands.

This pack is the most comfortable with heavy loads. The shoulder straps are well padded and do not dig in with loads greater than 40lbs. The shoulder straps and hip belts move with your body movement. The load carries at the hips better than any other pack in this class. This pack is more comfortable than the Osprey Atmos AG and is not that much heavier. It has better pockets and organization than the Atmos AG. The waterproof hip pocket is perfect to carry a cellphone. I bought this pack, with the Osprey Atmos 65 AG ,with the plans to return the lesser of the two packs. I will be keeping the Gregory Baltoro. I agree with Backpacker magazine awarding the pack Editors Choice Gold. This pack is amazing.