I have owned the Gregory River for about 5 years now. This pack is a real workhorse that has served me many, many miles over the years. I am hard on gear and this thing takes a beating. It has been throw day in exhaustion at campsites, hung in trees in the driving rain and sat in the mud as we waited out the rain. As it sits here in my basement, it still looks in excellent shape. The straps are still good and the material is in great shape. Durable zippers, too. Gregory really knows what they are doing with packs!

The downsides, if you can call them that are there are a lot of straps (which often come in handy) but can be a little annoying, I don't care for the top load, and it was a little difficult to adjust.

Customer Service

None needed.

Similar Products Used:

Osprey Simplex daypack; Coleman Peak 1, my old trail buddy that I still take out on the trails.

Best Pack Ever. I got this pack on a great sail and Im glad I did. This pack has a great suspension and it can handle massive loads with ease

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CHeap stuff

This is an excellent pack! I've carried up to 75lbs on a 10 day trip into the Wind River Range and this pack was extremely comfortable. An excellent choice for an expedition!

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None

This has been an excelent pack for the money. Considering I picked it up from my friend for $150. The pack was a large and my 6' 170lb. frame just didn't match. I swaped out the Large components(the hipbelt and the shoulder straps) for Medium components in 15 minutes. The framesheet fits perfectly and the harness is ohhh sooo comfortable. The quality of this product is excelent. My friend owns a Reality and a Denali Pro which he used on the mountain it was named for and he has nothing but love for all of the gregory. I also own a Solar(a small 2000 cu.in. day pack) and have used it for over a year and a half, not including the time that my girlfriend stole it from me to use herself. The pack itself is excelent in terms of the utility and the amenities. I would not have included the mesh under the toplid, that is until I bought a Camel "un-bottle" and placed it there. Gregory must have known what it was doing when it came up with every aspect of this pack. I would recomment this pack to anyone who is an overloaded overnighter to a weeklong camper because of the weight or seeming lack there-of.

Customer Service

My friend destroyed the pack in a car accident ending in the pack skidding over 100'. The pack was extensively repaired while my friend went out to buy a second. For $100 Gregory replaced the sholder harness, an entire side of the pack, the top pocket and much of the stiching(just a precaution). I picked it up for the caust of the repair and $50 to satisfy my friend.

Similar Products Used:

Gregory Reality, Osprey Sillouette(SP?), Arc'teryx Bora 70

Convenient, sturdy, and comfortable. -The only problem I've had in 5 years of use with mine was when a snap on the sternum strap corroded through. I fixed it for about $3. -The waist band was a little stiff at first (It didn't want to contour around my hips--which are quite bony), but it finally broke in. It looks like they've re-designed them to make them more compliant--still you might want to keep the waistbelt buckled between uses. -The panel loading design has been so very convenient, & I've never had any trouble with the zippers.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Overnight packs, but no other full-on back-packs

This pack rocks! I've had it for about a year and have found no problems with durability. It's a very versatile pack; big enough to swallow winter gear and tackle week long trips, but cinchs down nicely for weekend jaunts without feeling floppy or too big. The panel access is great for getting things in bottom of the pack and storing shed layers. It rides very well, I don't feel like I'm wearing a pack (except the slight tug of the extra ~50 pounds), cushy enough but firm and supportive. The only problems are minor: dual daisy chains would make lashing on gear easier, and the mesh tent pole/wand pocket can't be used at the same time as the Nalgene holster that it is inside of. Anyway, kickass pack, go buy one and have fun with it.

Similar Products Used:

None

I've used the Wind River for the past 2 seasons. I really enjoyed the Hybrid design. Being able to access gear from the top and from front of the pack is a real plus. I also enjoyed the detatchable lid for small day hikes. The shoulder harness took some fine tuning on the trail but once adjusted it was never a problem. The Wind River holds lots of gear (I've carried over 65 lbs. in it) and compresses easily. The only problem I ran into with the pack was the hip belt had a tendency to loosen when it got wet. A great pack and good fit for the money.

Customer Service

I ordered my pack direct from Gregory. The pack was at my front door in 5 days. I work for a sporting goods store and have had factory orders from other companies take more than 3 weeks.

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I've carried external and frameless military packs while I was in the Army.

i had the chance to use this pack before the pack i currently use...the terraplane. but anyhow, this gregory pack is pretty big and the compartments are in handy places. but the overall comfort just isn't there. the shoulder straps don't adjust too well to the body and the hip belt works up to a certain extent...just not like a dana pack. for those who can't justify spending the extra 150 dollars, i guess the gregory will have to do...but for those who can squeeze out the cash, definitely try a dana pack.

Similar Products Used:

dana designs : terraplane

I have owned the Wind River for 6 years now and I enjoy every aspect of it. I backpack alot and I am hard on gear. This pack is bombproof. I have loaded 70+ pounds and carried it for a week at a time and never had any signifigant problems. Gregory uses good materials and has high quality construction methods. This pack is large enough for multi-day backpacking in winter or can easily accomodate a weekend trip. This pack is heavy but if you "use" your pack alot you will come to appreciate the strength found in well built gear like the Wind River.

Similar Products Used:

Kelty Tioga, Peak-One Backpack, Camp Trails Backpack

100 pounds, loaded at 20,000 feet this pack is still comfortable. Can be a little top heavy when fully loaded, size is great for expedition style mountaineering.