Denali Pro

I bought mine to climb Aconcagua. Overall I think that it is a good pack. I've had a problem with the metal support bars which are bolted (?) at the bottom of the bag. It came apart once, I repaired it and it came apart again while on a climb. Of course I lost the parts during the climb. I continue to use it as is. It has plenty of space although I would like some sort of spacing for my gear. I'll probably try another pack next time.

I received my Denali Pro from Santa, via REI. It is a very spacious backpack. My main reason for chosing this was the ability to stuff a -40F synthetic fill sleeping bag into the separate sleeping bag compartment. I really loaded it up for two different 2 nighters on Mount Whitney, California, in January 01 and June 01. It will hold what you pack into it (and strap on it's outside) so it can easily let you carry more than you really should. I wear a size medium and can easily get over 60 pounds of gear in it. I like the separate sleeping bag compartment, detachable top for summit bids, and hordes of strap-on straps. The only negative I can struggle to find are the numerous straps that must be dealt with as you change sizes of the loads, and that is a snivel. This is the pack to carry your load to base camp, but not the summit. This is a pack for genuine mountaineering or week-long trips, not a stroll in the neighborhood park. I have not had a problem with breakage. See it in use at http://photos.yahoo.com/C4M3caa/

I chose the Denali for comfort and it's huge size. It's comfortable and bombproof

carrying loads that you shouldn't. Most of my camping/climbing is on 3 day outings, but it has numerous compression straps for those of us too cheap to shell out another $300 for a second, smaller pack of similar quality. It also covered my 6ft frame up to the waist during an unfortunate night in an underperforming sleeping bag. Pack top makes a good sized waist pack, but won’t do the job of a day pack if you really need it. I’ve found that I usually don’t really need it. Access through front pocket is good and this design should be much more durable than side zip packs. Denali is a serious pack. Most purposes would be better served with

something smaller.

Overall Impressions/Use:
I opted for this pack to do long, winter trips both alpine vert stuff and plain old winter camping slogs. So far, "measured" max. wgt., has been 72lbs, given the "off the shelf" scale in my bathroom. However, I have hauled loads that were noticebly heavier, though I didn't have the opportunity to verify actual wgt - suspect 75-80 lbs to be probable. Anyway, given the loads and geography travelled with it, i have not experienced undue pain or discomfort (70 lbs doesn't feel "good" no matter what) as a result of poor/ inadequate suspension. I train with 55lbs in my smaller alpine pack and it "feels" heavier than any load i have ever put in my Gregory. The quality and craftmanship is extraordinary - especially given the fact this is a factory "non-custom" product.

Pack Bag/Straps:
The pack bag has some sort of super tough rubberized "fabric" on the bottom that has resisted more dragging across rock, dirt, snow and ice than i would care to admit. There is also some of the same "fabric" on top of the top pocket serving as a crampon patch. The singular front pocket is OK for access to a hat or other small item, but isn't well designed for access to larger items -say a jacket or similar - or for quick access at stops/rests/belays. The pocket gets too "tight" when the main pack compartment is loaded and "cinched" down to proper size for the load. On that note, the main pack compression straps are excellent -they can be un-fastened to fasten poles or whatever behind and then re-fastened in a giffy. The pack is utterly huge. The medium, my size, holds something like 6,500 cubic inches.

I think the sleeping bag opening is way too small, because i can't get a winter sleeping bag in a compression sack through the opening. An alternative loading sequence alleviates this problem - load the main compartment first!!! THEN stuff, jam, grunt that overstuffed -40F winter bag in. This also solves the other problem of the sleeping bag pushing into useful main compartment space.

I agree with other poster -the top lid is nearly useless as a detachable "anything", but does have a useful 2nd hipbuckle if the primary blows out...If...

Suspension/Padding:
The suspension on the Gregory is also excellent - tops - no competition. Shoulder straps and hip belt all "cant" (to use their advertising propaganda), meaning they swivel to meet the angle of your shoulders and hip bones. Cool. Also, the padding isn't spongy - it is kinda stiff and provides REAL padding instead of a little covering or extra spongy stuff for the nylon webbing hip belt other companies use. Also, the shoulder straps and hipbelts are "user" interchangeable with other sizes for smaller or larger folks. Also cool.

I bought this a couple of years ago as my general-purpose pack, anticipating using it at some point for trips of up to a couple of weeks in the backcountry. So far I've used it for both a number of weekenders as well as a couple of week or longer backpacking trips; I typically carry 50+ lbs or so on those latter trips, and although I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice that on my back, the Denali Pro carries the weight probably about as well as any pack can. I've abused it at every opportunity--throwing it down cliffs, dragging it through some truly brutal brush, wading through creeks--and it's still holding up well. (I'm not sure whether the main pack material is actually waterproofed, but from my experience with a couple of storms and deep creek crossings, it seems to do a decent job of keeping the water out).



At about 7 lbs or so, it's a large/heavy pack for shorter weekend/3-4 day trips, but I haven't really been motivated to lay out the cash for a smaller pack just for those occasions. If I do, chances are it'll be another Gregory, though.



The detachable fanny pack is a decent size for short dayhikes/summit bids, but not really adequate for longer excursions; but for summer trips in the Sierra where sidetrips to surrounding peaks can often be done quickly, it's a great feature.

I bought the Denali for use as extended backpacking and light alpine use. I purchased the Large size. I did lots of research before I got it, and I knew what to expect. Gregory has a long reputation for quality, and this backpack lives up to it.



Overall, the backpack has performed beyond what I could have ever hoped. On several 2 week backpacking trips, The features and functionality were impressive. The compression straps worked very well on 60-75 pound loads. It has survived constant abuse for about two years now. Ranging from the AT to the Boundary Waters it's an excellent pack.



One nip-pick however. Under heavy loads, trudging uphill, the suspension system squeeks a little. Hardly a serious problem, just a little annoying. The pack is definatly worth every cent. Excellent for extended trips and alpine use. Anything shorter or less serious would call for a smaller pack.