Gregory Goes There

A few weeks ago, we told you about the Backpacker Gear Guide. For a backpacking company, that semi-annual issue is without a doubt the Holy Grail. But there’s no question that the Outside Buyer’s Guide ranks right up there as well. It’s another publication that gets marked on the calendar and is greeted with anticipation each year. The main difference is that Outside covers a wider range of sports than Backpacker and it’s packed with gear. For gear hounds like us, it’s easy to lose hours drooling over all of the amazing products that pages contain.

The 2012 Buyer’s Guide arrived this week and once again Gregory faired very well. The editors of Outside included three of our best products and we couldn’t be more psyched that they did. With backpacking season already underway in many parts of the country, the Gear Guide is a perfect reminder that its time to get outdoors and enjoy the sports that we all love.

Savant 58: The first product that the editors included was the Savant 58 in the roundup of Men’s packs. We designed the Savant to be a pack that would be as comfortable on a backpacking trip as trekking through Europe and the magazine agrees by writing, “the 58-liter Savant was obviously designed by folks who spend a lot of time living out of a pack.” We certainly do live out of our backpacks and agree that the Savant has very thoughtful features. The pack scored 4.5 out of 5 for hauling comfort and 4 out of 5 for versatility.

Sage 45: Not to be outdone by it’s big brother, the Sage 45 pack made a notable appearance as well by showing up in the women’s packs section. Making note of Gregory’s legendary fit, the editors wrote, “testers loved the Sage 45 for its back panel which perfectly fits the lumbar spine.” The new Intuition 3D suspension that was designed specifically for this pack is extremely comfortable and provides a stable platform whether the pack is stuffed full or cinched down.

Cache 28: The Cache 28 from our Axis travel series was included in the Buyer’s Guide as well. Surprisingly, the feature that was highlighted first was the bag’s shoulder strap saying, “the Cache has a secret weapon: a single shoulder strap that affixes to the exterior, soft side of the pack.” The shoulder strap clearly separates the Cache from the pack of other travel luggage on the market so we’re pleased to see the editors recognize that. The bag also scored 4.5 out of 5 for durability and 4 out of 5 for performance.

Editor’s Note: Our colleagues at Backbone Media suffered through a dismal winter in Central Colorado. But never one to let conditions get in the way of an adventure, Backbone staffer Kara Armano took on a late season hut trip and recently filed this trip report.

Skiing is in my blood. I’ve been telemarking for as long as I can remember and from November through May, I seek out as many days as I can. Unfortunately, this winter didn’t provide many powder days but I managed to make the most of it. With a late season hut trip booked since early December, there was no way I was going to give up on the ski season, even if it meant trekking into the hut across grass and dirt instead of snow!

Our trip to Eiseman Hut started off with a few glazed donuts in the parking lot. A little sugar always starts the day off right. Plus, we needed some stoke in order to put our skis and boots on our packs for the two-night, three-day hut trip. Yes, that’s right, skis and boots not on our feet but on our backs.  For the first few miles, we trudged through the frozen mud and then saw “the hill.” It was a steep south-facing slope that required navigating through mud, grass and over fallen trees. We knew getting up this hill would be no picnic. With skis on our feet, this slope would be easy to skin up, but that wouldn’t be true this time. We started by post-holing through waist deep snow to alleviate us from having to put our skis and boots on and off again, and then were finally able to hike up the hill, put our gear back on and skin over snow to the hut. Needless to say, the hill proved to be a formidable foe given the spring conditions but I relied on my desire to ski high alpine spring snow to push through it.

With all of the switching of gear we did, I felt very fortunate to be carrying the Jade 38. It provided enough organization for me to carry everything I needed and handled the numerous switches of gear flawlessly. Just like other Gregory products I’ve tried, the pack fit extremely well so no matter which gear I had on my back it was always comfortable, unrestrictive and a pleasure to carry.

Editor’s Note: We first met Brock Delinski in the summer of 2011 when he was attempting to complete the Appalachian Trail. He was having some trouble with his pack so we helped him out with a new Z 75 which was just a prototype at the time and here’s what he had to say about it. Needless to say, we’re psyched that our packs continue to get people excited about getting out for big adventures!

First let me say again thank you so very much for helping with everything along the way. I’m sure at this point I sound like a broken record, but there is no way I would have ever been able to finish the trip without your help! From helping when my original backpack broke, to letting me test a prototype and OOH and AHH with other hikers who were jealous/curious along the way. Thank you!!

The Z 75 itself performed way above and beyond expectations. I picked up the pack in Waynesboro, VA and hiked 1324 miles to Mount Katahdin with it on my back. I absolutely LOVED the airflow back!!! I can’t tell you how much of a difference it makes to your overall body temperature when its 95 degrees outside. I even swapped packs with some of my buddies for a day just to test out the difference, and trust me, its unbelievable. The entire suspension of the pack is amazing. Most people complain that with ventilated backs on a pack, the ride suffers from pinch points and instability. You guys found a way to have an air flow back and a suspension that is second to none. The way the pack carries is also a huge strong point. Even though the pack does not sit directly on your back the load never once shifted or pulled in any direction. I loved the simplicity of the pack as well. The choices that are given on how to pack, organize, and cinch are just enough to provide options.

Now onto the SCI-FI part of the pack, the internal frame itself. I am not a master engineer like the folks at Gregory, but from what I can tell the frame is able to withstand a Mack truck. As I have inspected the sub frame and its joints all the way up to the top of the “Rabbit Ears” on the back I can’t find any structural weakness. If there were ever a trip that would expose a packs structural integrity it would be a thru hike on the AT! The pack saw sleet, snow, waist deep mud, countless falls, and even a hurricane!  It’s no worse for the wear. So, for whatever my two cents is worth, great job on the new construction of the frame and sub frame, it will last a lifetime and then some!

Thank you so much for everything that you have done, and thanks in advance for everything that Gregory will do to help make my future travels possible!!!  You guys build the best packs in the world!  Keep building them and I will keep traveling all over the globe spreading the word and testing whatever great products you dream up next!!

The Red Rock Rendezvous (RRR) is now in our rearview mirror (literally, as I am writing this as we make the drive back to Salt Lake City), and I must say it was one of the best that Mountain Gear has put on to date. Maybe it was the weather – warm and sunny on Friday and Saturday; maybe it was the later date – moving from mid-March to early April; maybe it was the awesome giveaways provided by Gregory. Whatever it was, people seemed psyched to get outside and were eager to enjoy some warm weather. RRR is always our kickoff to event season, and we are always glad to make the trip to Sin City, though we try to stay away from the strip. If you’ve never been to Red Rock Canyon, it is an amazing gem just a few miles outside of downtown Las Vegas. It’s a beautiful place, and magical when you compare it to the strip. There’s climbing for every ability level, superb mountain biking, road biking, and not a bad place to go for a hike.

The Gregory tent was set up early setting the stage for all the other vendors to follow suit. Red Rock Canyon is notorious for the wind, and this year was no exception. Our tent suffered some minor injuries (for the second year in a row) but nothing we weren’t able to fix onsite, whew. This year the wind held off until Saturday night, but in true Red Rock fashion tents were flying about, and sand got into any and everything.  When event organizers tell you to make sure you are staked out properly, you should listen. Unfortunately, some people learned the hard way, but luckily no one was hurt, and we didn’t hear of anyone losing a tent (though I know some people had to chase ‘em down!).

New Belgium was on hand pouring bottomless glasses all afternoon and into the evening. CLIF family winery (yup, same family as CLIF BAR) had the same setup, and there was a squirrel suit dive bomb, a giant connect four, slack line for days from the Yoga Slackers, a Dyno competition, and plenty to keep you occupied even if you didn’t sign up for a clinic.

As always, we were more than excited to have Joe Kinder on board with us, as his personality and energy will change anyone’s mood for the better. He’s a pleasure to have at the booth, and sincerely enjoys engaging and inspiring everyone around him. It’s his birthday week, so we want to wish him a big Happy Birthday! Keep on being Joe. (If you ever meet him, ask him for a quick Joega lesson…he’ll know.)

Gregory has been sponsoring the RRR service project for a number of years, and this year we were able to add a few more parking spaces to one of the crag’s parking areas. Big thanks to the 20 or so participants that were able to help make that happen.

We always have some sort of way to engage event attendees, but this year we debuted the ‘Pack-A-Pack’ contest, which went over better than anticipated. We partnered with a bunch of other brands, such as Big Agnes, Outdoor Research, Hydrapak, Black Diamond Equipment, Gerber, Adventure Medical kits, and more for this timed event. Take all of the items that are laid out and pack them in the new Savant58 the fastest. Super simple. The catch was that the fastest two times of the weekend competed on stage Saturday night in a head-to-head battle, winner keep all: pack, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, stuff sack, hydration reservoir, knife/tool, trekking poles, water bottles, windproof jacket, headlamp, and more! The average time to load all these items up was approximately 50 seconds, which doesn’t sound too bad if you were packing up on a rainy morning. But this is competition! We had a handful of competitors beat the 30 second mark. Kahmien, or “Special ‘K’” as we now know him, had a time of 27:37 seconds and Stephan had a blistering 20:53 seconds!  If I didn’t see it myself, I wouldn’t have deemed it possible.

Here comes the fun part. Special ‘K’ definitely spent the better part of what felt like an hour visualizing and working on his strategy. This guy is all business. Once he started to loosen up, doing his Joega exercises, he took off his long sleeve shirt and stated, “Don’t want the shirt to slow me down!” I think he was serious, and well, it worked. 27:37 was good enough to get him to the big dance up on stage. I told him that if he gets the chance, he’ll ‘have’ to take his shirt off on stage. Long story short, I introduced him to the crowd, and let ‘em know he’s going shirtless…for speed obviously. To the crowds chagrin, he did just that. And then informed them how many drinks he’d imbibed to prepare for the event. 7 was the count. From this experience alone, I can say that 7 is too many. Special ‘K’s time went from 27:37 mid day to well over 1:30:00 on stage Saturday night. It may have simply been the on-stage jitters. Following Special ‘K’, as Stephan is approaching the contest table the crowd starts chanting “TAKE IT OFF … TAKE IT OFF … TAKE IT OFF!” (I started laughing so hard on the inside.) In all honesty, Stephan didn’t have much of a choice and did exactly what was asked of him, in the name of speed of course. Stephan’s on stage time was much closer to his mid-day time of 20:53, so clearly he’s a seasoned veteran in front of a crowd. “Take your time Stephan, you have a LEAST a minute left,” I said. Stephan was more than excited to take home the Savant58 and all of its contents, and Special ‘K’ got an Alpaca Duffle for being such a fun sport. This is a contest that you will definitely see from us in the future, so practice up, as these are real life skills (think packing up early in a rain storm)!!!

Mountain Gear, we thank you for the amazing weekend, the new friends we made, along with the old, and are already looking forward to next year!!! Don’t forget to check out the Sh!t people say at the Red Rock Rendezvous.

Special Thanks Goes To:

Mountain Gear, NW Sales Rep Dave Egan, Joe Kinder, Collette McKinery, CLIF Family Winery, Access Fund, New Belgium, MSR, Outdoor Research, 5.10, Hypropak, Black Diamond Equipment, Gerber, Polartec, Adventure Medical Kits, Big Agnes, and all those who attended!!! We’ll see you next year.

RRR throughout the years: http://www.gregorypacks.com/blog/?s=redrock+rendezvous

With warming temperatures across the country, spring is right around the corner. Even if you’re still seeking out those last powder turns and haven’t caught spring fever just yet, you can rest assured that it’s on the way.

With day trips, overnights, and long hauls in the future, it’s time to pull your packs out of storage and make sure that they’re ready to go for the upcoming season. Every year, Gregory receives lots of calls and e-mails from friendly folks who want to know what they should do in preparation for hiking and backpacking season to make sure their pack is ready to go.

Obviously it’s extremely unlikely that things on a well-built backpack are going to spontaneously break, but if your pack has been sitting around for months in some dark place with a bunch of other stuff, you never know what may have happened. Moisture, rodents and other gear are all are potential sources of problems.

Assuming your bag was cleaned and stored properly at the end of least season by hanging it out of the way using its grab loop, you shouldn’t have many issues. But things happen and time outdoors should be spent enjoying the surroundings and not fixing gear. If you do find something that you think we should know about, check out how we handle returns and repairs.

First, give the entire bag a once-over, looking for anything obvious. Check for holes and damage to seams or the webbing, as this is where nesting rodents or sharp points can be a huge bummer.

Next check for any moving parts, and move them through their range of motion to make sure everything’s working as it should be. In particular, buckles are the number one thing we end up repairing, simply because plastic buckles do break. Zippers get busted too so check them over and get them repaired professionally before heading out and having to fix them yourself in the field.

Finally, it’s a good idea to check over any plastic parts such as the frame sheet or plastic structure of the pack for cracks or other damage. While issues with these parts are very rare, this is definitely the kind of problem you don’t want to discover deep in the backcountry.

Preparing packs for the season is like anything else. If you haven’t used it for a while, give it a thorough check under the hood before heading into high gear. If something doesn’t seem right, contact us and let us know how we can help.

Happy Trails!

This week’s staff profile features Kate Austin.

GGT: How long have you worked at Gregory and in what roles?
9 months. I’m a soft goods developer.

GGT: What are your favorite activities outside of work?
Skiing in the winter, whitewater rafting the rest of the year, with a little bit (okay, a lot) of Ultimate Frisbee on the side.

GGT: What is your favorite Gregory product and why?
I am very fond of the Stash Duffle 95 and the Alpaca Duffle 40. Both are great for road trips, air travel, and camping. The Stash fits everything I need for a weekend trip, including my tent, sleeping pad, and multiple changes of clothing, and folds up nicely to become a cushy pillow. The Alpaca is my favorite when I need to protect my gear from inclement weather at camp or on the sidelines.

GGT: What is one thing that we would never guess about you?
Before I discovered my love of the outdoors, I kept in shape by swing dancing. I feel like my love of dancing and my love of telemark skiing is directly related.

GGT: What’s Gregory strongest brand attribute in your mind?
The attention to fit and the sheer practicality of the products we make.

GGT: What’s your favorite “Wayneism?”
Wayne has an amazing way of upping the ante. He knows so many folks who have done amazing things and gone on amazing journeys. So, if you tell him about one of your recent personal achievements, he’ll direct you towards someone he knows who has done something a million times cooler. “Oh, you rafted the Grand Canyon? Good for you. One of my buddies circumnavigated the North American continent in a canoe…”  Thanks Wayne! I guess I should add that to my bucket list.

Kate Austin in the Grand Canyon

This week we introduce you to John Pieper, Gregory’s Director of Sales & Marketing.

GGT: How long have you worked at Gregory and in what roles?
I came back to Salt Lake City in Fall 2010 from our ranch in Colorado as Gregory & Black Diamond merged. I really missed this town for the climbing and skiing and coming back “home” was sweet. I am the Director of Sales & Marketing and this somehow makes me write 2013 or even 2014 on checks. We spend a lot of time thinking way out into the future.

GGT: What are your favorite activities outside of work?
Primarily climbing and skiing, but now at a slightly different level with 4 & 6 year old boys in tow. It is somehow rekindling the simple joys of these sports. Sara Jane and I love being outside with them and getting humbled in new ways daily.

GGT: What is your favorite Gregory product and why?
Currently the Savant 58 for the versatility (thanks MT!)  –  from climbing crag to our informal version of business travel, it does it all. I still also regularly abuse my big white Alpaca 90 Duffel.

GGT: What is one thing that we would never guess about you?
That I raced road bikes professionally in Spain in the early 90s, but that was a long time ago…

GGT: What’s Gregory strongest brand attribute in your mind?
FIT, FIT, FIT.  This stuff just fits the human body the way it is supposed to  –  so you can think about the adventure and not the load.

GGT: What’s your favorite “Wayneism?”
“Hey, bud!” — the positive attitude and the genuine joy that comes from a guy who just loves being around people who love being outside and who love helping take care of this brand that he birthed 35 years ago. There aren’t many like him left around and we’re lucky to have him here in the office daily and active.

Piep bouldering at Sailing Hawks, Colorado.

Spring is upon us, or at least it feels like it. For us, that means event season! We love events. The kickoff event for Gregory once again will be Red Rock Rendezvous, put on by Mountain Gear, in beautiful Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area about 20 minutes from the infamous ‘Las Vegas Strip.’ If you’ve been to the strip, then you know you can only spend so much time there before you are burned out and ready to go home. Red Rock Canyon is the perfect place to get away from the crazy that is Las Vegas and happens to be home to some world class climbing and absolutely stellar hiking. Check out Hiking Las Vegas for more information.

Mountain Gear has done an amazing job organizing this event over the last 10 years, and it just keeps getting better. If you don’t know, Red Rock Rendezvous started as a ‘learn to climb’ event, enticing those who are new to the sport and encouraging first timers. Not many people put on events for people who have never climbed! Mountain Gear has done an amazing job of not only enticing newcomers, but also bringing the best of the best in the climbing community (Pro climbers!) to learn you real good or brush you up on the basics. The list of professional climbers that will be teaching the plethora of clinics is too long to list, so do check out Red Rock Rendezvous’ website and their Facebook page for the latest updates.

Our very own Joe Kinder will be with us and teaching a clinic on hard sport routes. I hear there may even be a ‘Joega’ clinic! If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Joe, do check out his blog as it’s one of the best and his personality definitely shines through! Along with climbing, the Red Rock Rendezvous has mountain biking, running, packing, yoga, bouldering, slack-lining, and so much more! We will be showing off much of our current line, giving away tons of free products, debuting some new/future product, and destroying the competition in BOCCE.

This year we will be running a packing contest to see who can load up one of the new Savant packs the fastest. The top two fastest times will head to the stage Saturday night in a head-to-head timed competition with a winner take all result. That is, winner take all the stuff and the pack. This will be one of, if not the biggest, giveaway contests we’ve run to date. Prizes will include the Savant pack, Big Agnes sleeping bag & pad, Black Diamond tent, trekking poles and headlamp, Gerber multitool, The North Face softshell, 5.10 climbing shoes, and much more! Stay tuned to our Facebook page for information and final gear list.

If you’ve ever wanted to try rock climbing, or could use some professional instruction to take you to the next level, registration is currently open, but filling up fast. We hope to see you there!

Things we’ll be looking forward to: wicked weather, craps table, wind, sand, sun, hooping, slack lining, solar DJ booth, dyno comp, Joega, pancakes, beautiful drive, climbing, mountain biking, and so much more!

It happens twice a year, every year. We work hard all year in anticipation of these monumental events. They’re marked on the calendar and aren’t overlooked by anyone. Every inquiry or whisper about it carries additional significance. The anticipation builds up to a fever pitch and finally explodes on the day that it happens.

No, I’m not talking about the Super Bowl and the World Series. Or, even the running of the bulls and the flocking of the salmon of Capistrano. I’m talking, of course, about the spring and fall issues of the Backpacker Gear Guide.

For a company that makes Backpacks, Backpacker is our holy grail. It contains stories about amazing trips that we’d love to go on, important coverage of access issues to our national parks and other public lands, and profiles of the most important people in our field. In addition, Backpacker employs a team of seasoned field testers who put all of the new outdoor gear through the ringer and consistently present the best that’s available to their readers. All of this is exactly why we wait all year for the Backpacker Gear Guide to hit newsstands and hope that our products are included.

The Gear Guide became available this week and we’re psyched that the Gregory Savant 58 is included. The pack was noted for its “precise, effective compression that nets great load stability.” While we knew that the Savant is extremely stable when loaded up, we’re glad that the testers agree! The testers brought this pack along on trips to the Three Sisters Wilderness in Oregon, the Benson Lake Trail in the Willamette National Forest, and the Wind Rivers in Wyoming. So, it’s safe to say that the pack was thoroughly tested. Other features that were recognized by testers are the Savant’s effective Z-shaped compression straps and brand new Intuition 3D suspension.

The Backpacker Gear Guide is on newsstands now so pick up a copy and check out all the new gear that’s out there. But, more importantly, get outside and enjoy it!

For more information about the Savant, you can check it out and watch a video it in action at: http://www.gregorypacks.com/intuition-3d.

GGT: How long have you worked at Gregory and in what role(s)?
I have worked at Gregory for 4 years and am currently the International Account Manager for the brand.

GGT: What are your favorite activities outside of work?
If I am not in the office I am most likely skiing, training for marathons, going to concerts, boating, traveling, and spending time with my husband Chris and our dog Dolly.

GGT: What is your favorite Gregory product and why?
Definitely the Deva 60. It is a great pack that fits amazingly well when loaded with gear. I have trekked Europe and South America with this pack and can’t imagine going anywhere without it. When traveling to see our global partners, I take the Cache 28, a wonderful roller that is durable and stylish.

GGT: What is one thing that someone would never guess about you?
I have listened to Howard Stern almost every day for the past 15 years.

GGT: What is Gregory’s strongest brand attribute in your mind?
The quality and design of our packs. Our team continues to bring innovative designs and concepts into every pack we build.

GGT: What’s your favorite “Wayneism”?
Wayne swears by only cooking in a dutch oven while camping. So much so that he has over 40 different dutch ovens in storage! He also has a great recipe for crème brûlée.

Katie Hawkins at Machu Picchu, Peru.