At age 14 Wayne Gregory designed his first backpack as part of a Boy Scout project. Shortly after this experience he met Andy Drollinger, the founder of San Diego California Adventure 16, at a boy scout camporee. Andy was impressed with Wayne’s design and over the next few years Wayne could be found hanging around the Adventure 16 factory, buying raw materials and tinkering with a variety of backpack ideas. He soon became the young companies second employee.

In 1970, Wayne started his first company, Sunbird, with a goal to produce advanced external frame packs. Unhappy with the limitations of externals, he dissolved the company in 1973 and began working as a freelance designer (sleeping bags, tents, and technical apparel) for a number of companies in the newly emerging outdoor specialty industry. Intrigued with new directions in soft packs and internal frame concepts he decided it was time to get back to his first love, designing backpacks, and in 1977 Wayne founded Gregory Mountain Products in San Diego, California.

From the start, Wayne wasn’t just meticulous about designing packs that improved upon fit and used the best materials available, he also wanted to know how his designs worked in the field and what he could do better, a heritage of accessibility he has continued to present. In the early days, he loved to talk tech with customers at his retail store in San Diego, where he built his packs in the back shop. He wanted to know firsthand what worked and what didn’t, and many customers’ ideas were incorporated in new products. Ultimately, Wayne realized that in the backpack business fit was king, and he pioneered many firsts, including; being the first to build backpacks in different frame, harness and waist belt sizes; the first (and still only) pack manufacturer to develop a waistbelt system that adjusts to fit different hip angles, automatically improving load transfer; and developing the center-locking bar tack, a stitch that ends and locks off on the center of a seam instead of the side for increased strength at major stress points. From the earliest days, Gregory packs were noted for innovative design, ergonomic and comfortable fit, and our obsession with quality.

Over the years, Gregory packs have been recognized in a number of widely read publications that single out our fit, innovation, durability and comfort stories.  Recent recognition includes:

• 2005 Backpacker Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards:  Gregory was recognized with three accolades in Backpacker Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Awards, and was the only pack manufacturer to be called out by readers in each of the three pack categories in the poll.
• 2005 Backpacker magazine Editors’ Choice Award:  That same year, the Gregory G Pack was honored as a recipient of a 2005 Backpacker magazine Editors’ Choice Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the outdoor industry, given annually to products in recognition of their outstanding innovation in design, materials and/or performance.    
• Alpinist Mountain Standard Award:  The Gregory Alpinisto won a Mountain Standard Award in a program that recognizes “... specific products that (Alpinist thinks) have played a major part in the history of climbing and mountaineering as well as those products that have shown great innovation in design and development … products fit in well with the ‘light and fast/alpine style’ mantra that … Alpinist truly believe in, as well as the clean, bold lines of the magazine itself."
• 2006 Backpacker Magazine annual Gear Guide:  Editors called out a number of Gregory packs in their annual gear guide for their outstanding design and features.  The new Iso was chosen the top ultralight day pack. The new Baltoro was chosen as the best pack for heavy loads, and also chosen as a best buy for week-long trips. And the G Pack was chosen as one of the top weekend ultralights. 
• 2006 Popular Science Best of What’s New Awards:  Popular Science, which each year chooses the best new consumer technologies in different categories, chose Gregory’s Response Suspension System as a winner in the recreation category of its Best of What’s New awards, announced in the Dec. 2006 issue. 
• 2007 National Geographic Adventure Best of 2007 Awards:  The Gregory Z55 was chosen among the best outdoor gear for 2007 in the December 2006 issue of the magazine, which includes the annual “Best of” awards.
• 2008 Backpacker Magazine Editors’ annual Gear Guide:  Editors chose Gregory’s Z 30 as the “Best All-Around” pack, with their most finicky tester calling it, “darn close to the perfect daypack for general duty.”
• 2008 Backpacker Magazine Editors’ Choice Awards:  The Gregory Baltoro and Deva 60 were chosen by Backpacker’s editors for it’s Response AFS suspension, which gives you a custom fit feel and true load transfer.  Through all of the rigorous testing, these packs “wowed testers with [their] comfort and stability.”