Pack everything! The Shasta will hold it and carry it comfortably!
Written: Mar 17 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Suspension, capacity, comfortable, canted water bottle holder, V-compression straps
Cons: Expensive, not waterproof, lots of straps, lack of pockets, poor bottom
The Bottom Line: The Shasta is an excellent all purpose pack for anything from a weekend to ten days. The suspension and capacity will hold anything including the kitchen sink.
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| wvabackpacker's Full Review: Gregory Shasta 02 |
~The Gregory Shasta 2002, Adventure Series~
~What’s new?-
The Shasta has been around for awhile but Gregory has made some upgrades in 2002. What’s new for 2002? Well, according to the Gregory website (http://www.gregorypacks.com) we have the following changes:
210 denier double box Arrowhead fabric
7075 T-6 ¾” wide aircraft grade aluminum stays
¾” wide nylon webbing and ¾” wide Easy Access buckles
Sleeping bag compartment zipper flap with integrated elastic tensioning cord
Stainless steel figure-8 corrosion resistant sliders
1 ½” top pocket fanny pack buckle
Canted water bottle holder
Streamlined top pocket with more secure exterior attachment points
The above changes save about 1lb of weight bringing the medium (reviewed) weight down to 6lbs 2oz versus the previous designs weight of 7lbs 1oz.
~Backpacker Magazine-
You can find a small review in the 2003 Backpacker Magazine Gear Guide issue. The pack was named “Best All-Purpose Pack.” Allow me to explain:
~Load Control and Suspension-* * * * *
The Shasta features a patented system: Auto-Cant and Adjust-a-Cant. The Auto-Cant system allows the pack to move slightly on the hip belt in combination with the Adjust-a-Cant shoulder straps which allow the pack to move at the shoulders. This allows your body to move side to side but keeps the pack in an up and down position when walking on the trail—the pack moves less resulting in less stress on your bones and joints. In plain English it helps you hike longer. I’ve loaded this pack with 65lbs of gear and the suspension carries it like a dream—there is no overloading this pack. Dual stays contribute to this positive attribute. Both the Auto-Cant and Adjust-a-Cant have two settings for different body types. I give the load control and suspension five out of five.
~Padding-* * * *
Both the hip belt and the shoulder straps feature Flo-Form II padding—a padding which “remembers” the shape of your body after wearing the pack a few times. I noticed this gave the Shasta a slightly closer fit than other packs. The padding is fairly comfortable. I would give it a four out of five comparing the padding to the Dana Design Glacier. What I especially like is the non-slip lumbar pad. The rubber material keeps the pack from sliding down your back when it is overloaded. I give this feature a five out of five. The backpanel is made out of breathable Aerotech mesh. I notice no difference with this feature comparing it to other packs. I give it a four out of five. Overall padding gets four stars.
~Capacity-* * * * *
The medium size pack offers a whopping 5,000 cubic inches of storage space. This is enough storage space for the average backpacker going on a weeklong trip without any food cache. The only way this pack loads is from the top. There is no middle access. Bottom access is available through the sleeping bag compartment. On a weekend trip I can fit everything from my Therm-a-rest mattress to my tent inside the pack. This is nice. 5/5
~Durability-* * 1/2
I’m not impressed with the durability of this pack. The material is very water resistant but not water proof. After a hard rainstorm the contents of the pack were slightly damp, especially where the internal contents pushed hard against the fabric. Use a packcover in the rain. Three out of five for water resistance.
The pack bottom is made out of Shelter Rite Nylon. It is very thin and doesn’t seem to be that durable, especially if it came into contact with a sharp object. Other packs of more durable and rugged pack bottoms. The bottom is also flat instead of bathtub shaped. I give this a two out of five.
The pack fabric is thinner than other packs and has an almost unnoticeable membrane. After taking the bag through several areas where it rubbed against briars, trees, and shrubs it started to show tiny signs of wear. I also placed my tent poles vertically inside the pack against the side. After tightening the compression straps and hiking for a day the pack showed an internal scar from the poles. I give the material a three out of five and I give the durability and overall two and a half out of five.
~Features-* * * *
My absolute favorite feature on this pack—well, I couldn’t decide on one so I have two. The canted water bottle holder (a water bottle holder in which you insert you bottle horizontally instead of vertically) and the extra accessory straps on the sides. The accessory straps on the sides makes hauling skis, trekking poles, and fishing poles as easy as one two three. The side opposite of the canted water bottle holder side has a standard mesh water bottle pocket. I can fit both of my trekking poles in this pocket and through the accessory strap. 5/5
Each side of the bag has two sets of V-Compression straps. With V shaped straps you get more compression through more coverage of the pack with fewer straps to pull. You can use the V-straps to add security to anything you strap to the side with the accessory straps. 5/5
The sleeping bag compartment is rather generous. Imagine the shape of an L—the sleeping bag compartment creates the bottom part of the L protruding slightly out from the pack. I can fit my sleeping bag, pillow, TP, trowel, repair kit, and several articles of clothing in the compartment. 5/5
As in most packs, the lid on this one converts into a small daypack. It is also fairly generous in space and has a mesh bottom for storing small items. However the mesh pocket isn’t very secure as my contact case fell out of it somewhere on the trail. The straps that make the belt are stored inside the mesh panel. On the top of the lid are several loops of daisy chain. On a dayhike I strap my raingear onto the daisy chains with a couple of carabineers. This is very handy. Wearing the lid as a daypack isn’t very comfortable but it is better than carrying a spare bag for day hikes. 3/5
The lid is also a “floating lid” which floats on the top of the pack allowing you to overload the main compartment and still close it up. The lid is also very easy to separate from the main pack through four buckles and one strap. 4/5
Two rows of daisy chains run vertically down the back of the pack for strapping on miscellaneous items to the back of the pack. 5/5
Two ice ax loops are conveniently located on each backside corner of the pack at the bottom. 5/5
The bottom of the pack has two straps with buckles which allow you to compress the sleeping bag compartment or attach a mattress or another item to the bottom of the pack with ease. The buckles are great for accessing the sleeping bag compartment without any major strap adjustments. 5/5
The worst feature of this pack is the lack of pockets—it has none. This gives you very few organizational options. I had to adopt my packing technique slightly by placing everything inside of stuff sacks and then placing the small stuff sacks into a large stuff sack. You can add external pockets made by Gregory, but each pocket weighs 5oz and adds only 280 cubic inches of space. 0/5
~Price-* * * 1/2
$250 from most outdoor stores. However you can find it online for $200. At $250 it’s a little pricey but at $200 it’s a steal. 3.5/5
~Colors-* * * * *
Pacific (blue) and Meadow (green). Both are light colors and don’t create an eyesore. All straps are gray and buckles are black. The Gregory website shows a Shasta in red but as far as I know this color is not available.
~Conclusion-
Well, Backpacker Magazine put it best when they gave this pack the title of “Best All Purpose Pack.” Unless you are an ultralight person or a gear junkie this pack is an excellent buy for anything from weekend trips to weeklong trips for the average backpacker. I give it a seven out of ten, docking three stars for no pockets, thin material, a high weight, and a thin non-bathtub bottom. The canted water bottle holder, accessory straps, v-straps, ease of use, suspension and load control earn the pack it’s seven.
Recommended:
Yes
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wvabackpacker
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Member: Jeremy Hays
Location: Columbus, OH, USA
Reviews written: 40
Trusted by: 46 members
About Me:
Maybe I'll write another review someday...lots of new gear...
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