GregoryMountain Products Paragon 68

Love my bag pack. Lots of room. Able to get all my items in. Well made and durable.

Was looking for a new backpack to try out and ended up buying the Gregory Paragon 68 in the medium/large size. I am 6 foot 1 inch tall and weigh 140 pounds. The pack fits well and is comfortable. So far I have had it out on one short overnight trip. I weighed the loaded pack at the trailhead and it was 32 pounds with all the gear for the trip. You can fit a lot into the pack and I thought the pack carried the weight well. The included raincover is nice. Lots of pockets. The fabric seems thin but did not tear on the trip so maybe it is durable enough. The hipbelt pockets are handy but are small. The shoulder straps were comfortable except felt a little rough on the skin when hiking shirtless. All in all I am satisfied.

Very comfortable. The adjustability makes it easy to get the perfect fit. The adjustable hip belt is a huge plus. I used this recently on a hike with about 30lbs and it felt like nothing. Going to be using this pack on a two week backpacking trip at Philmont Scout Reservation in New Mexico with my son this summer with a total trail weight of close to 50lbs. I'm confident that this pack will do the job just fine!

The shoulder straps need more padding. They rubbed the skin off my shoulders in the front. The zippers on the hip belts require two hands to zip closed. It's not a big deal but you have to hold the back portion to zip the pocket closed.

A day on the trail can be made or broken by your pack. This is especially true when you decide to take your 11 month old son on his first backpacking trip and one pack will have to carry 90% of the gear.My husband and I decided that on our son's first back country camping experience I would carry him in our child carrier with my water and our son's things. Everything else, I mean EVERYTHING else, would have to go in my husband's brand new Gregory Paragon. We decided to get the 68 liter model because this trip would be anything but ultralight for us.My husband has been using his same trusty, well-loved external frame pack since 1998, so getting him to switch it up was the first obstacle on this trip.Now he's so glad he made the change.When the pack first arrived (much sooner than expected thanks to Gregory's fast shipping) he was fawning over the design and features. He was excited to see the belt pockets and how the belt was curved to form to him. He loved the idea of the sunglasses holder on the shoulder strap. Most of all he loved the sternum strap. It has adjustable height along the shoulder straps, includes an integral hose clip for your water bladder and best of all (in his opinion) has an emergency whistle in the buckle.It took several attempts to pack it correctly since the majority of the gear space is one big pocket. This was different than what he was used to. Also, our gear division was very different for this trip. Ultimately we were able to fit everything we would need in his pack. We did have to cut a few of our standard gear choices to make it work, but this was because I couldn't carry any gear and to no fault of the Paragon. After packing it, his only critique was that he wished there was an angled bottle holder on both sides. That would have made it easier to pack/use on the trail. Because of how we had to pack it, he didn't get to try out the angled bottle holder, which I had been raving about from my Gregory pack, I typically use.On the trail he quickly noted that the pack is very adjustable, which is he liked because it can hold the load more effectively to his body. He also said the sunglasses holder and sternum strap features lived up to his initial excitement.Our night on the trail with our infant son may have been slower and heavier than we are used to, and it came with unexpected challenges (like bedtime does not exist in the woods, easily accessible whistles will annoy your wife faster than you think, and a baby must sample every stick and pine needle because apparently they all taste different), but in the end it was a great experience! This was in part to my husband's new pack, with its ease of use. We can't wait to hit the trail with the whole family again!After the hike was done my husband gave his final thoughts: those belt pockets are unbeatable. They are located perfectly on this pack to be easily accessible and roomy enough to hold what you need.It is nice that top pocket is large and dual chamber to keep easy access to items you may need quickly, so they don't get lost in the main chamber.It was comfortable and not overly hot. We did hike on a rather warm day and the back panel kept him from getting excessively sweaty. The strap contours were good and kept him comfortable through the whole hike. With his old pack, he would typically complain about his shoulders or back hurting before the end of the day. That never happened with the Paragon. Finally, the pack is very lightweight. Not only did this helps us cut down our overall weight, the lightweight features had no impact on the durability of the pack, it's ability to handle the weight we threw at it, or the comfort experienced by the wearer.My husband said for our next hike, he'll reach for the Paragon again.

This was perfect for a family gold mining trip in Alaska this weekend. Is durable, lightweight, and comfortable. I needed diapers and wipes out of the bottom of the pack and cringed for a second until I realize there were these amazing zippers on each side and one on the front for easy access to all parts of the bag without ripping it apart searching. This bag was used with a family of five for the weekend and fit all of our essentials. My husband wore this multiple times throughout the day and never complained. I am definitely going to recommend this product!