Gregory Stout 35 Backpack - Internal Frame

Reason for purchase:
I sought a new pack to function primarily as airline carry-on luggage but with more external attachment points than my previous pack.


Overview and Positive Features:
The bag has a combination of 420-denier rip-stop polyester and 600-denier textured polyester fabrics with a second inner layer of what appears to be 210-denier taffeta fabric at the pack bottom and portions of the lid. There is a transparent polyurethane coating throughout most of the pack's interior. The pack also comes with a rain cover and dedicated storage pocket.

The metal used in the plastic-reinforced frame is spring steel. In addition to a cord-closure collar, there is a strap-with-buckle over the top to further cinch the pack. This strap also can be used to secure storm pants, jacket, or some other item to which you require quick access. For the pack’s fixed lid, a pair of approximately 16 mm plastic quick-release buckles are used for a secure closure even when the main compartment is fully loaded. The sternum strap, shoulder-pad-adjustment straps, and hip-belt webbing all are sufficiently long to ease pack donning and removal as well as enable tightening the hip belt over multiple layers of clothing.

The Stout 35 possesses a relatively slim profile that aids in a comfortable carry by keeping the vertical plane of the pack load close to the vertical plane of a person’s spinal column. For a relatively small pack, the hip belt provides a large contact area with the body. This aids in force distribution with heavier loads. The spring-steel frame also aids in proper load dispersal to the hips. These components combine with a comfortable harness and three different pack sizes to accommodate varying torso lengths. The result is a pack that —if it weren’t for the extra weight I feel in my legs—almost effortlessly allows me to carry 25 pounds, and I painlessly can carry the 30-pound-load limit indicated by Gregory. I think the load limit is a little conservative.

This was a pleasant surprise since I have trouble finding a mass-produced 35-or-so-liter pack that performs well. When I first inspected the frame, I was uncertain it was stout enough (sorry…) to control 30 pounds, but I was glad to be wrong. For reference, I weigh 137 pounds and am just under 5’7” with a 17” torso length. Additionally, I have had a back problem for over 30 years and am sensitive to packs that are not engineered properly.

According to Gregory’s instructions on purchasing a properly fitting pack, I should wear a size small, but I find that the size large provides a better fit. The size large is about 4” taller than the former with a correspondingly longer frame, which allows the pack’s slight curvature to match my back’s pronounced curvature more closely and permits the shoulder-strap-attachment points to the pack to be at a location approximately horizontal to the tops of my shoulders with the hip belt worn properly around my hips, not around my waist. I can load this pack without having the weight fall onto the tops of my shoulders, and the load-adjustment straps almost are unnecessary unless approaching the pack’s load limit.

According to Gregory, the size large Stout 35 has 37 liters capacity. Additional gear can be lashed to the pack sides, lid daisy chains, twin vertical daisy chains on the back (side opposite the harness), the pack bottom, and carried in the side-accessory pockets, hip-belt pockets, and back stuff pocket. All these external attachment points and pockets make it easy to carry additional items should the need arise. After filling the main compartment, I still was able to stuff a three-layer Gore-Tex alpine parka into the back stuff pocket. That stuff pocket is more voluminous than it appears.


Negative Features:
I feel there is only one: The side-release buckles that accommodate the approximately 16 mm (5/8”) wide webbing used throughout most of the pack do not appear durable. Should they break, Gregory does not have replacement buckles that mate with the pack’s existing buckles. The spare parts Gregory does have—or suggests owners purchase—require replacing both halves of a buckle pair on the backpack should just one buckle (male or female) break. This can be extremely annoying should a buckle break while on a long trail or an extended urban tour.


Potential Improvements:
The side-accessory pockets have an opening that is high and impossible for normal people to access a water bottle without slipping at least one arm out of the harness to swing the pack part way in front of the body. A more user-friendly design—such as a lower opening that makes it easier to grasp water bottles with the pack still fully on the back—would be desirable. Additionally, I would ask Gregory to use standardized buckles that mate with existing pack buckles so they can be replaced easily when required.


Potential Concern:
The post-2016 version of the Stout 35 no longer is a pack in different sizes with fixed harnesses but is a single-size pack with an adjustable harness. Perhaps this is not true for others, but during 35-or-so years wearing and testing backpacks, I never wore an adjustable harness that was comfortable when carrying 25-or-more pounds. Perhaps it is a function of my back injury or perhaps not, but I always could feel the pack pulling away from my body in direct proportion to the weight added. This largely is because—at least in the past—adjustable harnesses were not attached directly to the main pack bag or frame. There always seemed to be a gap between the harness and the main bag, and tightening the load-adjustment straps—especially as the weight increased—did not help much if at all. I did not try a post-2016 version of the Stout 35 so it is possible that harness systems improved to where this shortcoming no longer exists. However, this potential problem is something to keep in mind when buying any pack with an adjustable harness. Be sure to test it with at least 25-30 pounds (or 20% of your body weight since carrying 25 pounds to someone who weighs 250 pounds is not the same experience as is carrying 25 pounds to someone who weighs 140 pounds) before deciding whether it is comfortable enough to purchase.

For comparison you can view the current (2018) model at https://www.gregorypacks.com/backpacking/stout-35/77837XXXX.html?dwvar_77837XXXX_color=Navy%20Blue&cgidmaster=backpackingallpurpose#start=7 . Note also that on the 2018 model the back and lid daisy chains are gone, and the stuff pocket and side-accessory pockets now are composed of stretch mesh.


Conclusion:
Although I purchased this pack almost exclusively for use as airplane carry-on luggage, this 2016 model Stout 35 is a near-perfect little pack for all-around use. For the most part, the construction and materials are good; the pack has numerous useful features; and I cannot overemphasize the good fit (that is, torso length), large contact-surface hip belt, and true load-bearing frame. If you seek an all-around 35-or-so liter (2,135 cubic inches) backpack and do not need to carry more than approximately 30 pounds (13.5 kg), the Stout 35 definitely should be at the top of your list.

After scanning the internet and walking into my STP.....I found this pack for less than anywhere else. It has all the bells and whistles in a bombproof construction by Gregory. They are selling the older version which in my opinion is better made with features the newer doesn't have. The fact that it fit my body type perfectly was the final selling point. Features I liked: daisy chains, large belt pockets, well padded straps all round, belt is adjustable as well, tougher fabric on bottom of already tough fabric throughout. (I'll take the weight for longevity) well thought out pockets and plenty of them. higher quality buckles, superior waist belt tightening buckle system over anything I've owned, winter hiking loops and cinches, Need I go on...…??

Great pack for serious mountaineering day, overnight, or weekend trips. With a waist in the 20's I only wish that the large size hip belt cinched a bit smaller. Sturdy construction, adjustable, simple, yet with useful features.

I needed a new daypack for a series of day hikes in Death Valley and Joshua Tree (and back home in MN, too). After considering several other 30-35l packs, I settled on the Gregory Stout 35.

Likes:
• Size: 35l held all that I needed to carry, with the ability to carry even more (thanks to the collar) or less (by cinching the side straps).
• Fit: I'm 5' 10" & 165#. The medium fit my torso perfectly. The padded hip belt is very adjustable.
• Organization: there are enough pockets and access points without going overboard. The side pockets can hold Nalgene bottles, a 40-oz. Hyroflask, a small photo tripod, or a folding camp chair. A cinch strap helps keep things in place. A large front dump picket is perfect for maps, a hat, and snacks. Hipbelt pockets can carry a knife, compass, small camera, first aid kit, or similarly-sized items. The rain cover pocket can be used to stash a few items. A small under-lid pocket can hold your wallet or ID. The large top pockets will hold a first aid kit, sunglasses, and more. Daisy chains on the front and top, as well as lash straps on the bottom, can be used for other bulkier items.
• Construction: this was a major selling point. The side pockets are 600-denier polyester, rather than the stretchy mesh on other packs. I think this will hold up better against snags in the long run. The barracks appear to be bombproof. The overall finish is great - very thoughtful designs on zipper tabs and waist belt adjustment.
• Color: I really liked the orange and black color. YMMV!

Dislikes: None so far after a week on the trails.