Granite GearBlaze 60L Backpack - Women's

I backpack and camp at least once a month, year round. I recently took this on a 3 night, 50 mile jaunt to the Mount Rogers National Recreation area, Grayson Highlands, and GWashington/Jefferson NF. I work for a Zoo, where we have an internal club for getting out into nature, and I help run/guide for my co-workers. I can't make recommendations to my female compatriots without testing the gear first, so here I am (...and, I raffle them off to my co-workers afterwards to get people psyched to be out in nature!). I took my Men's Crown2 60L with me on the AT, so I'm already familiar with the re-fit hipbelt and the back panel of GG's newer packs. What I couldn't account for, was the female version of the hipbelt and the S-straps -- the men's typically ships with the J-straps shoulder straps. The Men's hip-belt is a bit straighter in the front versus the Women's having a slightly up-curved front to accommodate a Woman's hips. The pack is identical to the Men's outside of these features. You can swap the hip-belt and straps out with the other variants, and you have the Men's pack. I like that these simple changes are what sets the two sexes apart, versus how some vendors make entirely different bags for the different genders.Pros: The bag is nice. This update removed the mesh pockets on the side of the pack, which is a blessing. These have torn for me multiple times on my older GG packs. This is a very welcome change. They are also cavernous, and easily the best update to these packs. The hip-belt is thicker than on my Crown2, which is nice since it's meant to carry a little bit heavier weight than my Crown2. The color-way for the women's pack is only different from the men's in that it has Teal webbing... I actually think this looks way better than the Men's. The bag carried 37lbs perfectly fine. They say the upper limit is 50lbs, but nothing feels comfortable to me in that range with any of my packs, so... I was able to lock everything in, without much movement back and forth as I was walking. The shoulder strap adjustment for the torso is simple but works fine. I waffled between 18in and 19in torso just to test how it felt -- both felt fine (and I'm right in between this measurement for torso at 18.5in + I'm 5'11 / 165lbs / 31-32in waist) The hip+belt being for a woman didn't bother me so much, but I do personally find my Men's version to be more comfortable for me (go figure, haha). The S-Straps are designed for a woman's bust, or a man with a barrel-chest... which I don't fit either of these. They still weren't uncomfortable for me. My girlfriend carried my Crown2 on the Timberline Trail around Mt. Hood to great effect, also, using the J-Straps - so either would likely work. The top lid is still my favorite of any pack I've tested or owned, as it's fully removable, can be mated to the belt in a make-shift lumbar pack, or hooked to the front straps to wear on the chest. It can also just be left at home.Cons: There's a zipper now, on this pack, hidden back alongside the stuff-it pouch. I don't know why they added this, as it's a failure point. If you have the pack loaded up and strapped down, unzipping this makes re-zipping it a pain. If you pack like a lot of backpackers do, you have a pack liner in the bag to keep items dry = usually a compactor bag, garbage bag, etc... this makes that Zipper mostly useless. I hope this feature is removed in later iterations (it never existed prior, to my knowledge, either). Bear bins like the BV500 don't fit horizontally -- this isn't a deal breaker for me, but might be for others. This pack has a drawstring closer for the main compartment, as well as a sort of half-roll-top strap system. I'm not sure why it has both. The Crown2, for example, has a roll top compartment without any draw string or zipper. It double secures it, either way, but seems almost wasted since newer GG packs have a single strap that goes over the middle of the bag which allows for strapping down items or cinching the main compartment down tight. This pack also doesn't come with the small bungees my Crown2 has for carrying a water bottle on the strap. Not a deal breaker, and an easy fix, but I still like them on my Crown2. I want to give this 5 stars, easily, because I like it and GG quite a bit, but I'm giving it 4 for these cons. I still think this is easily in the top running for a great pack, and I personally like it better than any Osprey, Gregory, Deuter, or REI bag I've tried in it's weight range. (I also have packs from ULA, Sierra Designs, Klymit, etc)Other: The back-panel and belt were fairly stiff for me. This likely goes away once it breaks in a bit, so I can't say it is a pro or a con, as I only have 50ish miles on the pack thus far. Most packs have been this way for me until they're broken in, with a little bit of rubbing/chafing at the hips until so.Overall, I'd easily recommend this pack to my female coworkers here at the Zoo.

I had just been measured for torso. Was having a very hard time finding the right backpack for travel and hiking. I love this backpack! It fit like a glove with minimum adjustment, tho I imagine I'll need to tweak it during my first use.I love the pattern, too!***Update: After travelling around Peru for two weeks with just my backpack, I have to say this piece is an essential! The most comfortable, convenient backpack ever for a smallish (5'3", 125) oldish (55+, haha!) woman. One thing I really like is that water learning to snug it up and tuck away the straps, it also seems as secure as any other bag with a lock on it...probably more...you'd have to cut through it to get into it quickly, once you've got it wrapped up in itself. And not a single challenge as a carry-on, even when packed to that max 60l 😉

I just completed my first ever backpacking trip, with a 50 pound pack for 4 days in Alaska, approximately 7 hours each day. I am on the petite side - 5'2", 108 lbs. I tested out a couple of other packs and ended up with either shoulder pain or lower back pain. The Women's Granite Gear was a dream. The straps and belt can be cinched down very tightly for a very small torso like mine, holding the pack firmly to my body, which helped make the pack feel MUCH lighter than it actually was. the adjustable frame is a great feature. I set it to the shortest setting and the pack sat right above my hips. The front zippered pockets are very roomy, with room for my 30 oz Nalgene and room to spare. the bag can be filled all the way to the top, and almost over the top, because the top straps cinch down very securely so you don't have to worry about losing anything. Some people mentioned an issue with the pack hitting the top of their head. I did not have that problem. the pack has TONS of adjustable straps to secure items all around the outside if needed. It also has large open pockets at the sides which held my tent and camp chair. My favorite part of the pack is the removable day pack. I think it's meant to be attached to the straps to sit across your chest. I clipped it to my belt loops and used it as a fanny pack and it was great. It's not huge but large enough to carry my Nalgene, phone (camera), sunblock and snacks. I even continued to use it on the days I was wearing my heavy pack because it was so useful. The pack was more money than I was looking to spend but worth every penny! I believe it made the difference between having a really enjoy trip and a really uncomfortable trip.

I bought this backpack for a South America several-month trip. I wanted it to be light enough that I’d be happy to hike in it if needed and sturdy enough that it could be checked luggage. This bag is awesome. I checked OutdoorGearLab and it’s their favorite women’s backpacking bag. I loved that the back is straight (not curved Osprey-style), in more of a mountaineering style. The water bottle pockets are huge. You can check our all the YouTube videos walking through the specs. This backpack is the real deal.

Backpack is great! Lightweight and perfect for our needs, but one of the buckles snapped off on me way too easy-the plastic snapped right in half.

I just recently got into backpacking, and this pic was actually from my first trip! This backpack was amazing! Super customizable, full of pockets, and cute! 10/10

This is an awesome new version of this pack. It has a neat frame system and lots of additional adjustments. I like the detachable lid. The hip belt is comfortable and I appreciate the exterior water bottle pockets.

used this feller on the JMT. holds so much and such good value. 5 stars.