Gear Review: Gregory Palisade 80 Pack

Palisade 80 has far superior fit,comfort,and weight distribution compared to my previous Jan Sport 80 pack. However I sure miss having side pockets and the center pocket is lost since it must be unzipped in order to access the main compartment from the back.

My dad just got a new gregory pack. And we both love it!!! I am going to get the saim pack myself.

I have owned a Gregory Palisade for one year, using it for several weekend and 3-4 day trips with my family. It is an excellent, well organized, durable pack with no flaws. It carries 50+ pounds with ease. It will be perfect for my next weeklong or winter trip. The weight of the pack is not an issue if the pack is capable of managing a heavy payload so gracefully. I should add that prior to purchasing the Palisade, I test drove several backpacks owned by friends and family and I am very pleased with my purchase.

I'll add that I just recommended a Palisade to a friend today. I've had mine for years and carried 70 lbs (kids gear + 20 lbs camera gear) up into the Ansel Adams Wilderness about 3-4 years ago and despite the huge load, my pack remained comfortable. It is an incredible pack and carries a heavy load remarkably well.

My wife was not so lucky at first, carrying her load with a store-brand high-end backpack - and she was never comfortable carrying much load.

I bought her the women's equivalent of my Gregory Palisade (she has the newer version with the adjustable plastic-reinforced hipbelt) and she loves it. She too has found that the Gregory Palisade is a terrific backpack!

I would absolutely look for a Palisade again should I ever need to replace mine!

I owned a Gregory Shasta, and had absolutely no complaints about it's durability or construction (outside pockets woulda been nice though). Its bombproof construction was its claim to fame, but also its downfall. That sucker was heavy! Almost 7 pounds! I called it "The Lead Duffel Bag". I gave it to a friend, and picked up a Golite Odyssey with a similar capacity and only HALF the weight! I sure do miss that cushy hip belt though.

I had a North Face pack for many years, and bought the Palisades this year. So far really enjoying it. Have mostly been 4-5 day trips on the AT, and the load has been comfortable and pack seems built well. Can't wait to test it out in Yosemite come Sept.

I have a Gregory Palisades from 2001, and it is a workhorse. I don't know anything about the company changes, or manufacturing issues, but MY pack is comfortable, holds a ton of gear, and is holding up fine - even in the cold, wet New England woods! Some outside pockets would be nice now and again, but those can be added easily when needed. The quality in MY 2001 pack is still solid.

Loved my pack, the Gregory Palisade 80. It carried and adjusted well and took me on several AT hikes. One problem that irked me was that I could not fit my sleeping bag comfortable in the bottom area without putting my back into it. It just didn.t fit and had to be crammed in, each piece seperately. If you ever fix that problem then I will purchace another one. Thanks.
Semper Fi
Dutch

I am relatively new to the hiking scene. After reading all comments above I am confused. Where is Gregory actually made? Did Gregory losed many of their top people. After reading it would seem that someone is misinformed or we all need to know the truth. Your comments would be appreciated.

What I want to know if what happened to Gregory's quality in the last 2 years?? Before this Gregory's packs were LEGENDARY! Now all their Whitneys break and many of the zippers on their Palacades and Baltoros break (don't take my word for it..look at the reveiws). BOTH sides of the zipper on my new Baltoro 70 broke (came undone...they were sewn in wrong). My friends (who told me to get a Bora 80) all heckled me. I sent it in to get it fix by Gregory and they actually SEWED IN the error!!! I opened the box returned to me from Gregory and before I even touched it, I COULD SEE that the zipper was still separated!! How did the repair person miss this if I could see it with the pack still in the box?? My friends really ribbed me for this as they refered back to the Bora 80. Since when did Gregory Mountain Products become a punch-line?? I hope something changes.

China eh ?
Glad I ordered my Crossfire.............

I met with the staff at the Sacramento store to have a patch put on a pack after some heavy use and abuse. They were helpful, kind, sincere and refused to charge me for the small repair. Gregory packs have a lifetime warranty! This pack in particular carries weight with ease. I consider it my greatest asset in all my adventures. Thanks Gregory!

I work at Gregory in customer service and wanted to take the time to respond to your comments. We take a lot of pride in our products, and take it very seriously when people have problems like the ones you describe. While I can’t speak specifically to what caused your problems without seeing the packs firsthand, what I can say unequivocally is that Gregory takes its reputation for building great packs very seriously, we have always stood behind our products, and we always will. I encourage you to contact me directly at gmc (at) gregorypacks.com or by calling (877) 477-4292 (you can ask for George in customer service).

I’d also like to take this opportunity to clarify a couple of your comments. Gregory did indeed move to Sacramento in early 2008, in part to be closer to the mountain activities that are a big part of our employees regular lives (including mine!). That move did happen in concert with the sale of the company, which returned it to private (and independent) ownership after many years of Gregory being owned by other companies. That has been a good thing for Gregory, its employees and its products. Finally, the entire design team – which had all been with the company for many years, and including founder Wayne Gregory – made the move up to Sacramento. In short, Gregory’s a much more unified and focused company now than it has been in decades.

Thank you for your feedback. We do value it. And the last thing we want is an unsatisfied customer. I encourage you to contact me and help us show you why we’re proud to have our name on our packs, even when there are isolated quality issues like yours.

They also use velcro on the backs of their new packs to hold tools and ice axes etc.
AS you walk with the packs the velcro bondings come undone.
The new Gregory packs are totally worthless

I had an older Palisade (1996?) pack that also had a 9-day tour through Yosemite and many other 4 to 7 days trips around the U.S. On the Yosemite trip, because of an injury, I had to carry up to 70 pounds, and this pack held up with without the slightest moan. Never had issue with this pack, and loved the quality Gregory built into their packs. That all changed in 2008 when I had three new packs start falling apart on me, with loads well under the max suggested. They were the Z, Z-50, and Triconi. Rivets popped, seamed pulled apart, and the waterproofing material literally melted away. I spoke with Gregory and found China now builds their packs. Nuff said on that, and I won't even go into the customer service debacle. I also learned when they were sold off and moved headquarters a couple years back that they lost the most talented designers and support personnel.

Although Gregory packs were a bit heavier than others, I really enjoyed their build quality. Unfortunately, that is now gone.