>>2326441I’m sure I’ve mentioned that pack before, because I’m kind of blown away that Gregory of all companies went in that direction. I don’t own one, but I took a close look at one about a month ago when I was buying some Aquamira (because Amazon is charging like $40 for the 1oz bottles). Gregory has never been known as making fragile packs, and this is no exception. The material is a nylon dobby, which is somewhat ubiquitous among high end packs. Not sure of the denier; the lighter pack is probably 100, and the new flagship is probably 600. Pretty standard stuff. An idiot will pick it up, see how thin it is, and immediately say it’s fragile. I’m sure the same people who swore by canvas said the same thing about ripstop nylon.
Remember how 10 or 15 years ago there was the meme of young teenagers wearing fedoras and playing with swords? “I studied the way of the blade” and other such memes took off. Well those kids are all grown, they traded in their fedoras for milsurp BDU’s, and swapped their katanas for a Savotta Jaakari.
Zpacks made from DCF are only fragile with regards to abrasion (which is common), and everyone buying a DCF pack knows that. They offer those same packs in robic, because of the wear tenacity issue of DCF. I’ve seen DCF tents that have lasted entire AT thru hikes. My Exos from 2014 is still being used after probably a thousand miles (mostly short trips but I make it a point to go on a week long hike at least once a year).
The Focal is exactly what I’d look for if I was in the market for a new pack. The suspension system is why people become Osprey fanboys, even if they don’t know it. The pocket layout is the streamlined, simple design that’s become almost standard. The weight looks nice. Just all around good, and shocking that Gregory made it.