Good/Not Good? Granite Gear Crown2 60

[@scottpalmer8368]

Have walked more than 300 miles with this pack. More than half of that time fully loaded. No discomfort whatsoever. All subject to each individual body I guess. Best pack I’ve ever carried.

[@Sweedurbex]

do you think this thing would be sufficient enough for traveling abroad in europe and other places

[@amo757]

Given your stated backpacking experience, I'm surprised you don't know that the weight of the pack is supposed to be mostly on your hips, not on your shoulders. Transfer the weight to your hipbelt and try it again.

[@Surago]

I have no experience and kind of figured the same thing. Like if its cutting into your shoulders at only 29 lbs, you're not distributing the weight right. But I don't know. I've never hiked for miles with anything more than five lbs.

[@marinamile]

I have used this pack with 30lb loads and it was just fine. Does it handle that load as well as my Mystery Ranch packs, no, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Honestly though, why do people buy ultralight packs and then try and use them like a traditional pack. If you are going to carry 30+lb loads then stick with packs that are designed for double that weight rather than pushing the limits of the pack and expecting it to perform at its best.

[@CrowMagnumMan2024]

I agree I hear this all of the time in ultralight pack reviews

[@sdcadventures101]

I have been hiking and camping with this pack for 2 years and have never had an issue with the shoulder straps.

[@joshuaaddington6165]

Same here. I was surprised to hear that

[@escapetherace1943]

@@joshuaaddington6165 all the weight was on his shoulders

[@AronOutdoors]

I'm 180cm tall and use the regular frame. It fits me well and find the shoulder straps comfortable once everything is adjusted correctly. The belt strap could make it around my fat 107cm waist. I'm not ultra-lighter, but 16kilo is about all I need to carry. (It's not for someone carring significantly more weight.) My tent, sleep system, cook system, hygiene/first aid kit and a few days of food all fit in. Things I want to grab quickly like a light jacket and water bottles fit in the outside pockets. The roll top is great and being able to remove the brain makes it more versatile. I'm getting older so I appreciate the light weight. The price is reasonable and I think the build quality is rather good.

[@bigzach322]

I own the Massdrop x Granite Gear Crown X60, which is basically the same pack. I do agree that not having bottom straps is a bummer, but that's a common issue with many ultralight packs. The lack of a separate reservoir sleeve hasn't been an issue, it works fine in the frame sleeve. I don't agree with your assessment of its comfort. I've been using it this past year, usually 25-30 lbs doing 15-20 miles per day on my backpacking trips. Towards the end you compared the carrying comfort to many packs that are much heavier and have rigid frame stays. The Crown only has a thin, flexible frame and is much trickier to pack. I learned this the hard way on my first trip. You cannot pack the heaviest items in the upper middle of the back. They have to be center and lower center on the back putting much more weight closer to the hips. Otherwise the frame barrels too much putting lots more weight on the shoulder. Now I don't really feel a difference between my Osprey Aether 60 and this pack, and I think the hip belts on the Crown are much better. Another issue some GG lovers like point out is their torso sizing is slightly different than most brands, usually 1" different. Having an ill-fitting torso size would put real pressure on your shoulders.

[@bigzach322]

I also find it really tough to compare a Mountainsmith Apex pack to the Granite Gear, they're not even close to the same weight class since the Apex is more than double the weight. Two pounds is a big deal! Someone looking to buy an ultralight backpack is never going to look at a pack that heavy, they probably already own one. A smarter comparison would be with ULA, Osprey Exos or Levity, or Gregory Optic, which are in the same weight and price range. Or at least the Mountainsmith Scream 55.

[@rolfdenver]

Having just bought and eagerly awaiting a Massdrop X60, I appreciate your packing tips as I would have probably put the heavier stuff higher. Thank you!

[@anthonyrogers1212]

The simple fact that you’re complaining of the shoulder straps hurting your clavicles raises red flags in my mind. I believe you probably packed the bag incorrectly. With ultralight gear comes ultralight responsibility and if you just throw everything in the bag with no regard for the frame sheet your gonna face painful consequences. I suggest you reconsider your review of this pack maybe contact GG and see what you may or may not have done incorrectly.

[@wanderingaloudwithmark3057]

He was well under the max weight. So I can not se it being user error. As opposed the packs specs. Don't get me wrong I am seriously considering the GG blaze.

[@danielcluley870]

@@wanderingaloudwithmark3057 Even with a lighter load than the max, the way you pack things inside makes a huge difference. You should pack gear so that the load is as close to your natural center of gravity as possible and close to and supported by the framesheet. Putting a heavy load off the back of the pack or on the top of the pack will result in the load not being properly balanced and leading to the load weighing on the shoulders instead of on the hip/waist belt as intended. @Anthony Rogers is absolutely correct.

[@vincentvega5686]

I don't understand those people complaining about the shoulder straps. I've used the Crown2 on a couple of 6 day/5 night trips with 35lbs loads and the shoulder straps were very comfortable. I have broad square shoulders but some guys have slopping shoulders. Maybe that affects the comfort level?

[@Scottagecheese1979]

My girlfriend and I both bought this pack. We love ours. We typically carry loads around 15 lbs. I will say though that I have issues with the straps cutting into my pectorals. I’m a bit larger, 6’4” 220. All in all, I’m very happy with my Crown2 60L.

[@bubobaby]

Thank you. I did notice the same thing with mine. But, it works for me because I don't want to carry more than 22lbs total. My current base weight is just under 16lbs so those issues weren't as bad. I'm getting old with a bad back and knees so I'm trying to lighten up my load 😁

[@stuartb9194]

Great pack, especially at that price. I suggest the strap issue is on you for not having the weight on your hips, it has an outstanding waste band for a lightweight pack. The shoulder straps should be controlling the balance, not doing the heavy lifting

[@southeastidahosuccessteam1491]

The excellent belt is why I ended up choosing this pack!

[@BrandonByers1]

If you are looking for more load capacity take a look at the Granite Gear Blaze 60 which has a 50 lb load rating.

[@danielcluley870]

Also a great pack. I own both a Crown 2 38 and my old Blaze AC 60. Crown is for UL and distance hikes. Blaze is now for weekenders and if I just want to bring more stuff or carry extra stuff for my friends and family who are not as used to backpacking.

[@fire7side]

I don't think saving those two pounds is worth it. I've read other reviews that it kind of wears out fast. The shoulder straps are probably because it's not transferring the weight to your hips well enough along with the soft foam. It's just not a good place to save weight. Packs have to be fairly rugged and distribute the weight well.

[@wallytaggart2612]

Good to know it may not be the best for the Rockies and similar terrains. I did a 14 mile hike, with almost no elevation, with a 40lb load and it held up just fine. Thanks for the info definitely useful!!

[@AntwonDaBusiness]

Most of the weight should be on your hips with the hip belt. The shoulder straps are only for stability. If it’s uncomfortable then you don’t know how to properly wear a pack. I hiked 50 miles with a 60 lb pack back in 2007 and shoulder straps were never an issue in regards to pressure because I know how to wear a pack.

[@roche4647]

Why do you ignore the comments @10:55 ?

[@flashpan26]

I have had one of these packs for years now and I love mine. I have the older crown vic with no lid, just roll top. I don,t need the lid so I like roll top better. True its not quite as comfortable as some other heavier packs but it is more than comfortable enough for me for the weight. I am a ultra light backpacker and don,t load mine down with unneeded gear. I go by the thru hikers rule that says don't take any thing with you that weights over 2 lbs, and don;t' take any thing with you that you don,t use every trip. I also don,t build campfires because at the end of the day after 10 miles i am just beat and don't want the extra work, I just want to sit down relax, watch the wildlife, cook my dinner and go to bed. I hike around 10 miles per day. I have my weight down to 20 lbs in the winter and 15 lbs in the spring and fall with all the comforts. I don't backpack in the summer though as it is just to hot for me. I have a 30 ft camper with ac for that lol. When I go out I like to put miles behind me and see meany things each day. Its like Anthony said with ultralight packs comes ultra light responsibility. If you are going to pack 30 or 40 lbs look at Osprey or Gregory they make exultant packs for that. I carry a marmot 15 degree goose down sleeping bag, sea to summit ultra light sleeping mat and sea to summit areas pillow, big Agnes tent, trangea alcohol stove with fuel, ever new pasta pot, titanium cup, titanium long handle spoon sawyer squeeze water filter with a camel back 2 leader water bladder, and a smart water bottle and 2 days of food and snacks. My change of cloths are made of sil nylon which doubles as a rain suit. I don't even think they make those any more, plus some more ultra light clothing items depending on the season and weather. I also carry a Morakniv companion knife and small ultra light first aid kit and ultra light fire kit. for lighting i carry the black diamond spot . If you pack light you can carry this pack with no problems and really put the miles behind you i love that

[@johnschmalbach8243]

Your judgement on putting the water bladder in the frame pouch is indeed the intended use. Since they already have that pouch they felt another was redundant. As for weight distribution first, at least 60% of the weight should be supported on your hips, I do about 70%. Second because of the design of this pack you have to adjust it old school. Loosen everything, start with the hip belt and work your way up. Dialing in is important so the weight gets supported by the front of the shoulders and/or chest and not the top of the shoulders. The one thing I will say is that using the sternum strap can be important for some people. My shoulders prefer S style shoulder straps, that way the weight that goes to the straps is more supported by my chest rather than my shoulders. A quick tug on the sternum strap moves the straps in enough. I weekly do between 6-10 miles on my days off just for exercise with over 1000 feet of climbing, and similar weight load, with no issues. As a frame of reference this is the pack I replaced my Kelty Redwing 50 with and I find it just as comfortable with similar load out. I will admit to additional things. 1. going from the Perfect Fit system to this pack was a learning curve to make it comfortable as I had to do a lot more fine tuning with the straps. 2. I can't just throw all my stuff in the pack willy nilly like I did with the Kelty. You need to make sure your heavier items; tent, winter clothes bag for me, are in the middle of your load ad against the back of the pack. This will direct the weight more efficiently to the hip belt. So I would ask two questions Aaron. What was your weight distribution and where were your heavier items? It sounds like the weight distribution may have been off and/or you had heavier items towards the front of the pack so the pack was trying to pull away from your back. As a side note you can also turn that lid into a nice chest rig. Put two carabiners, one on either shoulder strap and then use the loops on the top of the lid to hang it. I don't know if that helps with weight distribution but it sure makes it easy to access things on the go.

[@NewsViewsAndTruth]

Using the lid as a chest rig is a good idea. You can also use the hip belt and lid as a fanny pack. I'm purchasing the pack to use in conjunction with my ribz pack. I'll have my snacks, camera gear, and doodads in the ribz pack. The biggest benefit of this pack is the modularity (in my opinion). I intend to slackpack with this bag, in the fanny pack mode, with the ribz pack in addition. There are people who use slightly larger fanny packs to thru hike, so it's doable. Then, the base pack and frame gets slacked to the next point for me. I'm waiting to test the system that holds a water bottle to the shoulder strap with a few little lines or bungees. I'm shooting for a sub 15 base, with around a 25 pound trail weight. We'll have to see how that all shakes out.

[@MrGlitch76]

Shoulder straps are super comfortable (in my opinion) even hike shirtless for miles no problem, as the shoulder straps are smooth and soft (in my opinion)

[@johntuttle9544]

At 29# then I would expect you had 10-14 days kit and food properly distributed and were through hiking the PCT? More likely, you hucked stuff in the bag to get to 29# and then didn't get good transfer to your hips? Regardless, if using this pack at its max rating is the deal maker for you, then put 2 extra pounds into frame and padding into another pack and spend more. Properly packed its great for loads under 30#.

[@BackcountryExposure]

The two times that I’ve carried the crown I’ve not liked it either. It’s hipbelt and frame sheet are far too rigid. Felt like I was carrying a backboard on my back. It’s important that a pack can articulate with your body, and never felt like this pack had that ability.

[@bjclark4936]

Take the frame sheet out. Carries just fine.

[@banshee107]

I have the older version and LOVE it. I do like the large outside pockets on the new version

[@danielcluley870]

LOL, if you had a problem with the shoulder straps, you don't know how to use a pack. The load should be on your hip/waist belt. I have hiked thousands of miles with a Crown VC and the shoulder straps are never an issue. Only issue I ever had was the backpad got a bit sweaty. This is a great pack, and it does not have a "fatal flaw"-you just don't know what you are doing.

[@danielcluley870]

I see most experienced backpackers in the comments said pretty much the exact same thing.

[@livingsurvival]

It’s not the lightweight king but a badass pack for sure. Love granite gear packs and the straps but mine are older versions of the original crown and nimbus with maple frame sheet.

[@CicadaAppreciationSociety]

Good review. I've had this pack for almost a year and my base weight is 12.5 and full weight for 4 days about 24 pounds. I would not want to go over 25 pounds with this though, so I agree on the shoulder straps. This is kinda a hybrid between ultralight frameless packs like zpacks and traditional 60 liter packs.

[@cgKyle]

It's harder to find critical reviews, I appreciate it. I enjoy hearing the possible problems to make my own judgements instead of the infomercials from the fanboys.

[@puertoropelu2257]

How would you compare this to the kelty coyote you have used in the past ??

[@gideonstactical]

Coyote is better

[@rolfdenver]

I find the GG reviews fascinating. You had no problem with breatheability, while to another reviewer that was the only dealbreaker. That other reviewer liked the suspension; you hated the shoulder straps.

[@bloodyeyeful]

Excellent review! i considered buying GG and others. I invested in 2 Klymit packs. The 35 (?) liter and the 65. They both hug the body well using inflatable frames. They are ultra-lite with the 65 weighing about 2 lbs. The 35 material is a bit thin and I wore a hole in the outer pouch....somehow. They offered to sew it for a fee. I patched it. The 65 is heavier fabric, but I haven't put many miles on it. You may want to check one out. A unique and functional design in my opinion. i do not work for Klymit, or any outdoor gear affiliate. I teach, I fish, and I hike.

[@berniesbend]

If you like all the bells and whistles on this pack one alternate is purchase strap pads. ZPack sells some that attach via the daisy chain.

[@kenmarapese9085]

Good looking pack. I'm guessing you adjusted the hip belt after your shoulders started to ache. I purchased the Mountain Smith a couple years back based on your review, really like it.

[@timothydurkan]

I have this bag. Your Achilles heel... i agree wholeheartedly! I'll still keep it for lighter loads.

[@advanturecantstop901]

thanks..it is great info and shoulder straps info too..made me change my mind because i had experience with thin straps yes killer..

[@rickkerans8485]

Great review. Shame the shoulder straps are not thick enough.

[@cephasmcpher67peteroutdoorspip]

Maybe it would work for you in a colder season when your wearing more layers. Good looking pack though looks aren't everything.

[@maureenleahy8292]

can you review the osprey atmos and or exos which are very popular

[@schooljs1]

You might want to try Deuter packs. Specifically the Aircontact lite. Deuter makes a great bag, I have the Deuter Aircontact Pro 70+15 and I love it.

[@kaiabbe2623]

Go get the ULA Catalyst or the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 4400. I think those packs would fit your needs much better

[@wanderingaloudwithmark3057]

@gideonstactical thanks for the review this pack is on my short list to lighten up this year. The shoulder straps just killed the deal. I am packing minimum 35 lbs. I am currently using a 75 liter Osprey Xenith. Looking at the Gregory Paragon,any experience with this pack?

[@LastDays2024]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqfNhH5vaN-FaNk For the money? Best pack that can carry up to 50 pounds.

[@davidbrasfield6357]

Thanks for the review, I was just about to pull the trigger on this today! Now I think I'll look for a few more reviews to see if anyone else has a similar issue with comfort. As an "older" guy with bad hips and knees, I try to keep my pack weight down and would like to see more reviews of lighter packs and equipment. As an occasional backpacker weight is a bigger concern than durability. Did you test the water resistance of this? Is a pack cover a necessity? Thanks again! Edit: After checking out many more reviews with only one person having this problem - and she said it went away after 5 miles - I went ahead and pulled the trigger on it today. Got the Sage color off Amazon for $150. Will try it out ASAP and if I have the same issue I can return it via Amazon's great policy. Fingers crossed...

[@cnorth3036]

how did it go?

[@davidbrasfield6357]

@@cnorth3036 How did it go? Hard to say, In many ways I really like it, minimal but light. Straps are no problem for me, however I've developed a pain in my tailbone. Is it from the harder than usual material at the bottom of the pack or something else> I don't yet know. I need to take it on a long trip (hopefully sooner than later) to know for sure. My lower back has long been bad so I won't blame the pack just yet.

[@cnorth3036]

David Brasfield thx for the replay!

[@wanderingaloudwithmark3057]

@gideonstactical can you you compare the granite gear crown to the blaze. Thanks for the video, I am trying to trim some weight this year. My osprey xenith is 5 lbs.

[@Hayyothhakodesh]

Thankyou sir so much.

[@DangerousGoldfishcom]

6,8,10,15. Lol this is a ultralight thruhiker pack. This pack is meant to do 20 to 30 miles a day.

[@ocomegashadowstacking5886]

Really awesome backpack review!!!

[@ericgarcia5108]

#mailbag What pack can you recommend for hunting. This past rifle season was my first time hunting. And one of the first things I quickly noticed is that my 25L pack was not big enough for all the gear I was carrying. And even if I did manage to get all the stuff in there, it has no waist straps. So all the weight of the pack and the rifle came down on my shoulders, making the trek to my spot unbearable.

[@davidwolicki3684]

5.11 rush 72

[@gideonstactical]

I would like at the Vanquest Markhor-45 or ibex 35, or mountainsmith mayhem series

[@GrumpyGrunt]

I've looked at it a couple times and it always felt like the wrong pack for me, for various reasons (some of which you identified). I just picked up a Kelty Redwing to try. I would love to run with one of those Vanquest Markhor-45s for a weekend, if they weren't so expensive. I am waiting to see some longer term reviews on it before I spend that kind of $ on a pack to replace my ILBE Gen2.

[@jerryjohnsonii4181]

Awesome backpack Aaron.

[@Teddy-fx6fx]

Lightweight pack needs lightweight load. 30 plus pounds look elsewhere

[@williampeacock7372]

How doo I ordeyour pratch

[@pismorichy]

I own this pack, It sucks! My 30L outdoor products is superior.. In MY opinion.. snaps broke on first try.

[@gideonstactical]

Yep 👍 not impressed

[@nensev4]

#mailbag what leather gloves do you find to be the best insulated and non insulated?

[@nuwrcaan]

Vid starts at 3:15. 😩

[@blithewraith5948]

#mailbag what's one of your favorite fictional characters from your favorite fictional book

[@jerseyknifeguy6382]

Yo throw that shit out........ I need knife ideas I'm gettin like 15 knives off family members and I don't know which ones to get...... Too many out there and I have most of them!!!!!!!!

[@bradmoulton138]

LOL....I can go for 5 days and only carry 25 pounds but I'm not carrying fukin stupid shit like drones.

[@frogslips]

For the love of god, take a pause in your delivery.

[@foreverjim5240]

First

[@lee85gavaz]

#gideonstactical Great channel by mannnnnn you talk toooooo much make videos shorter