Gregory Mountain Products Wander 70 backpack, or simply Gregory Wander 70 backpack, is one in Gregory’s series for youth and kids. This means that the pack is constructed with a lot of adjustability in the suspension system so that it can grow together with the kid.
Benefits
- Dual access to the main compartment.
- Rain cover.
- A lot of adjustability.
Best price & place to buy
- The best place regarding the price and shipping conditions is usually Amazon.com.
Description
Gregory Wander 70 is a popular pack which has been around for many years. The version presented here is the latest one, from the year 2016.
The pack is built for kids from the age 10 and up, but it can be used by any other person with a smaller body size, women in particular.
This is a pack with two access points to the main compartment so you have:
- Top access under the lid.
- Front access through a U-shaped zippered entrance.
The pack comes with an integrated rain cover. Compression straps are on both sides of the pack, and also on the bottom where you can attach sleeping pad or tent, this is visible in the picture.
On the front you have dual daisy chains for attachment, this is something always good to have. In addition, you have two attachment loops on the bottom and tie-offs higher up. The pack is hydration compatible.
Suspension system
I have mentioned that this is a highly adjustable pack, and indeed you have a harness that can easily be shifted up or down.
For this, you only have to break the velcro and move the harness to the desired position, then press the velcro back and you have your perfect fit. This is Gregory’s VersaFit system.
A similar adjustment is available on the hip belt where hip fins can also be moved forward and backward to adjust to the kid’s body changes. This implies that it is adjustable for children of various waist circumference in general.
The sternum strap is adjustable and with an emergency whistle.
Pockets
There are many available here. On the hip belt, you have two zippered nicely designed pockets for small items, mobile, or for snacks, see them above. On the front you have a big U-shaped zipper with the entrance to the front pocket, this is visible in the picture below.
There is one large zippered pocket on the top of the lid. On both sides, you have two good size mesh pockets for water bottle or for anything in principle. Whatever you put there you can fix it with the compression straps.
Here is a video about Wander series, note that it shows the previous version:
See here about VersaFit suspension and about fitting the pack in general:
Pros & cons
| Cons | Pros |
|
|
The previous version (known as Gregory Mountain Products Wander 70 backpack) has received an incredible rating at Amazon, 5.0/5. The new version still hasn’t received any review at Amazon, but there are reviews elsewhere, very positive of course.
Specifications
- Weight: 3.7 lbs (1.56 kg).
- Size: 28 x 13 x 13 in (71 x 33 x 33 cm).
- Torso fit: 13 – 18 in (33 – 46 cm).
- Waist fit: 22 – 40 in (56 – 101 cm).
- Capacity: 70 liters (4272 cu in).
- Maximum carry weight: 35 lbs (16 kg).
- Material:
– Body: 300D polyester, 400HD polyester.
– Base: 630D polyester ballistic. - VersaFit adjustable suspension.
- External front zippered pocket.
- U-shaped zippered front panel access.
- 2 zippered hip belt pockets.
- Zippered security pocket under the lid.
- Integrated rain cover in a separate pocket. Rain cover weight: 3.5 oz (0.1 kg).
- Dual mesh water bottle pockets.
- Internal hydration sleeve.
- Dual daisy chains on the front.
Comparison with other models
Here are a few other models for kids, for comparison:
| Gregory Wander 70 |
Deuter Fox 40 | Mountainsmith Youth Pursuit |
|
| Weight (kg) | 1.56 | 1.3 | 1.6 |
| Volume (l) | 70 | 40 | 50 |
| Loading | top, panel |
top | top |
| Rain cover | yes | no | no |
| Lower compartment | no | yes | yes |
| Zippered side pockets | no | 2 | 2 |
| Harness adjustable |
yes | yes | yes |
| Belt pockets | 2 | no | 1 |
| My rate | 8.9/10 | 9.0/10 | 8.9/10 |
Differences between the old and new versions
- The old version comes in two sizes XS/S and S/M. The new version is one size.
- In the new version, there are two attachment loops on the bottom, and higher up you have bungee tie-offs. This is for the attachment of trekking poles (or ice-axe). This is absent in the old version.
- The new model has 2 zippered hip belt pockets. They are not available in the old version.
Conclusion
To conclude this text about Gregory Mountain Products Wander 70 backpack, this is a great tool regardless which version you use. Both of them are presently available at Amazon. Of course, the latest version has some more features, in particular, hip belt pockets and attachment loops. This pack is designed to last and it is no surprise that it is so highly rated by Amazon customers.
A 70 liters pack may look too big for kids at the lower end of the age range, but no worry, it has a lot of adjustability options, and its compression straps can make it effectively smaller. But in any case, you can see the smaller versions from the same series, the 38 liters pack and the pack of 50 liters.
Thank you for reading, I hope the text has been useful. It will be great to hear from you, there is a comment box below.
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