Gregory Stout 65 Review: Best Bag For Long Hikes?

Looking for a large capacity bag for backpacking trips? Gregory Stout is certainly an option worth considering!

This massive backpack promises to be extremely comfortable, it has all the features you’d expect in a bag this size and it’s reasonably priced. Is there a catch? Read on and see for yourself!

Materials And Durability

A good backpack designed for long-distance hikes should be built with the harshest conditions in mind. You should be able to walk through forests without worrying a branch will cause a tear in your bag and climb mountains not thinking about the damage rocks can do to the pack. Is that the case with Gregory Stout? Let’s see!

Materials

The Stout is made from a few different materials that have one thing in common – they’re all some variant of polyester. The body of the bag is made from 200D x 900D dobby polyester and 210D ripstop polyester, the bottom of the bag boasts reinforced 630D ballistic polyester and 135D high-density polyester while the interior lining is fully made from 135D high density embossed polyester. But what does that mean exactly?

Polyester is a man-made fabric made from plastic fibers. It can be manipulated in a variety of different ways, and the main tell of the fabric quality is the density. That’s measured in deniers (‘D’), and the higher the numbers the better the quality. So, when you see that the body of the bag features 900D polyester, that’s a really good thing that implies that this is one very tough bag.

Water Resistance

Polyester has some water resistance without any additional coating, so you can expect the Stout backpack to fare well in wet weather. You can confidently wear it in light rain without worrying the items inside will get wet, but keep in mind that polyester has its limits.

That’s why it’s great they include a free rain cover with the bag. It has its own compartment, so you won’t even know it’s there until you actually need to use it. The rain cover is 100% waterproof, and it will keep all your items safe and dry in case of heavy downpours.

Carrying Comfort

Carrying comfort is extremely important with large capacity bags. When you’re walking around with 50lbs+ strapped to your torso, it’s essential that you stay as comfortable as possible. Otherwise, you’ll be in pain, and that will just end your hike sooner than you wanted. Can the Stout keep you comfortable even when it’s fully packed? Read on and see for yourself.

Frame

Gregory Stout has an internal wishbone alloy frame for stable load management. It’s responsible for distributing the backpack load evenly over your torso so that you can still be comfortable even with 50lbs+ on your back.

It’s important to note that the frame can’t do its job if the backpack is not properly adjusted to your torso. That’s where the straps and suspension come in, and I’ll tell you all about them in a minute. For now, I want to point out that it is crucial that the first thing you do with the bag is adjusted it to fit you perfectly!

Backpanel

The Stout features a 3D Foam backpanel for excellent carrying comfort. It is quite thick, which means you won’t feel the frame when you’re wearing the bag. And it is covered with breathable mesh that helps your back breathe and prevents you from getting too sweaty.

Harness, Suspension And Straps

This is a big backpack, which means it will take some adjustments to make it fit your body perfectly. The good news is that the Stout features a fully adjustable TrailFlex suspension, allowing you to not just get a perfect fit, but also make adjustments on-the-go if necessary.

It’s possible to adjust everything about the back system, including the height of the harness, the length of the shoulder straps, and the width of the hip belt. This bag needs to fit you like a glove so that the weight can get distributed evenly, and I’m happy to say that you can easily achieve that.

Additionally, it’s important to note that the hip belt and the shoulder straps are all heavily padded and covered with breathable mesh for the most comfortable carrying experience

Accessibility And Organization

This bag has a total capacity of 65 liters, which already means that organization will be a challenge. Does the Stout let you have the necessities handy, and will it make it easy for you to get to the stuff at the bottom of the bag? I think you’ll be happy with what you read below.

Floating Top Lid

This backpack features a floating top lid with an underside zippered pocket. And that means that it is fully detachable from the bag, so you can use it on its own if you need to. This is great for longer camping trips and those outings when you only need to bring a few things and would rather leave your massive backpack at the camp.

And don’t worry – the top of the bag is designed so you can still keep everything inside safe even if you remove the top pocket. Roll the top down and secure it in place with compression straps to close off the main compartment even without the designated lid.

Main Compartment

The Stout backpack has a huge main compartment that accounts for the bulk of its capacity. It’s primarily a top-loading main compartment, but you can also access it from the front panel. There is a full-sized zipper on the front panel of the bag that gives you access to everything inside the bag, so you won’t have to rummage through the main compartment to get to the stuff at the bottom.

Also, the bag has an extra compartment at the bottom that gives you additional access to the main compartment. So, in terms of accessibility, the Stout gets an A++.

Other Pockets

With backpacks this size, you need a lot of smaller pockets to even think about organizing your stuff. And the Stout doesn’t disappoint there – it features five different pockets on the backpack body, as well as a couple of extra compartments that can help with organization.

My personal favorite is always the hip belt pockets since they allow you to have the most important things easily accessible. Then there are also the stretchy side pockets that are primarily meant for a water bottle but can also be used for a variety of other things from tripods to trekking poles thanks to the side compression straps.

Additionally, the Stout backpack has a big stretchy front compartment, which can easily fit even the bulkiest down jackets. It’s great for quickly stashing a layer of clothing mid-hike since you don’t have to deal with any zippers or compression straps.

The bottom of the bag also features a compartment meant for sleeping bags. There’s a divider inside this compartment, so if you do put a sleeping bag inside, it’s not going to get mixed up with the rest of the stuff in the main compartment. And if you remove the divider, you can make the main compartment bigger and get bottom access to it.

Extra Features

Now it’s time to cover all those extra features that are by no means a necessity but can certainly make your life easier while you’re taking on some long-distance treks.

Trekking Pole Attachments

Gregory Stout is designed as a hiking backpack, so it’s no surprise that it features dedicated loops that are meant for stowing trekking poles. These allow you to secure your poles to the front of the bag, ensuring that you’re not going to be that one guy carrying the poles under his arms when he doesn’t even need them.

Hydration Sleeve

This is a hydration compatible backpack with a convenient reservoir sleeve in the back. I personally prefer external to internal sleeves because if something ruptures, I’d rather my shirt get drenched then literally everything else in the bag.

But with the Stout, you don’t even have to worry about that. The sleeve is behind the backpanel, which means that the thick layer of foam would stop any moisture before it could get to your clothes. The position of the sleeve makes it really easy to set up hands-free hydration, but keep in mind that a reservoir is not included in the purchase.

Bottom Compression Straps

Large capacity bags like the Stout traditionally include sleeping pad straps. And although this bag doesn’t have dedicated attachments for a sleeping pad, it does have a pair of adjustable compression straps at the bottom, which you can use to secure a sleeping pad to the bag.

Value For Money

Gregory Stout is not exactly a cheap bag, so is it really worth that much money? I would say yes because it’s actually a good deal considering the quality and capacity you’re getting for the price.

A similar bag from Osprey or Deuter would easily run you $100-200 more for the same features and quality.

Rating

The Stout got an overall rating of 88, which is pretty good for our rating system. I took away a few points because it doesn’t have a lot of external attachment points and because it’s not made from nylon, but those are the only things I have issues with.

Verdict

Taking all the pros and cons into consideration, I still think that Gregory Stout 65 is a really good backpack. It is excellent if you are specifically looking for a big bag for camping trips and multi-day hikes. This is a bag that manages to stay comfortable even at full capacity thanks to the excellent suspension system and tough frame.

It’s also great value for money. The bag is priced reasonably, and it’s actually cheap compared to similar options from competing brands. And you get a rain cover with the bag, as well as really extensive warranty that will cover you for a while!