WARNING: If you suffer at all from wanderlust, REI could possibly be hazardous to your wallet. Weigh that against it complete AWESOMENESS and you'll probably still find yourself inside it's beautiful walls. At least I warned you.
This was my first trip to the sporting goods/outdoor adventure store and I spent almost two hours just walking around looking at stuff. I've never seen so many options for sleeping bag pads alone! And then of course there's a different coat for every single activity man has invented, base layers that feel like they're made of air, Permethrin spray to guard against parasites while on the road, and the backpacks....
I thought I would slip into the store unnoticed and try on a few packs, then slip back out again for more research and price shopping at other stores. Hahahahahaha. Luckily the staff at REI were extremely helpful. It was only a few moments before Kimberly was at my side asking me questions, getting me measured, and guiding me away from what I hadn't known were the men's backpacks.
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Gregory Sage 35
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She strapped this beauty on me and packed it full of weighted beanbags before sending me trekking across the store to try it out. It was the first one we tried and nothing else came close. I thought there couldn't be a big difference between the different brands, at least not one that an absolute newbie like me would be able to discern. Boy was I wrong. One pack I tried wouldn't even come tight enough around my waist to balance the weight on my hips (despite being advertised as my size), another one continued to pull my shoulders back no matter how we adjusted it. The Gregory Sage 35 balanced perfectly on my hips once I realized the key is to STAND UP STRAIGHT (as my parents are sick of telling me).
Here is what I really love about the Gregory Sage 35
- It's top loading, but objects in the bottom are still easily accessible through a zippered side pocket (the zipper gets even bigger with the 45 and 55 models).
- The rain cover is included and easy to pull out and pack up. It even has a little clip on it (like you see in regular backpacks and fanny packs to secure your keys) to help you keep from losing it.
- A sleeping bag and/or pad is easily strapped to the bottom of the pack, so no fishing around for them when you stop for the night.
The unfortunate thing is that I want to get as close to that magical 50L mark as possible (the maximum for most airlines to consider it still a carry on) and this is only 35L. REI assured me they will be getting a new shipment of backpacks in relatively soon and that it will most likely include the Sage 45 so hopefully that is just as comfortable as the 35. Another nice thing about REI is that anything you buy from them online can be returned to store, no so return shipping fees! (aka. the bane of my existence)
*For anyone contemplating making a large purchase from REI (the above backpack is a cool $250), consider joining their membership program well in advance: not only does the $20 membership fee then save you 10% on full priced items for life (How? I have no earthly idea) but they often send out coupons for 25% off. You'll easily make up the difference.
photo credits in this post belong to REI.com
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