Gregory Baltoro 70 Backpacking Pack

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Probably the best wrong pack I could've brought on the Camino de Santiago

As the veteran outdoors-type will deduce from my review, I'm not an experienced hiker. Indeed, the last time I carried a backpack was in the mid-80s and early 90s while in the Marine Corps. However, in 2007 I needed a good pack for the Camino de Santiago in Spain, an approximately 500-mile trek over varied terrain and through unpredictable weather. Throughout my forty days on the trail, walking four to seven hours a day, the Gregory Baltoro was relatively comfortable, held up better than I did, and had good features that made the trek easier.

I feel better trying out expensive equipment and getting experienced help before buying, so I shlepped down to my local REI store. The clerk measured my 5' 10" frame and recommended the medium-sized Conifer-Green Baltoro (which at the time happened to be discounted). I agreed, so he adjusted one for me, stuffed some weighted bags into the cavernous top access hole, closed the inner and outer top layers via the drawstrings, secured the compression strap over the top layers, and finally closed the lid with its two clips. For two hours I wandered around the store to see how it felt. I experienced no painful showstoppers, and it seemed comfortable enough, so I bought one.

As I found out later, I should've gone with a smaller-capacity bag (around 50 liters or so). In addition, I compounded my error by cramming the 70-liter Baltoro with all sorts of unnecessary gear and extra clothing. I wanted to be prepared for anything, and as a former Marine I figured I could handle the load. However, after crossing over the Pyrenees on my first day, I knew I'd made a serious mistake. I'm a 40-year-old civilian vs. a 23-year-old Marine, so my body is less vigorous and forgiving than it used to be. That, along with blisters and aching feet, showed me why 10 kilograms is the maximum recommended weight limit for the trek.

However, my error was not the Gregory's fault. It carried the initial 20+ kilogram load just fine, and I had no back pain or pressure spots - it was much more comfortable than my old military-issue ALICE pack. Despite loading it to capacity, I never felt overwhelmed by the Baltoro. It rode nicely on my hips and lower back, everything worked like a charm, and no straps, buckles, or zippers broke. Towards the end of the trek I had a little intermittent irritation on my collarbone from the shoulder pads. But I never experienced anything that made me want to throw it down a cliff (well, sometimes I wanted to just for general purposes). And as I discarded unneeded items on the Way and got in better shape, I walked with an easier step and had less foot pain.

For a gear junkie, the Baltoro's many features were a blessing. The roomy side and front pockets easily ate items such as repair gear, medical supplies, and sun block. The lid's pocket held my rain poncho and other stuff that came and went as needed (like headlamp and snacks). A cylindrical container on the lower right side perfectly stored a 32-oz. Nalgene Narrow Mouth water bottle, and also had an attached elastic band that slipped around the cap to secure the bottle in place. I used the velcro hook-and-loop gear loops and compression straps on each side to hold my walking sticks when not in use, or as attachments for other items like a second Nalgene bottle. I was even able to thread the velcro strap on my M-Rock camera case to an elastic loop on the pack's left hip belt for easy access to my Canon A570IS. And the elastic pocket on the Baltoro's bottom left side was good for bits of paper trash or an extra small bottle of mineral water. Heck, there were features I never used, such as the reservoir sleeve (well, I did store a plastic-bagged copy of my flight itinerary in it) and a cable-like loop on one side.

Of course nothing's perfect, and I had a couple minor issues with the Baltoro. I initially considered the front and sleeping bag access zippers to be important features. However, once I began using a waterproof liner sack they became useless to me and I never bothered with them. Perhaps I could've packed my sleeping bag under the liner, especially since the Baltoro's bottom is waterproof. In addition, I would've liked a padded top handle, if only for a surer and less irritating grip. But none of these things were frustrating or harmful, and were related more to my inexperience than an actual fault with the backpack.

Bottom line, the Baltoro exceeded my expectations and held up better than I did throughout the 40 difficult (but awesome) days that I walked on the Camino. Hindsight is always 20/20, and I know now that I should've gone with a smaller pack. But I'm glad that I made the mistake of getting the Gregory Baltoro, because it was easy on a hiking neophyte like me.