What pack is good for both quick weekend trips and longer outings?
Q: I am trying to decide between a Gregory Whitney 95 or the Gregory Baltoro 70 for the best-all around pack for anything from weekend trips to taking on the Appalachian Trail, and hopefully further reaches of the planet. Just trying to decide if the Baltoro offers enough space for the AT or if stick with the Whitney. — David Ocala, FL A: That’s kind of a 1990s question (“Don’t the Red Hot Chili Peppers rock?!?”) versus a 2010 one (“Is Coldplay the greatest band of all time?”). Because the Gregory Whitney ($350) is very much a 1990s pack. It is HUGE—5,700 cubic inches in the medium size—and designed for big, heavy loads. The Baltoro ($290) is a much trimmer pack (5 pounds, 9 ounces versus 6 pounds, 9 ounces for the Whitney), and has a relatively compact 4,300 cubic inches of capacity. The Whitney was designed in a day when tents weighed six pounds, Gore-Tex parkas were a pound or more, and boots were five pounds a pair. Once upon a time, I would have said that was the pack to get, beca
