Gregory Baltoro 70, Deva 60 packs win Backpacker 08 Editors' Choice

TEMECULA, Calif. – Gregory Mountain Products, the three-decade market leader in backpacks for the full range of outdoor activities, this month won an Editors’ Choice Award from Backpacker Magazine for two of it newest mid-size backpacks, the newly redesigned Baltoro 70 and the women’s specific Deva 60.

In addition, Gregory’s Z30 pack was named ‘Best All Around’ daypack in Backpacker’s annual Gear Guide, in the March issue. The magazine noted “their most finicky tester called the Z30 “darn close to the perfect daypack for general duty.”

The Editors’ Choice Awards are given for outstanding innovation in product design, materials and/or performance. Given annually since 1993, the awards honor the products that Backpacker editors have chosen as the best of the year based on months of trail testing by teams of highly experienced hikers and climbers. The award will be officially announced to the general public in the magazine’s April issue, on newsstands March 11.

The Baltoro 70 and Deva 60 are flagship packs in Gregory’s Backpacking Line. They employ Gregory’s Response Auto Fit Suspension, an innovative suspension system that improves pack fit and comfort by using pivot points on the hip belts and shoulder harnesses that allow the packs to automatically adjust to and mimic the contours and hip angles of their wearers. The Baltoro and Deva – which bear the same names as predecessors in the Gregory line – also employ lighter, stronger materials, yielding packs that weigh a half and quarter pound less respectively than the earlier models bearing the same names. In addition, Gregory is using innovative techniques such as co-molding technology, allowing foams of different densities to be thermo-molded into the suspension simultaneously, creating an ultra-clean and super-durable system.

“This year’s winners show that designers in our industry are really pushing the envelope in producing lighter, tougher, and smarter products,” says Backpacker editor-in-chief Jonathan Dorn. “As we found in field-testing, they’re making it easier and more comfortable for anyone to get involved in trail activities. Adds gear editor Kristin Hostetter, who has spearheaded Backpacker’s Editors’ Choice testing for more than a decade: “These outstanding products should enjoy the same sterling track record as our past winners. Readers and retailers trust Backpacker’s picks more than any other magazine’s because our testing is unrivaled in its duration and intensity. Our unofficial gear-testing motto – we break stuff so you don’t have to – says it all.”

For more information about Gregory packs, visit www.gregorypacks.com or call 877.477.4292.

About Gregory Packs

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2007, Gregory Packs has been the longtime leader in expedition, backpacking and day packs. Gregory is world-renowned for setting durability, comfort and performance standard in backpacks. In recent years, Gregory won awards for its pack designs from such diverse media outlets as Backpacker Magazine, Popular Science, National Geographic Adventure, Consumers Digest and Alpinist Magazine. Responsible for many industry firsts in backpacking fit and design, the Gregory research and design team, including company founder Wayne Gregory, continues to lead the way in innovative backpack technology and performance.

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