ProView – Gregory Women’s Tribute 55

This bag is sleek, comfortable, and easily adjustable. It is high-volume (55L) but not too bulky. The removable day pack integrates seamlessly with the rest of the pack and is useful both as one unit and two separate packs. I also noticed that the pack cover can also fully zip around the pack, even when it’s full of gear, and has a heavy-duty handle so you could wrap it up fully if checking it for air travel or want to keep straps at a minimum in the back of a loaded vehicle.

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Features

My first soiree with this pack was on a four-day November Moab trip to Canyoneer and hike that turned out to be a lot colder and muddier than is typical for this time of year. The bag felt like a bottomless pit (in a good way) while I was stuffing it with packing cubes and layer after layer of fleece pants and sweaters to ensure I always had something warm and dry for the trip. In addition to the main compartment, there are a few other zippered sections in the main pack. The two smaller ones were perfect for my toiletries and chargers, and the large internal mesh pocket is where I stored my slippers for quick access as soon as we arrived.  The bag also fully unzips all the way to the base so you can open up the main compartment in full, instead of having to rummage around to find something like in a traditional style duffle bag.

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On this trip, I used the removable outer pack as my day pack while exploring the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park and it was a perfect size. It’s small, light, and comfortable, but big enough to hold a 1.5L water bottle and a couple of extra layers. The outer water bottle pockets were great for stashing small gloves and neck gaiters and the large flexible outer pocket fit my light jacket perfectly for quick access to put it on and take it off. I also took advantage of the outer zip pocket buy using its key clip and keeping snacks and sunglasses in there. I do have other small packs that still have a small hip strap and so reached for one out of habit, but since it was so light I didn’t feel like I was missing it after hiking for a while. If it were really packed it might be a nice feature for Gregory to add in the future.

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One of the best features of this whole system that I took advantage of after a particularly muddy walk in rain and snow looking for dinosaur fossils is the Active Shield Compartment for stashing your dirty/wet/smelly gear. This compartment inside the main bag has a waterproof lining to keep the smells and moisture away from everything else in your bag. Muddy socks and sweaty clothes went straight into this bag and I didn’t think about them again until four days later when I pulled them out to put them in the hamper.

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I’ve started using the Active Shield Compartment just like a dirty laundry hamper for my underwear, sports bras, and sweaty base layers after a day of skiing, and then I don’t have to dig through any dirty pieces to dress for the next day on the slopes. This also makes unloading when I get home a breeze because I can pull out the things that are still clean to put away and just dump whatever is in the compartment straight into the washing machine.  

Packability

In addition to the Active Shield Compartment, I love the space this pack affords me to pack layers for both warm days, cold days, and après ski clothes.  Even packed full it is easy to carry with the beefy handles on the top and side which also are helpful when pulling it out of a gear pile or throwing it in the back of the car. Additionally, it is nice to have the option of either wearing it like a backpack or carrying it by the handle.

On many long weekend ski trips I’ve needed to bring my laptop along to finish up some work or download some photos and the daypack has been perfect for this to keep just my laptop and charger in because it’s so low-profile and offers the protection I need. I can keep it comfortably by feet in the passenger seat or slide it in the back next to gear.

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Room for Improvement

The pack cover is nice, too, if there is a lot of snowy gear in the car – you can throw it on and not worry about it getting wet at all surrounded by boots and skis, although it can be a little cumbersome to put on when the bag is full and I haven’t fully figured out how to attach it perfectly when I still want to wear the backpack straps instead of just cover the whole thing.

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The Final Word

Gregory hit the mark with this travel bag. It’s spacious, comfortable, sleek and full of functional features. I feel confident using it for both weekend trips and week-long excursions and love the versatility it provides me for including a small day pack that can be removed. I would absolutely recommend this bag to a frequent traveler.

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