I'm not in the market for a new pack, but I've been curious about this replacement for the venerable Vapor Trail. It looks like backcountrygear.com has them on sale now. Has anyone used one?

I bought one today on basegear.com with 20% off, should be here next week, can not wait to see it.

Justice, I am looking forward to your first impressions, especially of the new suspension system and how the pack feels against your back. I'm sure others will be interested too. --Mike

I will have it tomorrow evening when I get home.

There is a pretty thorough review at Sectionhiker.com.

http://sectionhiker.com/granite-gear-crown-vc-60-backpack/

Very nice - what torso size did you get?

I went with a regular torso. It fits 18-21 inches, and I'm at 19.5, so the fit is great. I've always found granite gear packs (at least the ones I've tried) to be super comfortable, and the Crown is no exception.

Aaron - is there any way that you might be able to do a favor for me? I am curious as to the measured distance between the top of the hipbelt and where the shoulder harness attaches to the main bag. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks,

No prob, David. From where the shoulder harness attaches to the top part of the hip belt is 15 inches.

Edited by aaronufl on 02/23/2012 18:34:06 MST.

Aaron, from you pictures the pack looks pretty big, how do you think it would carry a bear can? I have been drooling over this pack, it fits my needs perfectly if it can carry a full size bear vault with other low volume gear.

Arn,

In the pic I have a BV450 inside and it fits easily. a BV500 or other full size can would be no problem. If needed, the extension collar gives plenty of extra space too.

Another nice feature is being able to take out the framesheet when you don't need it (aka, when I finally go somewhere where I don't have to haul a bear can).

Thanks Aaron.

Aaron,

Awesome! Thanks for the info. I think I may be adding this pack to my collection in the near future.

Looks like they thinned out the hipbelt padding and probably saved some weight. That's a plus in my book. Their old one was pretty cushy... unnecessarily so. I've always wondered why so many manufacturers and consumers think extra thickness= extra comfort? Thinner is more flexible = more form fitting around the curvature of your iliac crest. Good stuff!

How tight is the interior hydration pocket? I had to modify my Blaze AC (which appears very similar) hydration sleeve to get a full 3 liter bladder in it.

Edited by grinder on 02/24/2012 12:04:29 MST.

I currently use a GG ozone that I like a lot. I use the expansion collar on it frequently...can someone with a crown measure the max volume from the expansion collar? (I'd love to see a picture of it packed as high up as possible!)

Also if anyone has also used the ozone also I'd love to hear a comparison between the two packs (volume and load carrying comfort especially).

thanks!

It will fit a bear canister, but horizontally or vertically? And if horizontally, anywhere in the pack?

I have the old Vapor Trail and my older Bearikade (10.5" long compared to the newer weekender that is 10" long) and it will fit horizontal in the bottom, but only after insertion vertically.

Thanks for your help
Steve

I just tried the it with a Backpackers Cache 812 and a Bearvault 500. The BC812 will fit horizontally anywhere in the pack. On the other hand, the BV500 refused to go horizontally anywhere in the pack. Either one seemed just fine vertically.

Edited by rmkrause on 03/30/2012 20:24:44 MDT.

I am a 6 foot male skinny 150 pounds.

Should i order the long torso?

What size hipbelt should i get, do i get to choose for free upon ordering from REI or maybe backcountry.com?