Santa brought me a Gregory Z55 pack to help be begin backpacking. One of the features of the pack is a "removable top lid". Can someone please explain how this is supposed to work; I can detach is easily enough, so it's removable - but how do you carry it? I imagined that one of the existing pack straps would also detach for use as a shoulder strap of sorts. Or, does it just detach and that's it?

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

So you can leave it at home. :)

Most lids can double as a fanny pack using a web strap as a belt.

Is there a belt on the underside of the lid? I had a Alps Mountaineering pack that had a detachable lid and when I took it off, there was a belt hidden under a panel on the bottom of the lid. I haven't had a Gregory pack though, so I don't know if that is the case with yours.

If you really wanted it to be usable in that fashion, you could always add a belt to it.

I think on the Z55 you may need to rig your own straps if you want to use the lid as a daypack. Technically, its a floating lid - pocket that is connected so that you can put things sandwiched between it and the main pack when you have more gear than will fit into your pack. Useful in winter time for extra CCF pads, etc.

Edited by livingontheroad on 02/13/2013 14:59:12 MST.

It's removable so you can ditch it for shorter trips. As others have said, you could rig it into a fanny pack for dayhikes from base camp. I used to have an Osprey Aether with a top that came off and had a hidden waist belt. Extra weight though.

If you want to use it as a fanny pack, wear a webbing belt as a hiking belt, and then you can thread that through the top lid and wear it as a fanny pack.

But mostly, the removable (floating) lid is so that you can cram a bunch of stuff under the lid and then synch the lid down. But hey, using the lid as a daypack makes it multi-use! :o)

I remember "back in the old days", Gregory allowed for the main pack's hip belt to be completely removed, then slipped thru the underside of the top lid, thus creating a fanny pack with a massive hip belt. Competitors typically "opted" for the tiny waist belt tucked underneath of the top lid, making for a much easier system.

I've been so out of the loop on Gregory products for a while, so I have no idea if this is still the case for their packs. Frankly, I seriously doubt it, given how "specialized" frame systems are these days. One "clue" could be if you can run your hand thru a "slip" on the underside of the top lid. If so, I'd suspect they are providing for some form of hip belt to work with it.

good luck.

Matt

My older Gregory Palisades top has a belt hidden under a bottom rubber panel. I thought about cutting it off but moved on to a different pack. As a waist pack, it didn't fit very well. I've used it for short hikes after setting up a base camp though I usually just stick a water bottle in my pocket. Perhaps they dropped the belt in order to save weight.