Jul 10
30
Gregory Women’s Angora 26 Backpack
By Karenna Awtry
The flowers are in bloom, the weather is perfect and you’ve found yourself with a few extra hours in your day. It’s the perfect opportunity for a nice day hike.
Get going quickly with the Gregory Women’s Angora 26 backpack, a no-frills daypack that offers such easy organization, you can practically toss your gear in the bag without a second thought. (And isn’t that what spontaneous day hikes are all about?)
The Gregory Angora 26 is a lightweight, simplified backpack. It comes in one form-fitting size, with a weight of 2 lbs. 1.7 oz. It’s a frameless pack, meaning there are no metal alloy bars to create a frame. The backpack’s structure is built on a molded foam back panel and also features a supportive foam harness for comfort and stability. The mesh back
Gregory Women's Angora 26 Backpack
panel and durable, water-resistant fabric provide relief from wet conditions — whether they’re caused by sweat or rain.
Fully hydration compatible, the Angora 26 women’s pack has a sleeve and exit port for the hydration bladder of your choosing. There’s also a single side mesh pocket for carrying a water bottle, or use it to stash snacks if you prefer.
Now, about that effortless organization. This Gregory hiking backpack sets you up with one large main compartment that is easily accessed by an offset zipper (a nice feature when you want to dig in deep without inadvertently emptying your backpack). Inside the main compartment is a mesh organizer, so you can toss in snacks, clothes and other gear with nary a thought. Like to upload photos or update your hiking blog right from the trail? Most laptops can be stashed in the zippered, padded compartment of this Gregory daypack. A key clip in the top pocket holds small items and keeps things close at hand. There is even a removable, discreet pocket that lets you bring along your valuables if you want to leave your pack behind for a bit.
The Angora 26 women’s backpack might be light on the bells and whistles, but it offers a good amount of versatility, too. Compression straps cross over the body of the backpack, letting you carry your snowboard or skateboard securely with the simplest of adjustments. It’s easy to attach an ice axe, trekking poles and other gear on the plentiful, adjustable tool loops, as well. However, if you’re more of a minimalist, just remove the hipbelt and stash it away and you’ve got a simple backpack for the trail or more pedestrian pursuits.
Gregory offers three colors choices in the women’s Angora 26: Pumice, which is a blend of gray shades; Trillium, which is an earthy blend of browns and greens; and Ipomea, a combination of navy blue, grays and red accents. All three colors echo shades of nature, so if you aren’t a fan of brightly colored packs for day hiking, the Angora 26 is probably more your style.
The Gregory Angora 26 women’s pack is still new on the market. Its popularity is clear, as most outdoors-gear retailers are having trouble keeping it in stock and many are offering online sales only. User reviews haven’t made it from word of mouth to the Web quite as quickly as the pack’s been flying off retailers’ racks. If sales rates are any indication, the Angora 26 is sure to be a great addition to the quality line of Gregory backpacks.
If you’d like to see more of the Angora 26 women’s backpack, or if you’ve already given this pack a go, share your experiences here and give other hikers a heads-up on their future purchases.