I just took this brand new pack on its first hike up Mt. Waterman in the Angeles National Forest. The pack had never seen light before and I was excited to try it out. The hike was a relatively easy one, though we had some steep inclines to trudge up, there was no bushwhacking and the trip to camp was only 1 mile. The pack was filled to its weight limit and rode like a dream. I was loving it the whole hike up. When we finally reached camp, I lightly brushed up against a rock while taking off the pack. This was not a hard impact mind you, just a light brushing where the pack came in contact with about an inch of rock. A hole was ripped on the mesh pocket holding my Nalgene bottle. I couldn't believe it. I had owned the pack for about 6 hours and it had only traveled a mile. It was already messed up. Hmmmm....
Truthfully, I really want to love this pack. It's a fantastic design (though it looks oddly identical to last year's Exos). I think Gregory has a much better suspension system than Osprey. With the Optic they found that perfect balance between having the pack close to your back for balance, but far enough away for air flow. I find that the Osprey packs always feel a little too far from your back which throws off your center of gravity. I also feel like the Gregory suspension system transfers the weight to your hips a little better than the Osprey's.
The Optic is very lightweight. Obviously the Exos was selling so well that Gregory had to step in. They're a little late to the game, but a welcome player. However, this is their first version of this pack, and in the pursuit of shaving off ounces, they went a little too far with the mesh material in my opinion. The whole pack is surrounded by this weak mesh, which means you will need to treat it like a baby (and keep it away from them for that matter, babies ruin EVERYTHING). Make sure you don't bump anything while walking outdoors with this pack on and be careful setting it down! Act like you're hauling 58 liters of porcelain and faberge eggs!
Really though... who wants to baby their backpack? Second only to your boots, this piece of equipment should be able to handle abuse above all your other gear!!
I think for version 2, Gregory really needs to beef up the durability of the outer stretch mesh, even if it means gaining a few ounces on the pack. Since this weak mesh surrounds the outside of the pack, I can't imagine it not being damaged if you use this pack regularly in the wilderness. Other than the mesh, the pack is stellar. I do think it is better than the Exos just because it rides a little better on my body and transfers the weight more efficiently. It was so close to being a home run for Gregory. Unfortunately, the mesh is a big enough issue to make me return it. It failed on a very easy hike. How is it going to survive when I actually venture off into the woods? And what will it look like a year from now? For now, I will wait for the second revision of the Optic. I think if they can beef up the outer mesh, they'll have a real winner on their hands.
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