Gregory Zulu 30 Backpack Review
One of the greatest things about reviewing hiking backpacks is that in order to properly test it out, you have to take it out on some serious adventures. I’ve been using the Gregory Zulu 30 for day hikes over the past year as far as the east is from the west. Literally. That includes the mountains of Acadia in Maine to the volcanoes of Hawaii. So I’ve had the pleasure of putting the Zulu 30 to the works.
Overall
The Zulu is a series of hiking backpacks from Gregory, very akin to the Stratos series by Osprey. The Zulu comes in 30, 35, 40, 55, and 65 L variations. However, each model also comes in a Small/Medium or a Medium/Large torso variation. These volumes are for the M/L model. If you get the S/M size, the volumes are actually 2L less than the number in the model name (e.g., if you get the small Zulu 30, it is actually 28 L). In any case, you can get a backpack for that day hike or that multi-day trek. The Zulu 30 is the only one in the lineup that has a zipper opening for the main compartment. The other Zulus have a buckled lid. But all of them are very similar in overall design.
Gregory is right up there with Osprey, Deuter, and REI in terms of top brands for outdoor packs, and overall, the Zulu is a top notch proper hiking backpack.
Key Specs
- 2.62 lbs and 28 L in volume for the S/M; 2.67 lbs and 30 L for the M/L
- Contoured shoulder straps with thick padding and suspension system
- One primary gear loop on the front panel with a variety of other lash points
Strengths
- The FreeFloat Suspension system makes the backpack extremely comfortable
- The pockets on the waist belt are large enough to fit my phone, providing quick access
Weaknesses
- There’s only one loop for your trekking poles or picks, and depending on the type of poles you use (I use tri-fold poles), the loop might not be wide enough for two poles
- The compression straps on the sides are inside the water bottle pockets, so your bottle will sometimes get caught on them when you’re trying to put the bottle away
Organization
Organization is one of the more subjective parts of hiking daypacks. While some hikers want to carry everything they might need, including small tools, and also know exactly where it is, others might only carry the essentials. So, there is a balancing act with hiking daypacks of not having so much organization that the backpack starts weighing more and not having so little that you’re just carrying a sack. The Zulu strikes a pretty good balance of the two.
- Main compartment — As mentioned above, the main compartment is a top access U-shaped zipper. But one very minor nuisance I’ve had with the Zulu 30 is that the access zipper is angled, instead of straight up/down. This, in combination with the fact that the fabric doesn’t have any stiffness, makes it slightly more difficult to operate with one hand than your typical zipper. Otherwise, the main compartment is very straightforward and simple. Due to the shape of the backpack’s frame, the back panel is curved so it’s something to be aware of if you happen to need to carry a laptop or something large, flat, and rigid. When hiking, I usually use this for carrying any clothes that I need (e.g., a jacket) or large food.
- Interior pocket — On the front wall of the main compartment is a small zipped pocket for your valuables, with an internal key leash.
- Top quick access pocket — At the top of the front panel. This is a good place to stow your snacks or sunglasses — things you may need while on the trail.
- Dual side pockets — Made of stretchy elastic mesh and can easily fit a 1L Nalgene bottle. There are compression straps for the backpack that run through these pockets (they are on the inside of the side pockets). Typically, they run over (on the outside) of these side pockets. I haven’t quite decided which I prefer. While having the pocket inside the mesh pocket prevents it from getting caught on other things, it sometimes gets in the way when I’m trying to replace my water bottle. But I do love how stretchy the elastic mesh is while still being sturdy enough that I don’t have to worry about it tearing.
- Front kangaroo pouch — Made of the same stretchy elastic mesh as the side pockets. It’s flat, so it stays out of the way when not in use, but the mesh is so stretchy that you can stuff bulky items in there. It’s a great alternative to the main compartment when you don’t want to repeatedly open up your main compartment (e.g., when the temperature is changing and you can’t decide whether to wear your jacket or store it). There is a side-release buckle at the top of the pouch, which is necessary to keep it secure, but I also don’t love the design choice of the buckle. The entire bottom side of the buckle is attached to the backpack’s front panel, so you need to squeeze with your finger tips to release the buckle, instead of with the fatter part of your fingers. I’ve seen other hiking daypacks use this same design, and I have no idea why. It doesn’t have any apparent benefits in my opinion.
- Zipped waist belt pockets — One common complaint I’ve had with different hiking daypacks is that the pockets on the waist belt are too small. This is where I want to keep my smartphone (because I often use my phone as my camera), so that I have easy access to it but don’t have to keep it in my shorts pockets where it can get super sweaty. Fortunately, the Zulu gets this right! The waist belt pockets are large enough to fit my phone, a Samsung Galaxy S21 (6.2" display). Also a great place to keep a quick snack or anything else you want instant access to, and to top it all off — they have their own volume, instead of being completely flat!
Additional Features
Chock full of additional features, common in many hiking packs:
- Load-lifter straps over the shoulder straps help stabilize the pack and keep the weight slightly closer to your body, helping create a more natural center of gravity.
- Removable rain fly included with bag and has a dedicated zippered pocket behind front pouch. Can also use the rain fly pocket for additional organization, especially if you know the forecast doesn’t call for rain and you leave the rain fly at home.
- Sunglass stow loop on shoulder strap allows for quick access to your shades, which is very helpful if you’re going back and forth between sunny and shaded parts of the trail.
- Elastic hydration sleeve inside main compartment. The sleeve is against the back side of the main compartment and has a hanger on the top so you can keep the hydration bladder suspended, and a port so you can run the hydration tube down the shoulder strap, where there is a clip for the tube on the right shoulder. If you want the hydration tube on your left shoulder, you’ll just have to thread it through over of the lash points on the shoulder strap.
- Attachment loop for trekking poles or an ice axe on the front panel of the bag. The upper loop is elastic with a cord lock, and can fit a pair of trekking poles if you’re using telescoping poles. However, if you use the Z-poles or tri-folding poles like I do, then the cord is not long enough to fit both poles. You could flip the folded poles upside down, so that the thinner metal parts are on top, in which case the elastic is long enough to wrap around the pair of poles. But then the thicker handles are dangling at the bottom because the bottom loop isn’t wide enough. I really wish there were two sets of attachment loops.
- Molded zipper pulls rings allow for easy use.
- Webbing keepers make sure the excess straps on the side compression straps are kept under control. I wish the shoulder straps had webbing keepers too.
- Adjustable torso size with the Medium/Large fitting torso lengths of 18–22 inches and the Small fitting 15–19 inches. For help with determining your torso length, check out our guide on fitting and adjusting your backpack.
- Sternum strap is fully adjustment both vertically and horizontally, and has a safety whistle built into the side-release buckle. Personally, I wish the sternum strap integrated an elastic segment so that there isn’t too much tension on your chest, but this is a minor point.
Construction & Comfort
When it comes to hiking packs, comfort is paramount and in my opinion is the most important attribute. The Zulu backpacks use Gregory’s “FreeFloat” ventilated suspension system which features suspended mesh to keep the back panel off your back and a cradling hip belt with flexing panels that are meant to move with the natural movements of your body. There is ample dual density EVA foam padding on the contoured, and edgeless, shoulder straps. All these, combined with the load-lifter straps and sternum strap make for an impressively comfortable daypack. Even if you load it up to the maximum recommended carry weight of 35 lbs, it still feels great. Obviously it will feel heavy, but comfortable for the weight.
The Medium/Large Zulu 30 is roughly 23.5" x 12.25" x 10" (60 x 31 x 25.5 cm) and comes in at 2.67 lbs (1.21 kg). The Small/Medium Zulu 30 is a couple inches shorter and an ounce lighter. This weight is roughly par for the course for a hiking daypack. It’s not light enough to be considered an ultra-lightweight hiking pack, but certainly not overly heavy either.
The Zulu 30 uses an internal frame with a perimeter alloy steel wire and fiberglass stay to maintain it’s shape. The exterior is all nylon with 420D high density (HD) nylon and 135D HD polyester on the bottom of the bag, 210D Honeycomb HD nylon and 210D high tenacity nylon around the body of the pack, and 135D HD polyester for the lining material. It’s not as robust as your top-shelf ballistic nylon EDC bags, but having a ton of denser fabric for the pack would make it quite heavy. For more details on the implications of these materials and densities, check out our guide on backpack fabrics.
In-Field Usage Notes
A couple last notes to add:
- The Zulu 30, like most hiking packs, does not stand on its own at all. The bottom is not perfectly flat, but even if it were, the shape of the bag makes it roll forward.
- The webbing on the shoulder straps are very long and the excess dangles, tickling your arms as you hike if you are wearing short sleeves. I have relatively large shoulders and I tend to wear my backpacks a bit low, so it’s surprising that they would need this much extra webbing on the shoulder straps. But I guess it’s good to account for all body sizes. My question is — Why don’t they have webbing organizers here like the side compression straps do? Seems like a very simple solution that they missed.
Summary
Overall, the Zulu 30 is a fantastic hiking pack. First and foremost, it’s super comfortable and has the key features you want in a hiking pack, including the right level of organization. There are a few tweaks I would make, such as adding another set of tool attachment loops, changing how the side-release buckles are attached on the front kangaroo pouch, and adding strap keepers on the shoulder straps, but a great pack nonetheless.
This pack is ideal for the casual day hiker who might be doing a hike anywhere between an hour to a full day. But not ideal if you need to carry a lot of technical or mountaineering gear, or if your main priority is to be ultra lightweight.
Features: 4 of 5 — The Zulu 30 has all the features you would expect from a hiking pack. There aren’t really any breakthrough innovations, but the features it does have are well-executed.
Organization: 4 of 5 — As far as hiking daypacks go, the Zulu 30 has plenty of organization. Many of the secondary compartments have their own volume too, and the waist belt pockets are large enough for smartphones.
Construction: 3 of 5 — The craftsmanship of the Zulu 30 is solid and what you’d expect from Gregory, but the materials used are nothing special. It’s all medium-density nylon, which strikes a balance of durability and weight.
Aesthetics: 4 of 5 — The Zulu 30 is a pretty great looking backpack, if you ask me. I do wish it had some strap organizers on the the shoulder straps so it didn’t look so dangly. The bag comes in blue, green, red or black.
Comfort: 5 of 5 — Definitely the highlight of the Zulu 30 and many hiking packs. It feels great. With contoured seamless straps, ample padding, plenty of airflow through the harness suspension system, an adjustable torso, a padded hipbelt, an adjustable sternum strap, and load lifter straps, there is nothing you can really do to make the Zulu 30 any more comfortable.
Life-Integration: 5 of 5 — The Zulu 30 is very simple. There’s not really anything you need to learn to use relative to other hiking daypacks.
X-factor: 3 of 5 — Gregory is one of the powerhouse names when it comes to hiking backpacks. As such, people will always be drawn to their gear. But they’re a big brand name, so there isn’t much flair or engaging with their customers.
