Gregory Drift 10 Mountain Bike Pack Review
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Gregory is no stranger to adventure as they were one of the original pack creators back in the day. The Gregory Drift 10 is a 15 liter pack that is designed through and through for adventure, whether you’re out for an all day epic or a quick ride after work. This pack has a compartment for every piece of gear and comes with a 3 liter reservoir to ensure you stay hydrated. The Gregory Drift 10 comes in one size and has an adjustable hip belt to allow for customization to your body type.
First Impression
I received the Drift 10 in the beginning of the Spring in the mountains of Colorado, which means on any given day, there is a chance to ride in 3 different climates in an hour ride. With 60-70F degree temps down low and 30-40F degree temps near the peak, I put the Drift 10 to the test for storage capacity. I would often go riding after coaching track and field, so on top of extra riding clothes and gear, I also needed a place to stuff running shoes and shorts. The gear used during the first month maxed out the pack capacity when used with a full 3 liter reservoir, this is to be expected. When maxed out with gear, I felt like the pack did a nice job at sitting on my back without feeling uncomfortable or moving around too much.
For being able to carry all the gear needed for an all day adventure, the pack does a good job. When the reservoir is filled with all 3 liters, it takes up a decent amount of storage capacity. This is true for nearly all hydration packs and it’s impossible to get away from, but it’s still an issue when trying cram all your gear.
There is a separate hydration compartment that fits the reservoir that is included along with other branded reservoirs. The hydration reservoir from Gregory is okay, but in the few months I’ve used two reservoirs, I’ve managed to break the mouthpiece on one and poke a hole in another. The bike valve has an on/off switch that is made out of hard plastic. If it breaks in the off mode, it deems the bite valve unusable. This happened to me pretty quickly. I would recommend in future models that Gregory addresses this.
For filling the reservoir, there is a wide opening that makes it easy to fill. At the top of the reservoir, there is a clip that connects it to Gregory hydration packs, removing any issues with hanging your reservoir in your pack to keep water flowing. There is also a hanging strap for non-Gregory reservoirs. To keep the hose close to you when riding, there is a magnetic clip that fits on your sternum strap. I’ve managed to lose this clip within a week of testing the pack, so this no longer works for me. I found this clip to be a little loosy goosy from the start, so when it went missing one day, I was not surprised.
Gregory Drift 10 Mountain Bike Pack Design
The design of the Gregory Drift 10 pack was very well thought out. The pack has enough pockets and compartments for your gear, but doesn’t go overboard. There are internal mesh pockets to keep your pump, extra tubes, bike tools and food in place. It comes with a zippered protected pocket on the top of the pack where you can stash your phone if you’re prone to falling. I use this more as a key storage pocket as I like to have easy access to my phone and keep it in my shorts pocket.
For those days when you want to shed a layer of stash a rain jacket, there is a mesh pocket on the outside of the pack that has plenty room to expand. There are two side straps on the pack that allow you to store extra items such as shoes or draping other clothes through. The main purpose of the straps is to cinch down the pack, but I honestly don’t find that as important as the storage feature. For helmet storage, there are a few reflective loops that you can attach your helmet to when not in use or you can use them for carabiners or bungees. In addition to the main pack compartments, there are two hip belt pockets that have plenty of room in them to store a large cell phone, gels, etc.
The YKK zippers on the Gregory Drift 10 have a nice flow to them and they have big and easy to use zipper pulls.
Pack Fit
The fit of the Gregory Drift Mountain Bike pack has been great through testing. It has a padded and ventilated mesh back panel that fits nicely around your body. This mesh fabric is soft on your skin, so if you’re letting it sit on your skin while wearing a tank top, you won’t get any spots of bad rubbing. I find this as a potential problem spot down the road as it’s not as durable as your standard nylon layer in most packs.
There is an adjustable sternum strap that allows you to fit the strap to your specific body type. The clip takes a little getting used when clipping and unclipping, but once you get used to it, it’s easy to use. The hip belt is adjustable, so depending on your torso length, you can move it up or down on the pack to fit your hips.
Final Thoughts
The Gregory Drift 10 Mountain Bike pack is as good as any of the mountain bike packs on the market minus the reservoir. This is a very competitive space and Gregory still has a ways to go to be a major player, but the the Drift pack line is a great start at entering this market. Visit GregoryPacks.com for more information.
