Granite Gear Taku 24 Pack Review

[admin]

So I have been looking for the proverbial “perfect” day pack since my 15 year old Lowe Alpine had to finally be retired because the inner lining was shedding all over everything. It has been a long process to find the right replacement. I started with the Mystery Ranch Sweetpea, but that is just too big for EDC and lacks any organization. I love it for travel, but not for my type of daily carry. Then I went to a TB Synapse 19. This is a pretty good option for EDC, but just a little on the small side if I need anything extra (e.g., going to gym and need a change of clothes) and it is a little small on my body size at at 6’1″ and 190lbs. I tried the Synapse 25, thinking that would be the logical upgrade, but I just didn’t like the way everything laid out in the bigger size. Plus, when you got to a pack of that volume (at least for me), I found the lack of real waist belt and framesheet or back support to be a problem for me. I gave a Black Diamond Nitro a shot as well and while it fit comfortably, the width to height ratio was not ideal in my opinion (too narrow), plus it totally lacked any real organization whatsoever.

So at some point in surfing the web, I came across the Granite Gear Taku 24. I have never owned anything by GG, but I understand they have a pretty solid reputation for quality. And while I like brighter colored packs, the blue and green would not be my first choice. Gave it a shot anyway as it had a number of features that to me seemed pretty ideal.

I do quite a bit of hiking, so I would really like an EDC/around-town pack that can double as a daypack and even work for a weekend travel pack (I travel pretty light). Not necessarily an easy find because daypack hiking that includes sufficient water, some food and likely a DSLR camera and extra lens or binoculars weighs enough that I need a good hip belt or my shoulders pay the price. You also need some form of frame sheet or stay… all these things add bulk and weigh which likely aren’t necessary on a day-to-day basis. Well the Taku has all these things but they are removable.

For size comparison, here it is next to a TB S19. I am 6’1” and think this pack looks “normal on me”. I have about a 20” torso length and the pack fits me very well.

EDC/Interior:
For EDC carry, being out with the kids, etc., I think it has just the right amount of organization. There is a vertical zipper in the very front that has an easy access compartment, then there is a small admin area that has a key clip, zippered mesh area, and pencil holders. It is actually large enough that (snugly) I could fit my 13” MBP in a Tom Bihn laptop sleeve in that area zipped. The main compartment is pretty roomy. It has a hydration pouch sleeve and port on the back (could easily take a 3L reservoir and there is a hook-and-loop hanger to hold the pouch as well. There is also a small padded and fleece lined pocket at the top (for electronics and sunglasses). This compartment does hang into the main compartment, though.

Also, you can easily access the plastic framesheet through a zipper and remove it if you want to reduce weight or don’t need the extra rigidity.

Exterior:
The hip belt is a real hip belt! A molded hip belt just like you find on larger capacity packs (each side has a small zippered pocket too for snacks, phone, camera, etc). But it is very comfortable and really works nicely to transfer the load away from your shoulders. Plus, undo two pieces of webbing and it slides right out, so if you are not hiking and don’t need the load transfer, you can make the pack more streamline and lighter:

Also, as an added bonus, there is a removable rainfly that has its own separate compartment at the bottom of the bag. It actually gives a little bit of padding to the bottom of the pack when it is in there, but if you are looking to reduce weight, again, one piece of nylon strap through a flip and it is separated

The shoulder straps are the same polyformed foam material as the hip belt and I found them extremely comfortable to wear.

The back of the pack is also foam with high and low points to it as well as channels, the purpose being to keep airflow and cool the back. A more classic alternative to some of the newer packs that have some kind of almost mesh springboard to actually separate the pack from the user’s body (I do not like these designs at all). The Taku foam setup to me is way better and worked great (see below).

Hiking/Travel:
The Taku is 1,460 cubic inches which I think is a great daypack size. For volume purposes, I was able to fit two pretty full Eagle Creek packing cubes into the main compartment.

The one at the bottom of the bag was perfect, I need to push the top one down a bit to get it to zip. But for weekend travel purposes for me, that covers what I would need especially if I can fit my laptop in the admin area.

I wore it around the house in various configurations with almost 20lbs and found it pretty comfortable, then it made it out for a day on the town with my kids. Then it made it for a day at the zoo, which meant constant access to the contents as well as hiking half a day with it (albeit flat terrain). It was very comfortable with and without the hip belt. My back was definitely warm but not drenched in sweat, which I would say being drenched in sweat while wearing a pack is “normal” for me 

Things I don’t like:

• I wish there were other color options
• It is a bit “strappy” and I know a lot of people are not keen on that look. It does allow for a lot of lash points and the strap running across the middle make a nice spot to lash a coat to the exterior.
• The nylon straps are pretty thin imo. Whether this is an issue, only time will tell, but I am used to seeing 1” minimum straps on a pack
• The hydration port is in the middle of the pack and each strap has a small elastic piece to generally direct the tube down one strap or the other. However, there is no clip or Velcro spot to keep the tub in place. IME, it is best to have something of this nature so the hydration tube is not constantly hitting my arm when hiking (simple fix as I put a Camelbak slip on shoulder strap).

Conclusion:
All in all I am surprisingly happy with this pack to fill this current need. When I ordered it, I thought it was going to be a quick return as I have had such a hard time filling this niche. But when I fiddled around with the pack, my opinion really changed (plus the color is growing on me). The timing couldn’t be better, either, as my pack needs when out with my kids goes up in volume in the fall (my small shoulder bag doesn’t suffice when I need to have sweatshirts, coats, and hats along with me when we go out as the temps change throughout the day.) I have some weekend travel coming up in the next month and a half so I should be able to give it a little more of a test, but so far so good.

[Author]

Posts