The Gregory Zulu is a versatile day hiking pack that prioritises comfort, functionality, and solid build quality. Having tested it during the spring and summer months Munro bagging in Scotland, I've been impressed with its cradling harness system, and great ventilation for all-day comfort. Thanks to its well-thought-out feature set and solid build quality, I'll be choosing to use this pack in future, even now the review is published.

As day packs the men's Zulu and the female equivalent the Jade come in various capacities from 20L to 28L. Here we're looking at the smallest in the range, the 20. Both Zulu and Jade also offer the choice of a plus size model for larger users. Hats off to Gregory for their plus size range, another of which was featured in a review last year:

In Use

During my walks in the Scottish hills this season, the Gregory Zulu LT 20 has proved its worth. A 20L capacity is ideal for 3 season hiking for me, enough to store all my clothes, essentials, food and drink for the day whilst still remaining light and compact. This pack has a suitable selection of pockets, which are good for separation of valuables and quick access items on the hipbelt, and it has a good-sized main compartment with a front panel opening for greater ease of access to certain items than a top loading bag.

The harness system offers excellent comfort, which impressed me immediately when I first tried it on. Even when fully loaded, the pack distributes weight evenly across my shoulders and hips, reducing fatigue. However, this comfort comes with the drawback of added bulk, especially around the hips. This extra support is beneficial for carrying heavier loads on day hikes, but it feels excessive and restrictive during fair weather summer hillwalks with a lighter pack that doesn't require as much support.

One of the standout features is the ventilated back system. The mesh trampoline back panel allows air to flow between my back and the pack, which I have especially appreciated on warmer days. This prevents the sweaty, sticky feeling common with less ventilated packs. However, when I'm carrying a lighter load, the hip belt can feel overly bulky and become a spot for unwanted sweat buildup.

Back system and carrying comfort

The Zulu LT 20 comes in a one size torso length, and although the back length is really too short for the hip belt to sit properly on my hips - I'm six foot tall - that doesn't matter as much in a day pack than it would for an overnight backpacking model designed to carry a lot more weight. In general I get on really well with the fit, but the fixed back length will inevitably mean this pack isn't right for everyone; as ever, only trying it on for yourself will tell you.

Distribution of load across my hips, shoulders and back is nicely balanced, and the load can be brought in across my shoulders with shoulder strap pullers. Adjusting all of these means I can tweak how the bag is sitting on me to ensure I'm comfortable throughout the day.

The foam padding is shaped and cushioned well to ensure there are no hotspots and the pack contours with the shape of my body. A nice additional lumbar support keeps the lower back padded and supported. The mesh foam padding in these components is soft against the skin but not too soft to compress completely with a full load (recommended max weight is 9kg).

At my back the airy panel provides great spring-like comfort and ventilation to ensure my back doesn't saturate with moisture. However, around the hips on a hot day I can begin to sweat more than usual due to the high amount of padding here, a small trade off for increases in comfort perhaps. All in all this pack really excels in the comfort department!

Weight and Durability

At 1.01kg it's not the heaviest but the Zulu LT 20 isn't winning any awards in the lightweight category for a 20L pack. This isn't a model aimed at the ultralight community, and those wanting a light day pack with lots of freedom of movement when moving fast might not feel the need for the extra padding.

On the flipside, you're getting a lot more durability and comfort here than your average lightweight pack. The main body is constructed from a solid 400D recycled polyester ripstop and on the base, where wear is higher, you get abrasion resistant 420D Nylon. The alloy steel chasis itself is also constructed with durability taking the edge over any fancy lightweight materials. All in all it feels like a solidly built pack, and after several months of use mine is showing no signs of significant wear yet.

Features

You get four zipped pockets, one large front loading main compartment, and a smaller pouch at the top for valuables and easy to access loose items. The final two zipped pockets on the hipbelt allow easy access to a phone or on the go snack - these annoyingly can be tricky to close with one hand. All zippers come with nice easy to use ergonomic rubber pullers.

A water bladder sleeve sits in the main pocket with a bladder attachment and shoulder strap clip to secure the tube whilst not drinking. Two side mesh stuff pockets are good for carrying water bottle or quick access items, although the compression straps which run inside these can often get caught when stuffing my bottle in; a little annoying but not the end of the world.

A rain cover is provided, which I have kept at the bottom of the main compartment, although I usually leave this at home on fair weather days.

On the back is an attachment for a single pole, useful if yours is a telescopic model although I haven't used this since my z-folding poles don't fit here and are better carried inside the pack itself.

Ethics and environment

The main body of the pack and the lining fabric are both made using 40% recycled materials, and treated with a PFAS-free DWR.

Summary

The Zulu LT 20 is up there with some of the comfiest day packs that I have ever worn, thanks both to the way the back system evenly distributes the load across the body, and its nice cool ventilated back panel. During shorter day hikes on hot days, the hipbelt's padding might feel a bit like overkill, but for the longer days with a heavier pack that I've had this on in the Cairngorms it's been ideal. A solid build quality means the £125 investment is well worth it if you're in the market for this sort of day pack. Just be aware that the single back length may not suit everyone.