by Allison Dappen 

As I headed off for a year abroad in Chile, it was time for a pack upgrade. I had previously been borrowing ultralight packs from my dad for overnight hikes around Wenatchee when home and Vermont when at college. However, heading south of the equator, I wasn’t sure what length of hikes I would be doing. My dad tossed me his Nimbus Meridian pack from Granite Gear, telling me that I could earn the price of ownership by writing a review after I had beaten it up on test trips. Some would call that parental bribing to get me interested in outdoor journalism; I call it a good deal.

A year later, I’m finally paying my dues (though the payment had been asked for six month earlier). This wasn’t exactly procrastination, but, … an extension of the test period to ensure a quality review  

In the year that I’ve used the Nimbus Meridian, I have taken it on a variety of different-length trips. I’ve used it on several overnight and three-day hikes around Argentine and Chilean Patagonia, where it served excellently. It’s larger than necessary for overnight trips, but a great size for multi-day hikes.

The longest test of this pack was an eight-day trek around Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia. At the start of that trip, my pack weighed 50 pounds, ten pounds over the recommended weight limit for the back. It was harder to pack than my friends’ monster packs that gave them enough room to haphazardly stuff whatever gear they wanted into the body.  

For me, fitting everything required creativity in packing. Fortunately, the compression straps on the pack made it possible to strap my tent and sleeping pad to the outside, leaving room to fit the rest of my gear in the main body. The top of the body also expands upward, which creates extra space if necessary, or rolls down with normal-sized loads. Between the body and the top lid, I was able to fit all my gear, if not comfortably, functionally in or on the pack. The light frame, shoulder and hip straps handled the weight well, and the small size of the pack made the load compact and maneuverable when climbing over boulders and in and out of ravines.

Photo: Loaded and using the compression straps for bulky sundries like sleeping pads.

On this trek, we ran into every type of weather imaginable. During a day of torrential rains, the water-repellant nylon body, though not hurricane-proof, did as much as anyone could ask for in keeping my gear relatively dry. I needed to keep important items such as clothes and sleeping bag in waterproof bags, but the pack shed the bulk of the lake dumped on top of us.  In scattered showers and snow, the pack stayed completely dry on the inside. In high winds (common in Patagonia as well as Wenatchee) the pack’s trim size was quite aerodynamic – an advantage next to my friends whose large packs caught the winds like sails. 

The detail that frustrated me most about this pack is that a few of the straps had a tendency to slip. I was frequently readjusting the straps that connect the top of the shoulder straps to the back of the pack, which slipped while hiking or  while taking the pack off and on. It’s not a big problem, but the re-adjusting gets old. **

The lightweight fabric on the pack is surprisingly durable, and held up well while pushing through brush, throwning the pack off buses, and using the pack as a camp stool. Still, the fabric of the Nimbus Meridian is far lighter than that used for the packs of my friends. That means you have to treat the pack more gently and with more attention than packs that are twice as heavy. 

The Nimbus Meridian has two side stretchy pockets for water bottles or snacks that you want to keep within easy reach. I used one of those pockets to hold my sleeping pad when I didn’t have room for it inside the body. If the pack is filled to capacity, the tight pockets can make it difficult to get your water bottle into and out of the pocket without assistance from a hiking companion or without taking off the pack -- an inconvenience if, after a night of punching your tent partner in your sleep, your friend doesn’t feel disposed to help you.

Besides using the Nimbus Meridian on hiking trips and off-trail scrambles, the pack has served me well for general travel. For starters, it’s an excellent size…small enough that it can fit in the overhead bin of most planes (if not over stuffed), large enough to bring all the essentials.  

On buses, trains, and out of the sidewalks, backpacks are far easier to manage than traditional luggage. Once in a hotel, however, suitcases and duffels certainly have the edge for accessing your stuff. The zipper running down the body of the Nimbus Meridian is a compromise that makes it easier to get in and out of this pack without having to fish blindly through the dark bowels of a cavernous sack.

Photo: On an eight-day trek in Patagonia shouldering the Nimbus Meridian

In the final analysis, I’m really pleased with this pack and its versatility. I cinch up the compression straps and use it for shorter hikes, or overstuff the pack for longer hikes – either way it has worked superbly for me. The expanding lid adds valuable space when I’ve need it or has been removed to shed weight from the pack on shorter trips. That same lid, once removed, has a built-in belt that lets me use it as a fanny sack. That’s a lot of different packs and a lot of functionality rolled up into one lightweight package.  

+++++

Just the Facts: Nimbus Meridian Backpack

Manufacturer: Granite Gear. Category: Lightweight pack.

Capacity: 3,800 cubic inches. Weight: 3 lbs 8 oz, including removable lid (which weighs 8 oz).

Sizes: hip belts and shoulder straps come in 4 sizes.

Recommended load: under 40 pounds. Retail Price: $270

Website: Home page or details about this pack.

** Editor’s Note.  Here’s a trick for straps that slowly slip through buckles and fasteners: Coat part of the strap with a thin layer of SeamGrip (a Shoe-Goo-like, syrupy liquid that hardens into a rubbery plastic). The SeamGrip absorbs into the strap and, after it cures, makes the strap slightly stiffer and more rubbery (better co-efficient of friction). Apply a thin layer of SeamGrip to both sides of the strap in that part of the strap where you want better friction. Review of Seam Grip.