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A 60 litre rucksack with a decent harness and weighing around 1Kg is a key product for us, and in my experience Granite Gears ‘litres’ are a bit bigger than some other pack manufacturers, this manifests itself in the fact that the Crown 60 seems significantly bigger than some other 60 litre packs. I think this is because Granite Gear only count the main compartment when quoting the capacity of the rucksack, whereas other manufacturers will add up all the compartments and pockets to come up with their final capacity.

Whatever the truth one thing to note about the  Crown3 60 is its size, a generous main compartment supplemented by a long collar that adds even more space when required, and many more pockets and storage options besides. This singles it out as an ideal pack for long distances without resupply, where you need to carry a significant amount of food on top of all your other gear.

We like the idea of an optional aluminium stay that can be used to increase the stiffness of the pack making it suitable for heavier loads – this way you can trim the overall weight of the pack if you don’t need the extra carrying capacity. As I write we haven’t received any of the stays because of logistical issues with  Granite Gear so I’m unable to say how much one of these increases the weight of the pack.

Harness System

The secret of a backpacking rucksack is to transfer the load to the hips making it easier to carry, and the secret of achieving this is to have a stiffened back panel or frame that supports the load and is seated at the hipbelt. The Crown has always had this ability and the Crown 3 is no exception. Granite Gear claim its for loads up to 15Kg (33lbs) without the optional stay, this is a good weight – A number of years ago I completed the John Muir Trail which has an unsupported section of 8-10 days – I managed to keep my maximum load around this level even with a Bear Barrel which is mandatory on that trek.

As well as stiffness the back panel protects the wearer from the contents and has raised pads to create some ventilation on the back. It’s pretty comfortable though the ventilation is a bit marginal.

The hipbelt is well padded and each fin has a generous zipped pocket that can be used easily even when the hipbelt is fastened tightly. The Crown uses Granite Gear’s Re-Fit system which allows you to fine tune the circumference of the hipbelt so that it sits well on your hips – this is easy to use and works well.

The shoulder straps are not super padded but they do the job, as discussed previously if you are carrying the weight correctly i.e. on your hips, then you don’t need a lot of padding on the shoulder straps. There are two chest harness straps that can be moved about on the straps for the best fit, or you can take them off completely if you only want to use one – or none.

Shock-cord loops on the shoulder straps provide flexibility for water carriers, though I prefer to use a bladder so this is something I ditched.

All the components of the carrying system work well together providing a comfortable carry within its weight range.

Features

The removeable lid is a personal choice, it consists of one big pocket with a couple of internal mesh pockets to allow a bit of organisation of the contents, it weighs a hundred grams so you either want it or not. The closure of the pack without it is a roll top so there’s no issue with needing the extra lid. Its very easy to remove or add back.

There are three external stuff pockets, the largest is stretch mesh so its ideal for a wet flysheet first thing on a morning and it leaves it accessible for drying when you stop later in the day. There are two side pockets which are fabric and have shock-cord closures, on the earlier Crown packs these were stretch mesh and the whole pack looked neater, but mesh represents a weakness and I can see the sense in making these fabric going forward.

These side pockets are just about accessible while wearing the pack but this is quite difficult – there are better designs on the market for accessibility.

There’s little refinement inside the pack although there is a toggle from which to carry a bladder and an exit port for a drinks tube to either side. Capacity can be reduced using compression straps, two either side.

Overall

The  Crown 3 is an excellent backpacking rucksack, I get the impression its designed to be personalised, all the straps seem quite long so I’d sort that out, I’d lose one of the chest straps and the bungy loops on the shoulder straps – I perhaps wouldn’t save that much weight but I would have something that was neater and less fussy.

I’d buy the optional aluminium stay so that I could take heavier loads when required because the volume of the pack will certainly allow it, and I’d keep the flexibility of having that lid pocket on and off.

This pack is available in un-dyed fabric which happens to be ‘off-white’, not to everyone’s taste but I hear there’s a band of Crown 3 owners that are putting their own designs on them – now that’s cool.

Mark Richardson
Mark was the founder of Ultralight Outdoor Gear back in 2006 and has completed long distance backpacking routes in some of the remotest parts of the world. His favourite hikes have been Torres del Paine (full circuit), the John Muir trail and the Markha Valley trail (Ladakh, India). Although semi-retired Mark has not lost any enthusiasm for minimalist backpacking and is tackling Scotland’s Munros choosing multi-day backpacking routes over the more usual guide book excursions. Read more from Mark Richardson