Granite Gear 60 blaze

Ease of Use

The Granite Gear Blaze is loaded with features and built for the avid hiker. It includes many great features, such as extra large hip belt pockets, a stretchy mesh stuff-it pocket, huge side water bottle pockets, a removable top lid, and a long-hidden front access zipper.

The internal volume of the Blaze 60 is 55 liters. If you count the total volume, including exterior pockets, the actual amount of gear you can store is much higher than Granite Gear’s advertised 60 liters.

The hip belt pockets on this pack are among the most spacious in our lineup. We used them for a slew of things we wanted to keep handy and available for the hike, like a map & compass, bars, chapstick, headlamp, and even a large phone or small camera.

Weight

Weighing in at a scant three pounds, this is one of the lightest weight packs in our comparison. We like to compare weight to pack volume to understand how dry pack weight correlates to overall carrying capacity. The Blaze has one of the lowest weight-to-volume ratios in our lineup. Normally, how much weight a pack will comfortably carry directly correlates to the pack weight; heavier packs support heavier loads. However, with this pack, that isn’t the case. It’s a true workhorse when you need it, and also a light, elegant, practically featherweight pack, beaten only by seriously ultralight packs.

Granite Gear does a great job of adding durability to the pack in places you need it while keeping things otherwise simple to reduce excess weight further. The Robic fabric is both lightweight and tear resistant. This pack carries well whether you are loading it down with heavy climbing gear or heading out with a fresh resupply of food and water for a long desert crossing on the PCT.

Adjustability

The A.C. (Air Current) frame comes in three sizes for short, regular, and long torso lengths. Each one of these sizes has four separate shoulder strap attachment points. This makes it simple to adjust the torso length to get the right fit. The hip belt can also expand or compress to fit waist sizes from 26 to 42 inches.