Gregory Resin 26 Backpack Review

You’ll find the Gregory Mountain Products (or Gregory for short) headquarters in Salt Lake City Utah, surrounded by mountains, trails, and nature waiting to be explored. It’s the perfect place for a brand that has devoted itself to creating gear that works for everyday use and spontaneous adventures.

The Gregory Resin 26 embodies this sentiment well. Its capacity and casual look are well-suited for urban environments while its durable materials acclimate to intense outdoor conditions. At the time of this review, you can opt for 26L or 30L depending on the amount of storage you’d like. We’ll be focusing on the 26L in this review.

We’ll be taking a look at how this bag has held up these last two weeks of testing in the review below. Let’s dive in!

Materials & Aesthetic

Like we said above, this daypack embodies a more casual aesthetic that works well in citified settings. It moves a bit away from the more objectively outdoor-esque designs on other Gregory packs, which you may be thankful for, though our Instagram followers aren’t huge fans—only about 36% claimed to like its look, according to our poll. So, as with most things, your mileage may vary.

If you prefer a more outdoorsy vibe, you’ll be happy to know that you can get this pack in Sienna Red, Acadia Blue, or Cascade Green at the time of this review—all of which will add some heritage tones to your everyday carry. Obsidian Black is also an option for a more low-profile look.

Even though the Gregory logo is a mountain peak, its clean, geometric shape adds more of a techy accent than anything else. It’s not very minimal branding as it takes up sizable space on the front of the pack, but hey, this is a great bag—why not tell the world what you’re wearing?

Moving on, the material on the outside of this pack is a mix of 100% recycled 450D polyester and 75% recycled 210D nylon with a water-resistant coating. It’s performed well throughout our testing, not allowing for any scuffs (except one small spot on the bag’s front), scratches, or unwanted moisture. The inside touts 40% post-consumer recycled 135D polyester, making the Resin 26 not only durable but also a highly-sustainable bag—very eco-groovy of you, Gregory!

If you’ve read some (all) of our previous reviews, you know how excited we are to see YKK zippers on products. They’re a trusted brand that makes a trusty zipper, and the ones on this pack have continued to prove that—each one is gliding open and closed unencumbered.

Finally, we have the hardware, which comes to us from the brands ITW and Duraflex. We haven’t had any issues clipping our keys, adjusting our straps, or buckling ourselves into this pack, so we don’t have anything crazy to report here. Everything in this department is working as it should be.

External Components

These shoulder straps feature a more than comfortable padding level for a bag of its size. In combination with the strap’s mesh lining, this padding creates helpful support for when we’re getting all our everyday gear across town or to a remote location to get some work done.

There’s also an attachment point on each strap where you can keep a carabiner or other smaller accessories close by. Our only complaint is the lack of elastic keepers—without them, we’re often left with an excess amount of strap that dangles at our sides and detracts from the bag’s otherwise clean demeanor.

Attached to the shoulder straps is the sternum strap that’s adjustable via a rail system. It’s a little stiff to slide up and down at first, but after a few attempts, you’ll be able to position it wherever it most helps stabilize your carry relatively quickly. We didn’t take full advantage of it during our testing as we didn’t feel it necessary, but since this is approaching mid-size daypack waters, you might want to.

The entire back panel is also covered in dense padding, along with an air mesh lining for added ventilation, which comes in handy when the weather outside heats up (or when you have an especially long trek ahead of you). We also appreciate how this panel is curved to offer more specialized support to the lower back—it’s been super comfortable and breathable for shorter and longer trips alike.

You’ll find a minimal handle at the top of the pack, too, that sits almost entirely flat when not in use. This design cuts out any bulk but can also make it a little harder to grab onto. Albeit, it’s still convenient for when we need to pull the bag closer and take something out.

Before we get into the next section, we want to point out this pack’s water bottle pocket, which we’ve mostly been keeping standard 16.9 oz water bottles in during our testing. That said, this pocket is large and elasticated, so it can easily flex to something bigger if need be. If you don’t plan on carrying water with you, you could also elect to slip in other items like an umbrella or some snacks.

Be aware that this pocket doesn’t cinch any tighter to better secure what you keep inside, so you run the risk of your bottle (or substitute item) falling out if/when the bag gets overturned. We haven’t experienced this during our testing, but it’s possible, and therefore something to keep in mind.

Inside The Pack

Now that we’ve covered all that, we can talk about the inside of this thing. On the other side of the bag, you have a long, zippered quick-grab pocket to stash all your frequently-used gear—your wallet, headphones, even your keys, since there’s a dedicated key leash inside. This key leash is much longer than some of the ones we’ve seen on other bags and positioned on your side, making it easier to get to and use to unlock your door quickly.

You’ll notice a small loop with a lock icon above it at the top of the zipper track. We’re fans of this simple theft deterrent feature. Weave the zipper pull through the loop, and pull the zipper to the top. That’ll make it a little harder for a thief to zip this pocket open and grab everything inside quickly.

If that’s not enough room, you can also take advantage of the second quick-grab pocket located at the top of the bag. It’s less spacious than the one on the side, but it is large enough to manage a pair of Apple AirPods, a small notebook, and even your phone if you need a place for it. A fabric welt covers the zipper to keep this pocket on the down-low, so pickpockets are less likely to get ahold of it, in addition to helping keep the outside of your bag looking clean.

Pockets are great and all, but you’re probably anxious to see what the main compartment has to offer, so let’s talk about it. The first thing we want to note is that there’s a built-in tab on the front of the bag that’s padded and lined with mesh. What is it for? You can use it to move the bag around like you would any other handle, but it’s also convenient to grab to hold the bag up when you’re getting things in and out of this compartment.

We also want to note that the zipper to this compartment is more forward-sitting on the bag. By this, we mean that it’s not positioned directly in the middle of the top of the bag where it is on many packs. This isn’t a huge issue; we’ve just found ourselves reaching in the wrong spot for the zipper now and then during testing. It’’s taken some getting used to and is worth a mention. It creates more of a top-loading tub packing experience as opposed to a standard horseshoe or clamshell one.

The main compartment itself features a zippered mesh pocket and three pen sleeves inside that all sit against the back wall. The mesh pocket works for your smaller accessories—tech or otherwise—while the sleeves organize your writing utensils, so they’re easy to grab when you need to jot something down.

Now, if the bag gets too full, this little admin panel area becomes less useful since it’s not in a separate area of the bag like some other packs. It’s not a dealbreaker, but something to note if you end up filling this thing to the brim.

Besides those, the rest of the compartment is 26L of free space for you to pack out. You can let your gear float freely or create some more segmentation with packing cubes and tech pouches, depending on what works best for your gear. We’ve been tossing in a sweatshirt ourselves for when we encounter colder weather. Still, the possibilities are endless—throw in a lunchbox, packable jacket, extra pair of shoes, and anything else your heart desires.

The bag isn’t very structured on its own, which causes it to sink into itself when empty or only lightly packed. This is something to be aware of when you’re carrying a lighter load, as the fabric will deplete and make the pack look sunken (which isn’t the look you want). Packing the bag out evenly and as fully as possible will remedy this some if it’s something you’re trying to avoid at all costs.

Last on our list is the laptop compartment, located at the very back of the bag. You can store up to a 15″ laptop on one side, and you can also slip your tablet or e-reader into the opposite sleeve. In terms of a false bottom, the tablet sleeve is suspended, but the laptop sleeve extends to the bag’s bottom. So, you’re getting ample protection for some of your tech, but not all of it. Because of this, we recommend utilizing a protective sleeve for your laptop to keep it safer from any accidental drops.