The Granite Gear Leopard is an ultralightweight pack developed originally for marathon athletes Justin “Trauma” Lichter and Shawn “Pepper” Forry in their recent Himalayas trek. One of teh ways Granite Gear keeps the weight down is by using 100D and 210D Cordura. Additionally, Granite Gear has successfully adapted PALS into their packs in discreet ways. for example, the hipbelt features what is essentially PALS webbing and these are used to attach tool loops and external pouches. The Leopard features a roll top closure along with a floating lid. Seen here is the Oatmeal and Java colorway which I prefer but if you like, there’s also a Skyblue and Slate version.
This is a shot of their Vapor Current suspension which is denoted by VC after the name of the pack. The frame sheet features molded air channels and along with its associated full-length HDPE framesheet is designed to accommodate loads up to 35 lbs. Think high volume over weight here. As with many Granite Gear packs the Leopard is available in a women’s model and there are different length sizes to offer a better fit.
Here, Granite Gear’s Dan Cruikshank goes over the features of the Leopard.
Look for a future version as well called the Snow Leopard and made from Spectra.
