Granite Gear Crown3 60 Backpack In-Depth Review
July 19, 2024
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Our verdict
The Granite Gear Crown3 60 is an excellent lightweight backpack — and at about $240 (and often found on sale for less), is one of the best values you can get in backpacking gear. The Crown3 has 60 L of capacity, a 35-pound load rating, and weighs less than two and a half pounds. Despite its light weight, it has many of the features found in a traditional five-pound backpacking pack, including a plastic internal frame and well-padded shoulder straps. Best yet, with so many removable features, it is easily adaptable, turning into an ultralight frameless pack with ease.
The Granite Gear Crown3 60 has a great reputation in the hiking community. It’s ranked in the top five most popular packs for Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers for the last four years. The pack also receives high marks in the Reddit hiking forums and among professional reviewers.
Treeline Review editor Liz Thomas used this pack in the undyed fabric for a thru-hike of the ~330-mile long Superior Hiking Trail and found it had all the comfort and features she wanted in a backpack at a fraction of the price of other lightweight backpacking brands.
It's our budget winner in our Best Lightweight Backpacking Backpacks guide. If you aren't sure about ultralight or lightweight backpacking, this is the pack to get for your first foray into lightweight hiking that doesn't require a huge investment and that will grow with you as you lighten your load.
Men's
Women's
Specs
Capacity: 60L
Weight: 2.5 - 2.7 lbs (including lid)
Max load: 25 lbs without framesheet, 35 lbs with framesheet, 43 lbs with aluminum stay (sold separately)
Materials: 100 & 210 denier Robic high-tensile strength nylon with DWR
Main Body Pockets: 1 large front pocket
Water Bottle Pockets: 2 (each holds 2 Smart Water bottles)
Hip Belt Pockets: 2 zippered
Shoulder Strap Pockets: No
Shoulder Harness:
Load Lifters: Yes
Compression System. Yes
Roll Top Closure: Yes
Hydration Port: Yes
Gender: Unisex and women's
Ice Axe/Trekking Pole Attachment Point: Yes
Bear Canister Capability:
Torso Lengths: Short (15-18"), regular (18-21"), long (21-24")
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Comparison table
| BACKPACKING BACKPACK | MSRP | VOLUME (L) | MATERIALS | WEIGHT (LBS) | MAX LOAD (LBS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Gear Crown3 60 (men's) | $240 | 60 | Robic® High-tenacity nylon (100D and 210D) with Barrier DWR | 2.4 | 35 |
| Granite Gear Crown3 60 (women's) | $240 | 60 | Robic® High-tenacity nylon (100D and 210D) with Barrier DWR | 2.4 | 35 |
| Gossamer Gear Mariposa | $315 | 60 | 100 & 200 denier Robic high-tensil strength nylon | 2.0 | 35 |
| Osprey Eja Pro 55 | $290 | 55 | Recycled 100-denier high-tenacity ripstop nylon (bluesign® approved) | 1.9 | 30 |
| Osprey Exos Pro 55 | $290 | 55 | Recycled 100-denier high-tenacity ripstop nylon (bluesign® approved) | 2.1 | 30 |
What we liked
The Crown3 60 can easily fit an umbrella and trekking poles.
Adjustability and options like a removable brain, aluminum frame stays, plastic frame sheet, and many compression straps to alter the volume
Lots of features included, such as hipbelt pockets and side compression straps
Great value for the price
Undyed fabric available as an eco-friendly option
Adaptability means you can experiment with ultralight backpacking without having to buy a new pack
What we didn't like
Fit is not as refined as more expensive packs (if you are looking for ultra-customizable fit and can swing a higher price, check out the LiteAF Curve Full Suspension pack)
Material isn't as water-resistant as other packs
Straps allow lots of compression but can get in the way
Granite Gear Crown3 60 vs. Crown2 60
The generous mesh pocket on the Crown2 60 can be used to store items you need throughout the day without requiring you to open your backpack. The voluminous pack lid is removable. Photo by Mike Unger.
Updates to the Crown3 from the Crown2 include a change to the frame sheet to allow for adding an aluminum stay (sold separately) to increase load capacity to up to 43 lbs. This is handy if you're thru-hiking a trail that usually doesn't require carrying 43 lbs, but may have a few sections where you need an ice axe and bear can (like in the Sierra) or a few sections with heavier water carries (like Southern California on the Pacific Crest Trail).
The Crown3 also has a lid that can convert to a chest pack or fanny pack (when attached to the removable hip belt). This is a feature we really wish the Crown2 had so we were delighted to see the update in the Crown3. The lid can be used when you backpack into a base camp but want a separate day pack or fanny pack for summiting a peak or exploring a lake. If you're on a thru-hike, you can also use this lid for a town bag.
We love the customizable lid update, but it’s worth noting that this means adding on a few ounces to the weight. To us, at least, it’s a small price to pay for the versatility. If you don't want the extra weight, you can leave it at home, as we often found ourselves doing.
Fit
The Crown3 50 has the same generous mesh that can fit a multi-day food supply just on the outside of the pack. Here, the pack is shown without the pack lid. Photo courtesy Liz Thomas.
Gendered fit
Unlike many of the packs we considered, the Granite Gear Crown3 60 is available in men’s and women’s versions (see our gender-specific section of our How to Choose a Backpack guide for more information). Each version comes in three torso sizes and has a one-size, adjustable waist belt.
Suspension
The Crown3 60 on the river walk Duluth section of the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota.
Frame
The Crown3 uses a molded plastic frame sheet that is integrated with the hip belt to transfer weight to your hips. The frame sheet can be removed to reduce overall weight by six ounces. There is also a foam back panel that is molded to allow airflow to reach your back.
Hip belt
Thickly padded with large zippered pockets, this single-size hip belt is sized for 26” to 42” waists. It's made of Granite Gear’s patent-pending “Re-Fit” system to allow for precise sizing for different body types. We found the hip belt to be well-padded, comfortable, and we appreciated the large zip pockets.
Shoulder straps
The Crown3’s shoulder straps — slightly different on the men’s and women’s versions — are wide and thickly padded.
Load lifters
We were happy to see the Crown3 60 has load lifters, similar to what we'd find on more expensive packs like the Six Moon Designs Swift X.
Features
Materials
Robic is a material used in many lightweight packs, but it is not as durable or water-resistant as the DCF or X-Pac material used in more expensive packs like the Six Moon Designs Swift X or Zpacks Arc Haul. But, it is a good option for folks looking to save money. The newest undyed version is more eco-friendly. It looks white but actually is free of the harmful chemicals used in dying outdoor gear.
Removable Pack Lid
The Crown3 has a lid with a large zippered pocket. For those looking to reduce weight on their pack, the lid can be removed to reduce the pack’s weight by approximately two and a half ounces. With the lid removed, the main compartment features a roll-top opening with a buckle closure.
Side Pockets
There are stretch woven pockets on each side of the pack. The pockets are deep enough to accommodate tall water bottles (like Smartwater bottles). Side compression straps lower on the pack can be used to further secure items in the side pockets.
Front pocket
The Crown3 has a large stretchy mesh pocket in the front of the pack that’s big enough to accommodate a wet tent or hiking gear.
Suspension Straps
The Crown3 has both front and side compression straps to allow you to carry less-than-full-volume loads more snugly. While we think the multitude of straps clutter the pack, customer reviews note that they are convenient for securing items like a Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol sleeping pad, snowshoes, or trekking poles (read our trekking poles guide here).
Hydration sleeve
The pack has an internal sleeve for a hydration system. The hose port is located in the top center of the pack so the hose can be located on the right or left shoulder.
Adaptability
Our favorite feature of this pack is that as you learn to backpack with less weight, you can adapt this pack to be lighter. If you are interested in ditching the old five-pound pack and trying a more lightweight approach to multi-day backpacking, this could be the perfect pack.
As we previously noted, the Granite Gear Crown3 60 has a removable lid (0.18 lbs) and frame sheet (0.38 lbs). It has an aluminum stay (sold separately) that you can use starting out. As you become extremely ultralight, the hip belt can also be removed (0.41 lbs).
While we think most users will want to keep these items intact, the adaptability means that if/when you ever want a lighter-weight frameless pack, you can modify your Crown3 instead of having to buy a new pack.
The Crown3’s weight (regular torso size) can be reduced to less than a pound and a half — comparable to our frameless pack recommendations. That said, you’ll probably want to use a hip belt if you are carrying more than 20 lbs.
Similar Backpacking Backpacks
Gossamer Gear Mariposa
Capacity: 60
Weight: 2.0
Cost: $315
Max load: 35
The Gossamer Gear Mariposa is an ultralight backpack with 60 L of capacity (36 L in the main body). The main body is 100D Robic, similar to the Granite Gear Crown3 60. The large size weighs 34 oz and costs $285, so it costs more than the Granite Gear Crown3 60. Pockets in the shoulder straps adds an extra cost. You can read our full review of the Gossamer Gear Mariposa in our long-term review.
Compare prices of the Gossamer Gear Mariposa
Osprey Exos/Eja 55 Pro
Capacity: 55
Weight: 2.1
Cost: $290
Max load: 30
The Osprey Exos 55 Pro (large) has 58 L of volume and weighs 35 oz. The Eja has 55 L of volume and weighs 33 oz. Both packs are constructed of 100D nylon and cost $290. We find the Robic material on the Granite Gear to be more durable than the Exos and Eja.
The 60L volume on the Granite Gear is also more generous than the Exos and Eja. We found that the Eja offers better ventilation than the Crown3. However, it isn't as customizable. The Crown3 can be folded up and turned into a frameless pack, but there is no way to remove the frame on the Exos and Eja.
For an in-depth look at this pack, check out our detailed review of the Osprey Exos Pro and Osprey Eja Pro, where we cover its features, performance, and overall comfort on the trail.
Compare prices of the OSPREY EXOS/EJA 55 PRO
Capacity: 56
Weight: 2.3
Cost: $275
Max load: 35
The Swift V is the budget alternative to the Six Moon Designs Swift X backpack. The Swift V is the same as the Swift X, but the main body uses 100-denier Robic material. It has the same volume, pockets, mesh, and harness options for $65 less than the Swift X, putting it in the same price range as the Granite Gear Crown3 60.
The Robic Swift V comes in gray or green.
The Swift V's other major difference is the harness system and load lifters that help balance and carry heavier loads. The Swift V is for backpackers seeking a mid-size pack with a quality suspension system that can comfortably carry moderate (and occasionally heavier) loads over long distances.
Compare prices of the Six Moon Designs SWIFT V
A Note about Backpack Comparisons
Comparing backpacks side-by-side can be difficult, since each manufacturer may measure volume differently (see Treeline’s backpack volume test). Additionally, some manufacturers do not include hip belts or shoulder pockets in their standard design, and the pockets and other accessories are not included in the pack’s weight or cost.
Pack material directly affects a backpack’s weight and durability. For instance, SMD’s Swift X uses 210D X-Pac, which is a very durable material, while Osprey’s Exos/Eja 55 Pro uses 100D nylon, which is lighter and significantly less durable.
See more backpacking backpack gear reviews in our guide to The Best Backpacking Backpacks. Still looking for more suggestions? Check out our Best Lightweight Packs for Thru-Hiking, or our long-form review of the latest Hyperlite Mountain Gear Junction.
Should I buy the Granite Gear Crown3 60?
The Granite Gear Crown3 60 is a much-beloved pack that is easy on the wallet, but can take a lot of love on the trail.
As mentioned above, we think this is a great choice for hikers and backpackers looking to lighten their pack weight but not looking to go too extremely light. This is a pack that will still have the comfort you're accustomed to with a traditional pack without requiring additional skills or pack fittings.
Even as you strive to go lighter in pack weight, the Granite Gear Crown3 60’s adaptability allows you to turn it into a frameless pack, should you ever choose to go that light.
Why you should trust us
Mike Unger is a Double Triple Crowner — he has hiked the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail not once, but twice (he's actually hiked the PCT three times, the most recent being a southbound thru-hike).
In addition, he has backpacked numerous other on-trail and off-trail routes, including the Pacific Northwest Trail, Blue Mountains Trail, Great Divide Trail, Arizona Trail, Ouachita Trail, Oregon Desert Trail, Grand Enchantment Trail, and Mogollon Rim Trail. Over the course of his backpacking, he’s purchased and owned an embarrassingly-large number of backpacks.
Mike has tracked and researched pack technology for the past 20 years. He's notoriously extremely hard on his gear, which makes for a good gear tester.
Mike Unger is not and has never been a sponsored athlete, ambassador, or influencer for a backpack company.
You can read all of Mike's stories on his author page.
