REASONS TO BUY
Highly adjustable design
Carries heavy loads comfortably
Modular day pack
REASONS TO AVOID
Too many half-baked features
Not very weatherproof
Small internal volume
Granite Gear Crown3 60 Review
This modular, comfortable, ultralight pack can carry more weight than you'd expect
The Granite Gear Crown3 60 is an interesting, modular backpack with too many features to be altogether practical.
Credit: Justin Simoni
By Justin Simoni ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ June 10, 2026
RELATED: The Best Ultralight Backpack of 2026
Our Verdict
The Granite Gear Crown3 60 works best for someone looking to dip their toes into ultralight backpacking, who doesn't quite know what they need. The modular design lets you try different feature combinations to figure out what you want before seeking out a more expensive pack. The hip belt is highly adjustable, and the plastic sheet frame is impressively supportive, allowing you to carry a bit more weight as you work on dialing in your ultralight kit. The Crown3 60 makes a great starter pack, but all this modularity doesn't make for a very focused product – you may soon wish for a simpler, and much lighter, backpack.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Granite Gear Crown3 60 packs a ton of features into a 38.4-ounce backpack. Even though we measured the internal capacity at a meager 40 liters, the external side and center pockets add a lot of storage capacity (along with more straps than you may know what to do with).
This pack is fairly modular, allowing you to wear the main pack body without the lid, hip belt, or frame. Credit: Justin Simoni
Likes
The Granite Gear Crown3 60 is bursting with features to discover. Many of them are modular and optional to best fit whatever adventure you're planning.
The top lid features a zippered pocket with three mesh dividers. Credit: Justin Simoni
Of note is the large, removable top lid, which can also be transformed into a hip pack when paired with the removable hip belt. We liked being able to take this small pack for day hikes while the rest of the pack was stowed in our tent.
This top lid features extra-long straps, allowing you to carry a bear canister snugly and securely between the lid and the main pack body.
A small bear canister will fit snugly between the main compartment and the top lid, although the lid's pockets may become unusable. Credit: Justin Simoni
The hip belt on the Crown3 60 is one of the most adjustable we've seen, ranging from 26" to 42" waists to fit a wide range of body sizes. This pack doesn't have an adjustable torso length, but it does come in three sizes to choose from when purchasing.
Comfort is enhanced by a plastic frame sheet that, you guessed it, is removable. If you decide to go without, removing the frame sheet appreciably cuts the base weight of this pack.
The back foam padding and plastic sheet add a ton of comfort and stiffness to the Granite Gear Crown3 60, allowing it to realistically carry more weight than many other ultralight packs. Credit: Justin Simoni
External center and side pockets are impressively cavernous. We were able to fit five SmartWater bottles in each side pocket, and the center pocket features straps that wrap around it to keep things securely inside. Much of the advertised carrying capacity is from the huge external pockets and lid, and not from the main pack body, which we measured at around 40 L.
Each of the two side pockets can hold five 700 ml Smartwater bottles. Credit: Justin Simoni
Dislikes
Total weight is 38.4 oz, making this one of the heavier packs in our lineup. Stripped of non-essentials like the hip belt, frame sheet, and top lid, along with many of the optional straps, we can get the pack down to 22.1 oz, but you do lose out on comfort and versatility. The top lid is probably the first part of the pack we'd leave at home, even for multi-day trips.
The 100D and 210D Robic nylon doesn't have the same abrasion or water resistance as other popular materials, such as Challenge Ultra and Dyneema Composite Hybrid. But it is lightweight, which is the only saving grace for this otherwise relatively heavy backpack.
The Crown3 60 weighs 2.4 lbs on our Crane Scale - one of the heavier packs in our review. Credit: Justin Simoni
With so many straps on the pack, the Crown3 60 starts to feel a little unwieldy. You may find that there are just too many options for configuring this pack and yearn for something simpler. This may be the case of trying to do too many things at once, and not doing anything particularly well.
These simple elastic bottle holders are available on the shoulder straps, but we didn't feel that they kept the bottles stable enough when hiking. Credit: Justin Simoni
Should You Buy the Granite Gear Crown3 60?
The Granite Gear Crown3 60 isn't the lightest pack of the bunch, nor the sexiest, but it does come with some pretty unique modular features. While it may be relatively affordable compared to many of the other packs we tested, some others perform appreciably better for only a few dollars more.
What Other Ultralight Backpacks Should You Consider?
The Black Diamond Beta Light 45 also features a modular design to help you dial in the pack you want for your trip, but it's better designed than the Crown3 60, and thus much more expensive. The incredibly comfortable Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50 comes with a removable hip belt, back padding, and frame, offering a ton of adjustability. Either the Gorilla 50 or the similarly priced Durston Kakwa 55 performs much better than the Crown3 60 overall and costs only slightly more.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Granite Gear Crown3 60 versus top competing products:
| Awards | |
|---|---|
| Price | $260 List Check Price at Backcountry |
Overall Score  |
|
| Star Rating | |
| Bottom Line | This modular, comfortable, ultralight pack can carry more weight than you'd expect |
| Pros | Highly adjustable design, carries heavy loads comfortably, modular day pack |
| Cons | Too many half-baked features, not very weatherproof, small internal volume |
| Rating Categories | Granite Gear Crown3 60 |
| Comfort (40%) | |
| Ease of Use (25%) | |
| Weight-to-Volume Ratio (20%) | |
| Adjustability (15%) | |
| Specifications | Granite Gear Crown3 60 |
| Measured Weight | 38.4 oz |
| Stripped Weight | 22.1 oz |
| Advertised Volume | 60 L |
| Measured Volume (Main Compartment) | 40 L |
| Weight per Liter (Full Pack) | 0.64 oz/L |
| Sizes Available | Torso: Short, Regular, Long Hip Belt: Adjustable |
| Organization Compartments | Lid, side pockets, center pocket, dual zippered pockets on hip belt, main compartment |
| Hydration Compatible | Yes |
| Side Pocket 700ml Smartwater Capacity | 5 |
| Single Hip Belt Pocket Capacity | 5 Clif Bars |
| Removable Frame and Hip Belt | Yes |
| Sternum Strap Whistle | No |
| BearVault BV500 Compatibility | Good |
| Frame Type | Current Mark 3 compression molded PE, optional U-shaped aluminum stay |
| Fabric | 100D & 210D Robic high-tenacity nylon |
—Justin Simoni
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