Citro 24 H2O / Juno 24 H2O

The Citro 24 and women's Juno 24 target hikers who prioritize all-day hydration without sacrificing genuine pack suspension. At the core is the VaporSpan backpanel, an open-air suspended mesh design stretched across a perimeter alloy frame. It keeps the pack off your back to dump heat on warm trails, while the padded hipbelt and die-cut shoulder harness transfer weight cleanly to the hips, handling full water loads far better than typical hydration bags.

Integration with Gregory's 3D Hydro reservoir is the real highlight. The molded reservoir acts like a hybrid between a rigid bottle and a soft bladder, drying out faster post-trip thanks to built-in baffles and an integrated hanger. A dedicated zippered sleeve with a SpeedClip lock keeps the bladder stable without hogging space in the main compartment. Internal volume is practical for extra layers, an emergency shell, and trail food, flanked by deep mesh bottle pockets and zippered hipbelt pockets that fit modern phones.

The trade-off is frame intrusion: the curved perimeter frame pushes slightly into the main cavity, making rigid items like bear canisters or bulky camera cubes awkward to pack flat. At over two pounds empty, it is noticeably heavier than minimal frameless packs, but it easily out-carries rivals like the Osprey Hikelite when maxed out on water and trail gear. For long day hikes in warm, exposed terrain, the balance of ventilation and structural support is tough to beat.