Gossamer Gear Backpack Information: How you can Select

Gossamer Gear is likely one of the authentic ultralight backpack producers and has constantly refined its merchandise to adapt to the wants of light-weight backpackers and thru-hikers. I began utilizing their packs again in 2006 and completed climbing Vermont’s Lengthy Path in 2008 with a Gossamer Gear Mariposa Plus, now referred to as the Mariposa 60. I’ve used each technology of each certainly one of their backpacks since then, together with prototypes that by no means made it to market, and have a hands-on appreciation of their strengths, weaknesses, and whether or not they’ll suit your wants. I’ve tried to package deal that know-how into this information, however be at liberty to ask me any questions you might need within the remark kind under.

Listed below are some suggestions that will help you with the choice course of.

 Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60L – unisex

The Mariposa 60 Light-weight Backpack is the very best quantity backpack that Gossamer Gear makes. A measurement medium weighs 30.5 ounces.

The Mariposa is the backpack that I like to recommend to most individuals who’ve by no means owned an ultralight backpack earlier than as a result of it has sufficient quantity to hold most backpackers’ current gear, though packing it up may be fairly totally different than you’re used to. For example, the Mariposa has 36L of inner coated storage (as much as the bottom of the extension collar) and 24L of exterior open storage in its entrance and facet pockets. You’ll maintain all of the stuff you need dry within the coated storage and all of the stuff you need easy accessibility through the day within the open pockets, similar to layers, meals, water bottles, a water filter, tent or shelter, or perhaps a range and cookpot.

The factor that distinguishes the Mariposa 60 from different packs is the configuration and measurement of its facet pockets. For instance, the Mariposa has a protracted exterior pocket, which I name a “quiver pocket” on the left facet of the pack. This pocket is nice if it’s raining as a result of it means you may get your tent out and set it up with out opening your backpack and getting its contents moist. This lengthy pocket will also be used to retailer a moist tent separate from the remainder of your gear. After all, you don’t should retailer a tent or shelter in that pocket, however it’s a really handy place to hold one when you do.

Along with the stretch mesh entrance pocket, there are two stacked facet pockets on the opposite facet of the Mariposa. The underside pocket is giant sufficient to carry two one-liter bottles with ease when you don’t use a hydration system, however it additionally is an efficient pocket to retailer a moist water filter, a pot/range mixture, or a Jetboil when you carry one. That is all gear that may get moist if it rains and doesn’t must be saved inside your pack. It’s additionally handy to have easy accessibility to it.

The Mariposa comes with a pre-bent aluminum keep which slots into the hip belt, permitting it to hold as much as 30-35 kilos. It has load lifters and a replaceable hip belt in a number of lengths so you may get a great match, and closed hip belt pockets. The shoulder pads and hipbelt are well-padded and comfortably formed to accommodate girls and even males with giant chests. The pack is out there in a number of torso lengths starting from 11.5″ to 23.5″ so it will possibly match very quick folks in addition to very tall ones, with hip belt sizing from 22″-50″.

The Mariposa is a superb pack for in a single day and multi-day use on climbing trails, in moist or dry climates, and may haul per week’s price of meals with out problem. I’ve taken this pack on many Appalachian Path part hikes and multi-day journeys. It’s additionally nice in early spring or autumn if you want to hold a hotter sleeping bag and hotter clothes that takes up more room in your pack.

Learn my overview of the Mariposa 60L Backpack

Gossamer Gear Gorilla 50L – unisex

The Gorilla 50 Ultralight Backpack is barely smaller in quantity than the Mariposa 60 and doesn’t have a protracted tent pocket on the facet. A measurement medium weighs 29.8 oz. The utmost really useful load for the Gorilla is 25-30 kilos. It’s a good backpack to get when you want much less quantity than the Mariposa 60 since you personal extra compressible gear and for shorter size journeys. The Gorilla’s extra-long facet compression straps additionally make it doable to strap cumbersome gear to the skin of the pack like snowshoes or a sleeping pad, which might be awkward with the Mariposa 60.

I’ve used a Gorilla for a few years on journeys as much as per week in size, though it takes some packing self-discipline to hold that a lot meals and kit within the pack. I like the truth that its facet pockets are symmetrical, which makes balancing water bottles a lot simpler.

The Gorilla is out there in the identical torso and hip belt measurement ranges because the Mariposa 60.

Learn our Gossamer Gear Gorilla Backpack Evaluation

Gossamer Gear G4-20 Backpack – unisex

The Gossamer Gear G4-20 is an up to date model of the G4, one of many Gossamer Gear’s earliest backpacks (the 20 stands for 2020, the yr this latest mannequin was launched). With 42 liters of capability, the G4-20 is a frameless backpack that weighs 25 oz. It’s finest for carrying hundreds underneath 20 to 25 kilos and makes a pleasant ultralight backpack for multi-day journeys and prolonged day hikes. It’s a roll-top, with one lengthy quiver pocket just like the Mariposa 60 and one quick pocket. The roll-top is an efficient possibility, particularly for a decrease quantity pack, in comparison with the over-the-top closure used on Gossamer Gear’s different packs, which could be awkward to open and shut if it is advisable to entry the primary compartment often or favor the simplicity of a roll prime. Along with a entrance mesh pocket, it additionally has an exterior entrance pocket with a water resistant zipper good for storing private gadgets.

Learn our Gossamer Gear G4-20 Backpack Evaluation.

Gossamer Gear Kumo 36L – unisex

The Gossamer Gear Kumo 36 Superlight Backpack is the favourite backpack of Gossamer Gear’s sponsored Model Ambassadors. It’s good for skilled ultralight backpackers with compact hundreds, who nonetheless want a backpack that may carry as much as 20-25 kilos. The Kumo can also be a wonderful backpack for more difficult day hikes the place you wish to carry further layers and for journey journey as a result of it doesn’t have an inner body or aluminum keep, making it straightforward to tackle airplanes.

The Kumo is much like the Gorilla with the symmetric water bottle pockets, a entrance mesh pocket, and the over-the-top pocket, which is right for storing maps or journey paperwork. It additionally comes with a detachable hip belt.

Weighing 20.5 ounces, the Kumo is out there in two sizes for torso lengths starting from 16″-24″ inches and in hip belt size that ranges from 28″-50″. The utmost really useful load for the Kumo is 25 kilos.

See my Gossamer Gear Kumo Evaluation

Gossamer Gear Murmur 36L Backpack – unisex

The Murmur 36 Hyperlight Backpack is Gossamer Gear’s lightest weight backpack, ranging in weight from 7.9 ounces to 12.5 ounces, relying on whether or not you utilize it with or with out the hip belt and a SitLight Sit Pad. This pack is meant for hardcore ultralight backpackers who carry lower than 5 kilos of substances (minus, meals, water, and gasoline) for in a single day journeys, though it will possibly make a really good day pack as nicely. It’s significantly much less sturdy than Gossamer Gear’s different packs and will solely be used on developed trails to keep away from snagging and tearing the material.

The Murmur is much like the Kumo as a result of it has facet water bottle pockets, a big mesh again pocket, and makes use of a SitLight Sit pad as a framesheet to provide the pack a little bit further construction. The massive distinction is that the Murmur has a roll-top closure as a substitute of a prime lid pocket.

The Murmur is out there in a single measurement for torso lengths of 16″-24″ with a hip belt measurement of 24″-42″. The utmost really useful load for the Murmur is 15-20 kilos.

See my Gossamer Gear Murmur Backpack Evaluation

Gossamer Gear Minimalist 24, Vagabond Jet, Vagabond Path, Vagabond Bundle

Gossamer Gear’s different backpacks, the Minimalist, and the Vagabonds are primarily daypacks good for day hikes, summit ascents, and concrete use. If you happen to’re searching for an in a single day or multi-day backpack, the Mariposa 60 and Gorilla 50 are your finest bets, whereas the G4-20 is perfect for quick and light-weight hikes the place you possibly can pack a minimal ultralight load.

Gossamer Gear FAQ

Backpack Quantity

Many ultralight backpacking firms, together with Gossamer Gear, measure the amount of their backpacks in another way than mainstream backpack producers, which is necessary to know in case you are attempting to check the weight-to-volume ratio of a traditional backpack to an ultralight backpack. When measuring backpack quantity, firms like Granite Gear, Gregory, and Osprey solely measure the amount of the closed storage and don’t embrace the amount of exterior mesh pockets, pockets with out lids, or the added quantity of an extension collar of their quantity specs.

Whereas Gossamer Gear does get away the amount of open and closed storage of their specs for every pack, the entire quantity of their specs is computed by including up the volumes of all open pockets and closed storage. The totally different quantity calculation is justified as a result of most ultralight backpacks have rather more open storage than typical ones, however it may be complicated.

When utilizing an ultralight backpack, the idea is that you’ll be storing most of your daytime gear, water, and meals within the open, exterior pockets of your pack so that you don’t should cease and dig round in your pack to search out them. This packing method helps you to hike farther and sooner every day.

Hip Belt Sizing

The Mariposa 60 and Gorilla 50 have detachable hip belts so you possibly can change one if it doesn’t fit your needs out of the field. Each of those packs include a medium-sized hip belt, whatever the torso measurement you select. That medium-sized hip belt matches 80% of the individuals who purchase these packs by design, however you should purchase one which’s bigger or smaller with out incurring any further price when you return the unique medium-sized belt to Gossamer Gear. The method for a small or giant belt is so as to add an further hipbelt of your most well-liked measurement to your order, swap it out (see video) at residence, after which return the medium belt when you’d like for a full $25 refund.

Sit Pads

The Mariposa 60, Gorilla 50, G4-20 42, Kumo 36, and Murmur 36 all include sit pad pockets and foam sit pads that may be eliminated and used as path seats. They’re actually fairly useful. You have got the choice of changing them with three totally different pads, all with differing levels of air flow. These pads can be found in three totally different sizes to match the torso size or your pack. The Air Move Sit Pad is probably the most ventilated and the one one actually price upgrading to, in my sincere opinion. It’s additionally the best to reinsert into the backpack pad pockets after use.

Most Weight Suggestions

Gossamer Gear’s most really useful weight suggestions for all of their packs are fairly correct. Whilst you can exceed the utmost really useful load on a Gossamer Gear backpack when you have sufficient house to take action, the consolation of the hip belt and its potential to assist the additional weight does degrade, placing extra of the load in your shoulders.

Mesh Pocket Sturdiness

The exterior mesh used on the Gossamer Gear Mariposa, Gorilla, Kumo, and Murmur Backpacks is kind of powerful so long as you hike on developed trails and keep away from bushwhacking off-trail by dense brush. The facet pockets on the Mariposa and Gorilla backpacks are made out of stable cloth which considerably will increase their resistance to ripping and the underside of the pockets on the Mariposa, Gorilla, Kumo, and Murmur is bolstered with further cloth to withstand abrasion. As somebody who had a historical past of tearing the mesh on older mannequin Gossamer Gear packs, I can attest that the sturdiness of the mesh is vastly improved over earlier variations of Gossamer Gear’s backpacks and is kind of sturdy.

Material Sturdiness

Gossamer Gear’s packs are made with Robic Nylon in a number of totally different thicknesses relying on the pack measurement. Robic is now used broadly by different mainstream pack firms and is about two instances extra abrasion resistant than the earlier model of nylon utilized by backpack producers. That stated, none of Gossamer Gear’s packs are sturdy sufficient for off-trail climbing and are actually supposed for climbing on maintained trails. As with all light-weight backpacking gear, there are limitations to the sturdiness of the backpack materials, and due care have to be taken to keep away from damaging them. Gossamer Gear packs can undoubtedly final by a thru-hike in the event that they’re not abused indiscriminately.

Repairs and Pack Customization

Gossamer Gear outsources buyer pack restore requests to an organization named Rugged Thread. They’ll restore virtually any injury you do from mesh rips and abrasion to changing buckles, straps, or zippers. Gossamer Gear doesn’t provide pack customization. If you happen to contact Rugged Thread immediately, point out Gossamer Gear since they’ve negotiated reductions for purchasers.

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