Gossamer Gear Mariposa Ultralight Backpack, Long Term Report

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name: Carol Crooker
Age: 46
Gender: Female
Height: 5’ 10” (178 cm)
Weight: 160 lbs (73 kg)
Torso: 19” (48 cm)
Circumference over hip bones (where I wear a hip belt): 36.5” (93 cm)
Email: cmcrooker A.T. att D.O.T. net
City, State: Phoenix, Arizona
Date: May 31, 2005

Backpacking background: For the past 8 years, I've backpacked about 30 days each year. Most of my trips were three to six days long, and were in Arizona, the High Sierras, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, Pennsylvania and New York. My three-season base pack weight varies from 11 lbs (5 kg) to 6 lbs (3 kg). I use a tarp for shelter in all four seasons.

PRODUCT SYNOPSIS

The Mariposa is a very light (17.3 oz with all the options installed (490 g)), internal frame backpack. It is constructed of silnylon fabric with five mesh pockets including three side pockets, a large front pocket, and a pocket on the back panel for a sleeping pad. It is intended for loads of 40 pounds (18 kg) or less.

Manufacturer: Gossamer Gear
URL: http://www.gossamergear.com
Year of manufacture: 2004
MSRP: $129.95 USD

Manufacturer’s listed weight:
Pack, with all components installed – 17.2 oz (488 g)
Stripped pack – 14.6 oz (414 g)
Set of two foam shoulder pads – 0.4 oz (11 g)
Set of two foam waist belt pads – 0.3 oz (9 g)
Sternum strap – 0.6 oz (17 g)
Compression strap – 0.5 oz (14 g)
Set of two carbon fiber stays – 0.8 oz (23 g)

Weight as delivered for size medium pack:
All weights are as listed except that the stripped pack weighs 14.7 oz (417 g), which makes the loaded pack also weigh 0.1 oz (2.8 g) more than as listed by Gossamer Gear.

Manufacturer’s listed capacity and carry weight:
4200 c.i. (68.8 L) size medium - 2900 c.i. (47.5 L) main bag, 800 c.i. (13.1 L) extension collar, and 500 c.i. (8.2 L) pockets

Carry weight – up to 40 lbs (18 kg)

Fabric:
Silnylon, 1.3 oz/yd2 (44 g/m2), 40 denier Nylon, 4 oz/yd2 (136 g/m2), 210 denier urethane-coated nylon double wall ripstop

SUMMARY OF OBSERVATIONS

I like this pack! It is roomy enough for short, lightweight snow camping trips, is the right size for multi-day lightweight three-season backpacking trips, and it collapses nicely to work well as a day pack. It is comfortable, has good load stability, and fits me right. It weighs barely over a pound (0.5 kg) yet has stays to keep it from collapsing under a load and plenty of pockets. A few minor details indicate that quality control during construction could be improved.

What I like:

• Beautiful looking pack.
• Web site information and provided documentation is thorough and accurate.
• Just over a pound (0.5 kg) with all the options including an internal frame!
• Lots of pockets.
• I especially like having a pocket I can pull a water bottle out of while hiking.
• Internal stays keep pack from collapsing under a load.
• Responsive customer service.
• Comfortable padding on the hipbelt and shoulder straps.

What I don’t like:

• The aesthetics of a twisted strap on the Y top closure (function is not affected).
• Overstressing of fabric by the keeper strap, and casing on the right pocket is not sewn into the seam properly.
• The shoulder straps feel a little too widely spaced and too wide for my shoulders with the provided foam inserted. Replacing the foam in the straps with socks resolved this issue.

OBSERVATIONS

I had the Mariposa out for two, three-day trips and one overnighter in north central Arizona during the two months between my Initial Report and Field Report. The three-day trips were in November in the Prescott National Forest near the Verde River, and in December in West Clear Creek Wilderness. Daytime temperatures were in the 60's ºF (upper teens ºC) with overnight lows in the upper 30's ºF (3 ºC) for both trips. Elevations ranged from 3000 to 5500 feet (900 - 1680 m). My overnighter was on snowshoes in January in the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff. Temperatures ranged from a high of 69 ºF (21 ºC) down to 27 ºF (-3 ºC). Elevation was around 9,000 feet (2,700 m).

In the four months following my Field Report, I did a three-day trip in Saguaro National Park in central Arizona, a five-day trip in a canyon offshoot of Lake Powell in northern Arizona, and a six-day trip along the Oregon coast. On the last three trips temperatures were mild to warm, with lows in the high 20's to 40's ºF (-/+ 7 ºC), and highs up to the 90's ºF (32 ºC).

Below is a synopsis of my observations from the Initial Report and Field Report, and my further observations from the final four months of testing.

The pack carries well with the loads I tested - up to 28 pounds (13 kg). The shoulder straps are comfortable and the hipbelt rides where it should on my hips. The built-in thin foam in the hipbelt and shoulder straps along with the foam inserts is comfortable. The hipbelt is just about right at its shortest length with a very thin foam pad in the pad pocket. A thicker pad would create more room for adjustment in the belt. The pack stays with me when I'm scrambling under logs and up steep inclines.

The sternum strap is the first one I've been comfortable using. It isn't tight across my chest but pulls in the shoulder straps slightly keeping them out of the way of my arm swing. Engaging the sternum strap shifts the pack load points on my body for a nice change of pace. On the snowshoe trip, I made my way through closely spaced trees, over fallen trees, and up a steep hill on the way to a gorgeous clearing where we set up a snow camp. With the sternum strap fastened, the Mariposa stayed close and didn't hinder my movements.

The shoulder straps don't interfere with my arm swing even when I don't have the sternum strap fastened, but the straps do feel too far apart, and one strap sometimes slips off my shoulder when I'm maneuvering through tight spots. When I replaced the provided foam inserts with socks, the shoulder straps felt just right. The Mariposa carried comfortably with spare clothing in both the shoulder straps and waist belt. I also hiked with a loaded pack (16 lb, 7 kg) with no added padding in the three sets of straps and found that the straps spread the load adequately, but the outside edges of the shoulder straps were noticeable against my shoulder during my arm swing.

The Mariposa handles small volume loads well. For day trips, I restrung the bungee on the back of the pack so that it went through the loops at the back panel/side panel seams to form a smaller pack volume. I used a 1/8-inch (3 mm) pad in the pad pocket and tried the pack with and without stays. Even with a 10 pound ( kg) pack load, I was surprised by the amount of comfort the stays added by shifting the load off my shoulders and onto my hips. The Mariposa is fine as a day pack without stays, it is a really nice lightweight day pack with the stays.

I like pockets! All the pockets on any pack I use, including the Mariposa, are usually full. I carry a spare water bladder (full or empty) in the tall left side pocket. Also, tent stakes, a Therm-a-Rest chair kit if I'm carrying it, clothes I take off as I warm up, and food and toilet kit if they are not in the rear pocket.

The internal bladder pocket on the Mariposa works perfectly to protect an Aloksak OP Sak from being punctured - so that it maintains its odor proof integrity. I find the bladder pocket convenient to store items I want to be able to find quickly, such as my id and my spoon. I also stored a damp bivy sack in the bladder pocket on one trip to protect the rest of my gear somewhat from the bivy (the back mesh pocket of the Mariposa was already stuffed with my tarp).

I used a Nalgene 1.5 L Cantene and a Platypus 2 L bladder in the internal bladder pocket. When the Mariposa was packed tightly, a full water bladder rounded the backpanel instead of allowing it to conform to my back. The flatter, Platypus type bladder worked better.

The short right side pocket is very convenient to store items I want to access while I'm hiking. I carry a 1-liter water bottle in the pocket and have found that I can also carry my digital camera there for easy access, saving the weight of a separate camera pouch. I keep the camera in an Aloksak to give it a little protection from moisture or dust. On occasion, I've also fit a GPS in the side pocket along with the water bottle and digicam. I can easily reach back and grab a water bottle (round - Aqua Fina, or flat - Platypus) out of the short side pocket.

I use the small, flat pocket above the short right side pocket for my mini-journal and a pen (clipped to the journal so the pen doesn't slip through the mesh). The pocket is quite flat, and it's a tight fit for these items when the pack is loaded, which helps to keep my pen in place. I've also put a small map in with the mini-journal, but that is a snug fit.

I use the large back mesh pocket for my tarp if it's wet and a few small items I want to be able to get to when I take a break. The pocket is large enough for a small tarp, but there is not a lot of room left over. If I don't have a tarp in the back pocket there is plenty of room for items like snacks, toilet kit, map, gloves, hat, etc.

I used a Bozeman Mountain Works Torsolite in the pad pocket on several trips. The Torsolite is a trapezoidal pad that is only 17 inches (43cm) wide at its widest point, and 32 inches (81 cm) long. I didn't think that this non-rectangular pad would work with the Mariposa, but, folded in thirds, it works fine. When the stays are used, the pad in the pocket doesn't have to provide structure, just a little padding between my back and the stays. A very thin, 1/8-inch (3 mm) pad (used under my feet at night), works fine. The Gossamer Gear NightLight torso length pad fits nicely in the pad pocket as well.

Gossamer Gear has been very quick to respond to the couple of question I've had: great customer service.

I carried a 61-inch (155 cm) Mount Washington closed cell foam egg-crate pad on a snow camping trip and on another trip where temperatures were predicted to get cold. I first carried the rolled up pad on the top of the pack under the Y strap. The foam pad is secure on top of the pack under the Y strap, however, I prefer it folded in quarters under the back bungee cord. It's easier to get in and out of the pack and the pad is more protected from the various prickly bushes during my desert hikes. I restrung the bungee across the front panel, skipping the top two loops to make the bungee looser and easier to stretch and fit the pad under. I've left the bungee loosely strung in this way (even when I don't carry a long pad) because it is easier to load the pack without the bungee stretched between the top two loops and compressing the top of the pack.

The Mariposa had plenty of room for an overnight winter trip with a 14-pound (6 kg) base weight. There was easily enough room for the extra food that would be required for a short, multi-day winter trip. I strapped on an ice axe once I had the Mariposa packed, and walked around the house a bit. The ice axe rode fine. I didn't need an axe for the trip, so that was the extent of my testing. I also determined that snowshoes can be carried on the pack using a strap wrapped around the entire pack and snowshoes. I didn't do much testing with the snowshoes strapped to the pack since I needed to wear my snowshoes on all sections of my snow camping trip.

Durability The Mariposa has held up very well to six months of mostly trail hiking with some modest bushwhacking and trip in the sand. There is some fraying of the silnylon casing on the top of right pocket. The very top of one end of the casing is not sewn into the pack side seam as was intended, and it is fraying. The fraying is slightly more pronounced following the final four months of testing (as compared to two months of testing). There is a miniscule bit of fraying on the casing at the top of the left, tall side pocket right where the casing is sewn into the seam (the side adjacent to the center mesh pocket). I have a tendency to stuff that pocket very full and often take items out of it and stuff them back in during the course of a normal hiking day.

The sewing on the short keeper strap on the back of the pack looks to be over stressing the fabric; the needles holes are slightly enlarged, but did not worsen over the final four months of testing. All the mesh on the pack is undamaged.

The inside of the pack is a thing of beauty; very nicely finished. There is what I would call seam tape over teh fabric edges wehre several pieces of fabric are joined at a seam. There is one area of wear on the inside of the pack. At teh base of both stay pockets, the heavier black urethane coated nylon material has whitened. It appears that the urethane coating is coming off due to the repeated flexing of the material below the stay pockets.

On one occasion, a stay evaded the Velcro strap closing the top of the stay pocket and slipped out partially out of its pocket. This happened after I inserted the stays into their pockets in a full pack. The stay appeared to be seated properly - the top of the stay was below the top of the stay pocket - when I closed up the pack and started hiking. When I stopped for the day, part of the stay was protruding from the stay pocket. I didn't notice any changes in how the pack carried.

The Mariposa can fit a Bearikade Weekender bear canister on the top, under the Y strap. The can rides on top of the pack contents. The pack can't be too full, or the Y strap is not long enough to go around the Bearikade. About an inch (2.5 cm) maximum of the extension collar can be filled. The Bearikade, which is smooth and round with no indentations, slipped out from under the Y strap during my short test. It'll need a modification (loops glued on, strapping attached, etc.) to be secure.

The 3D wicking fabric on the shoulder straps and hip belt is comfortable even when I'm soaked with sweat.

I wore the Mariposa several times in a light rain without a pack cover. Moisture did not make it into the pack.