Gossamer Gear Mariposa

I bought a Mariposa in 2006 to use for my backpacking trip across the Grand Canyon. Since then, I have used it many times, including trips on the Appalachian Trail and my week-long backpack in Rocky Mountain National Park, which included an attempted summit of Long's Peak (weather turned me back).

I have learned by experience how to load the Mariposa, and when it's loaded properly, it's unbeatable as an ultralight backpack in terms of its combination of lightness and comfort. I have regularly exceeded the 30 lb. load limit with no problems at all.

For a 7-day trip, I usually carry my REI 10 degree synthetic sleeping bag, foam sleeping pad, my Six Moon Design ultralight solo backpacking tent, food, 2 liters of water, rain gear, down sweater and synthetic long johns, stove, fuel and cooking utensils and camera. With those items, I usually weigh in at around 28 lbs.

The Mariposa has never ripped or come apart. I have dropped it fully loaded, and it never burst. I used to wish it had load levelers until I learned how to load it. Now I see it doesn't need any. I now plan to upgrade to the Mariposa Plus or Gorilla.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I had to add on my own straps to load it properly—not a big deal. It's a great pack!

Incredibly light, but well built. You don't gain much weight by going with the heavier fabric on the Mariposa Plus.

Update: February 24, 2009

Reviewed previously. I sent it back for the curved aluminum stay retrofit. It was cheap, and took less than a week door to door. Amazing.