Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 Hiking Pack – Reviewed & Tested

Jess has taken Gossamer’s Mariposa 60 for a burn. The 60L pack comes in at under a kilogram with the hip belt added – is that enough for big hauls and multi-day missions?

 

The first time I tried an ultralight pack, I hated it. It didn’t have a frame, the contents of the pack dug into my back and it swung from side-to-side as I walked, making me feel unsteady on my feet. I very gratefully handed it back to its owner, relieved I’d had the chance to experience the reality of the packs before shelling out my hard-earned cash on something I’d never want to use. 

But then I heard about the Mariposa 60 by Gossamer Gear. Somehow, this pack has managed to retain a frame (uncommon in ultralight, sub-1kg packs), and has a tonne of the nifty features I rely on in my sturdy regular pack with an anti-gravity frame. Ultralight sacks with straps like the one I first tried aren’t for me, but maybe this hybrid style is. 

Read more: What I’ve Learnt on My Way to Becoming an Ultralight Hiker

Why I’m the Right Person to Review This Pack

I’ve been hiking regularly for over ten years now and routinely head out testing products on the trail as part of my role as Head of Nutrition at Optiventure and The Hiker’s Nutritionist. I know the pain of lugging seven days worth of food over rough terrain in the rain, and can appreciate the value (and frustration) of small features like a waterproof cover, or the right angle on a zippered hip belt pocket (IYKYK). 

I started getting interested in ultralight hiking after a health diagnosis made it harder for me to cope physically with the rigours of the trail. I found that by making everything lighter I could maintain my previous distances and have just as good a time as I used to. But not every ultralight product is the same, and there are some items that just shouldn’t be ultralight. Sleeping bags for one, but that’s a story for another day. 

Me in my happy place, nerding out on gear

After fine tuning my setup for months using LighterPack, I finally realised that a big part of my weight problem was my trusty, ultra-comfy Osprey Aura AG 65 hiking pack. It weighed almost 2kg! The mission to find a lighter pack began.

Quick Overview

Colourway: Grey, Green, or Tropical Mist
Material: Recycled Robic Nylon
Weight: 931g (S, with straight belt), 946g (S/M with curved hip belt)
Capacity: 60L (36L in main compartment, 24L across 7 exterior pockets)
Dimensions: 56cm x 28cm x 14cm (S)
RRP: $649 AUD (size S)

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60L includes all the pockets, while the main compartment is far smaller

Performance

Weight

Oh, how gloriously light this pack is. At just 931g it’s even lighter than some day packs I own. For day hikes with a load of up to 7kg, I damn near forgot I was even carrying it. On overnight trips with a total weight hovering nearer to 10-12kg, it still held its own and was comfy to carry.

If you push it much higher in terms of load, you’ll notice more digging from the shoulder straps over time, but it’s nothing you wouldn’t experience with any other pack.

Read more: The Daypacks I Use for Every Kind of Adventure

Stability

With the patent-pending PVT frame system, chest strap, hip belt, and shoulder load lifters, the pack feels snug and close to my body. I’ve been used to the anti-gravity harness of the Osprey Aura, which takes the weight of the pack off your hips but also creates a decent gap between your pack and your bag for breathability. The Gossamer Gear sits flush against your back and feels quite steady on the flat.

Aluminium frame with a removable sit pad for comfort

Where I noticed a big difference was on hills or varied terrain with a heavier load. The Gossamer Gear Mariposa, with its light frame, has a bit more sway to it and doesn’t stay so rigid. This could be improved with packing techniques, but on day and overnight hikes when I haven’t been too fussy with my packing, it was noticeably less anchored and rigid-feeling than my Osprey Aura.

Durability

My biggest durability concern is the large kangaroo pouch mesh front pocket. On initial receipt of the pack, I was worried the mesh on the pockets would be too flimsy, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s deceptively robust, with what feels like endless stretch to always accommodate just one more thing, and hasn’t snagged or ripped despite being pushed and pulled through narrow trails. 

Actually very tough and stretchy

If you do jab a stick or tent peg directly at it, you should stop to check and remove it before walking on, but for the most part, it’s proven to be far tougher than I expected.

The only issue I’ve had in terms of wear and tear is the little fabric zip toggle cords have come undone a few times. Fortunately, I noticed before the entire loose string fell out and was lost forever, but it very easily could have gone that way.

These shouldn’t be coming undone so quickly

Comfort 

Overall, I was astounded at how comfortable the Mariposa 60 hiking pack is. While it doesn’t have as much cushioning as my Osprey Aura 65, the reduced overall weight means that the difference is almost negligible. The ventilation isn’t as good as the Osprey, especially with the removable foam sit pad providing a shield between your back and the rest of the pack – I got pretty sweaty – but it’s not a dealbreaker for me. 

If you’re hiking in warm climates airflow behind your back might be more important

I found the reduced overall weight of the Mariposa 60 meant that the shoulder straps don’t dig in and the hip belt hasn’t given me any chafing.

Hip Belt

The ability to choose either a straight or curved hip belt in multiple sizes means you can fully customise the hip belt to your comfort. I ended up with the curved hip belt as it felt like it hugged in closer and there was less overall movement. This comes as a default in the small-sized packs, while the straight belt is the default for the medium and large packs.

You can also remove the hip belt entirely if you want to use the bag as a day pack or just don’t like having a hip belt. You’ll need to refer to the instructions to do this as it involves removing part of the frame too. The versatility of every component of this pack is genuinely very impressive.

Design

Frame

Normally, I don’t have too much to say about the frame of a pack – it either sits well and fits, or it doesn’t. But for whatever reason, the frame on the Mariposa 60 is routinely squeaky. The frame itself is lightweight aluminium but there hasn’t been any skimping on comfort with a thick, and customisable, waist belt and bonus removable padding that doubles as a sit pad.

The materials have been used innovatively, and as an ultralight hiker I’m giving Gossamer Gear all the points for shaving off every possible gram while retaining functionality. 

The sit pad’s pretty easy to take in and out

BUT, the squeak which I thought might go away after I broke the bag in a bit, apparently, is here to stay. It seems to be coming from the top part of the frame near the back of my neck and no amount of adjustments and tweaks makes it pipe down. As someone who hikes to enjoy the peace and quiet, it’s a significant annoyance. I consulted some forums about it, and it looks like I’m not the only one with this problem. I’ll be the human equivalent of a house cat with a bell from now on, I guess.  

Umbrella Attachment

When I heard I’d be getting to try out the 164g Gossamer Gear Hiking Umbrella with this pack I was intensely curious. A hiking umbrella? I’d never heard of such a thing. As it turns out, it’s a pretty schmick little item and one that I’m now thrilled to have as part of my kit. The UPF50+ rated umbrella can be held in your hand or attached to either one of the shoulder straps of the Mariposa pack, so your hands remain free.

Ta da!

Naturally, it’s bloody useless on narrow trails or those with overhanging trees – unless you’re willing to potentially rip it to shreds in a matter of minutes. But on open, exposed trails like the Jatbula Trail, or the dreaded long beach sections of the Great Ocean Walk in Victoria, it’s absolutely perfect for keeping the sun off your face and ears (especially those who wear caps!) and works a treat when it’s raining to protect both you and the top half of your pack (rain angle plays a role here obviously).

My other favourite time to use it is on snack breaks when shade is hard to come by. It’s amazing how much cooler it is to sit under.

It’s not gonna work on a lot of trails, but that’s rather obvious

It opens smoothly, is incredibly lightweight, and outside of hikes, it lives in my car to use for the odd supermarket dash in the rain. Be mindful that due to the lightweight construction, this umbrella is not suited to braving anything beyond light winds. Provided it’s used in times and places where it can shine, it’s a great tool for the trail.

Pockets

Initially, I was a bit sceptical about how much I’d like this pack in terms of organisation. My Osprey Aura has the bottom zip separate from the main compartment, plus a detachable ‘brain’ that allowed me to really customise where I put everything.

The Mariposa is structured as one main compartment paired with a selection of large zipless pockets on the front and sides. After using it for months, I can confirm I’m officially converted. It’s different to what I was used to, but with packing cubes and rethinking my packing process, it works just as well as any other pack.

Generous pockets, and lots of them!

The side pockets especially, are big enough that I can fit a wet tent inside to dry out while I walk, as well as two 500ml Nalgene drink bottles side-by-side. This is especially handy when I’m using one for electrolytes and one for plain water. 

Because they aren’t zippered and have stretchy mesh, their capacity feels somewhat endless. They’ve proven very handy for delayering – where I would normally unzip my pack to stash layers away, interrupting the flow of the hike – I can just stuff them into one of the exterior pockets instead. It’s way quicker than undoing the bag, and means they’re easy to access when the wind inevitably picks up three minutes later, and I want to put it back on again.

Less secure but super practical

Sustainability 

Gossamer Gear’s products feature the slogan ‘Take less. Do more’. Despite being a retail brand, its ultimate driving force is to encourage customers to purchase less and use resources wisely, so collectively we can lower our environmental footprint. 

As part of this, the brand has embarked on a mission to replace existing fabrics and materials with recycled ones and start using PFAS-free coatings. The Mariposa 60 uses 100D and 210D recycled Robic nylon fabric with a PFAS-free coating. If you’re not sure about the significance of the PFAS-free, check out this article by Leila Bowe who explains it really well.

Recycled fabrics are a win, but more transparency is needed

Gossamer Gear also donates 1% of all web sales to a collection of social causes that are creating tangible, sustainable impact in the outdoors. That being said, there’s limited transparency on the sustainability page around sourcing, manufacturing processes, or end-of-life recycling programs, which makes it hard to fully assess the brand’s environmental footprint. 

So while Gossamer Gear hasn’t forked out for B-Corp accreditation or 1% for the Planet, it’s clear that as a small company it’s on the path toward lowering its impact. One to watch.

Price 

Starting at $649 AUD for a small Mariposa 60, this pack is by no means cheap, but ultralight gear rarely is. Shaving off grams is always going to come at a cost, and this pack shaves off a tonne of them.

The pack doesn’t skimp on innovative features like the removable sit pad, headphone port, axe loop, trekking pole attachments (ok the last two are pretty standard, but still handy), and giant exterior pockets, and yet manages to come under that 1kg mark and stay comfortable.

$650 is a lot of money, but if you’re going ultralight you might be willing to invest

The $89.95 Hiking Umbrella is also ultralight and priced accordingly. If you’re fair-skinned like me and attract sunburn like mozzies to a pond, then I think it’s worth the price to be able to escape the sun at any time on trail. While it’s expensive for what it is, you can’t buy a typical umbrella this light, the components are high quality, and it fills a need with very minimal grams. If you hike in open, exposed areas such as along the beach, it’ll be worth its cost and weight.

Final Thoughts

Switching from my trusted, comfort-focused Osprey Aura AG 65 to the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 was an adventure in itself. The Aura is more of a workhorse – it can carry heavy loads, and is highly customisable with multiple compartments and lots of cushioning, but over long treks it tends to weigh me down.

These two very different packs have given me a lot to think about

The Mariposa is significantly lighter, is packed full of clever features, and allows me to pack in just as much as I ever have into my AG 65. But, it has reduced padding, squeaks like a persistent mouse you just can’t find, and due to the unsymmetrical pocket design is easier to pack poorly and end up lopsided.

I’ll be using the Mariposa more often. It’s a pack that rewards thoughtful use, intentional gear choices, and a nimble approach to hiking. With accessories like the umbrella and bonus pockets, it’s also highly customisable to your needs.

‘Mariposa’, is Spanish for butterfly, now you know

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